Corn and Zucchini Timable with Ancho Chile Sauce
Adapted from The Greens Cookbook
Serves 6

I’m presenting the recipe more or less as written.  As stated above, I made this in a 2 quart soufflé dish which I did not put in a water bath.  If I were to make it with ramekins, I would do the water bath method.

1 pound zucchini
Salt
2 tbsp. butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cups yellow corn kernels (about 4 ears)
4 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup white wine
5 eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 ounces or 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Tabasco sauce to taste (optional)
3/4 cup bread crumbs
Ancho Chile Sauce (recipe follows)

Grate the zucchini by hand suing the large holes on a grater, or process it in a food processor.  Place in a colander and toss it with salt.  Let it sit for half an hour, then squeeze out the water, either using your hands or putting the mass in a clean kitchen towel and twisting hard several times.

Melt the butter, add the onion, followed a minute later with the corn, parsley, and cilantro.  Stir together and cook over medium heat for a minute;  then add the zucchini and wine, lower the heat, and cook covered for about 3 minutes.  Remove the lid and cook off any remaining liquid.  Taste and season with salt, if needed.

Beat the eggs, whisk in the cream, then add the vegetables and cheese.  Season with the cayenne and Tabasco sauce if using, and taste again for salt.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Generously butter 1-cup-capacity ramekins, or a large mold, and coat them with the bread crumbs.  Mix any extra bread crumbs into the custard; then ladle it into the ramekins, making ure there is an even distribution of vegetables.  Set the ramekins in a deep pan and add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides.  Bake until the tops puff up and are browned, about 1 hour.  Prepare the Ancho Chile Sauce while the custards are baking.  Take the custards out of the oven and let them sit for a few minutes, then unmold them.  Serve them top side up on a plate with the sauce spooned around or over them.

Ancho Chile Sauce
Makes about 3 cups

To count down on time, I used two 15 ounce cans of Muir Glen’s fire roasted tomatoes instead of grilling or broiling as described below.

2 pounds tomatoes, fresh or canned
20 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 to 4 ancho chiles
2 tsp. dried oregano
Salt

If possible, grill the tomatoes over a charcoal or wood fire until they are soft but the skins have not blackened.  Otherwise, broil them for 5 to 8 minutes, turning them frequently, until they are soft and the skins are blistered.  Purée in a blender and set them aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Roast the garlic cloves until they are soft inside and slightly browned on the outside, about 20 minutes.  Let them cool briefly; then peel.  Put them in the blender with about 1/4 of the tomato purée and blend until smooth.

Roast the ancho chiles in the oven until they puff up and are fragrant, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove the stem, seeds, and veins, tear into pieces, then blend in a small blender jar or spice mill.  (DT: I use a coffee grinder for grinding chiles and spices.)  Roast the oregano in a dry skillet until it is aromatic, and remove it to a dish to stop the cooking.

Heat the tomatoes; season them with the garlic purée, chiles, oregano, and salt and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.