CORNBREAD CASSEROLE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH, MUSHROOMS, AND ANCHO MOLE (USA)

(Meatless.  Can be paired with wine such as Zinfandel, Pinot Noir or Malbec) - 8 servings.

Rating:  Time consuming first time round but can all be prepared 1 day in advance and cooked before serving
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Filling
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3 tblspns       Extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cps      Chopped onions
1 1/4 lbs       Wild mushrooms - assorted (such as oyster, chanterelle, and portobello), coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tblspns Chopped fresh sage
4 tspns          Chopped fresh thyme
3 large          Garlic cloves, chopped
2 1/2 tspns    Ground cumin
4 cps 1/2-in  Cubes seeded peeled butternut squash (about 2 1/2 lbs)
2 cps            Drained rinsed black beans (from two 15-ounce cans)
2 cps            Diced tomatoes in juice (from two 14 1/2-ounce cans)
1/2 cup        Water

Cornbread
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4 cps            Masa Harina (corn tortilla mix)
2/3 cup        Yellow cornmeal
2 1/4 tspns   Salt
3/4 tspn       Baking powder
2 1/2cl         Water
10 tblspns     Butter, melted, divided
2 large         Eggs
1 large         Egg yolk
2 cps           Coarsely grated extra-sharp white cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
3 tblspns     Finely chopped fresh Italian parsley


Ancho Mole - recipe below.  Don't miss out this one!


For filling:   ----> (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover; chill.)
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Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. 
Add onions; sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. 
Add mushrooms; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. 
Add sage, thyme, garlic, and cumin; stir 1 minute. 
Add squash, beans, tomatoes with juice, and 1/2 cup water; bring to boil. 
Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer 8 minutes. 
Uncover and simmer until vegetables are tender and most of liquid has evaporated but mixture is still very moist, about 12 minutes. 
Season filling generously with salt and pepper. 

For cornbread:   ---->(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
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Preheat oven to 350°F. 
Butter 15x10x2-in glass baking dish. 
Mix Masa Harina, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder in large bowl. 
Whisk 4 1/4 cps water, 6 tblspns melted butter, eggs, and egg yolk in another large bowl to blend. 
Stir egg mixture into Masa Harina mixture. 
Stir in cheese and parsley, adding more water by tblspnfuls as needed to form thick moist dough.

Transfer 4 cps dough to prepared baking dish. 
Place large piece of plastic wrap atop dough. 
Using plastic as aid, press dough evenly over bottom and 3/4 of the way up sides of dish; peel off plastic. 
Spoon filling into dough in dish, spreading evenly. 
Spoon remaining dough in small dollops atop filling. 
Using offset spatula, gently spread dollops evenly over filling to cover. 
Press top and bottom dough together at edges to seal, enclosing filling. 


Brush top of casserole with 4 tblspns melted butter. 
Bake until dough is light golden and casserole is heated through, about 1 hour (or about 1 hour 15 minutes if chilled). 
Cool 10 minutes. 
Cut into squares; 
Serve with Ancho Mole.

Tip:  Pumpkin pie for dessert.  

ANCHO MOLE - Makes about 4 cups  (Soak chiles 2hrs then 45mins to prepare)
(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover; chill. Rewarm over low heat, whisking often.) 

4           Dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded
4 cups   Warm water
1/2 cup  Canola oil or vegetable oil
1/2 cup  Almonds, chopped
1/2 cup  Lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts
1/2 cup  Raisins
1/4 cup  Sesame seeds
4 whole  Canned plum tomatoes (from 14 1/2-ounce can), drained
2 3/4     Cups (or more) water
1 1/2 oz  Bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped 

Place chiles in large bowl and pour 4 cups warm water over. 
Let stand until chiles are soft, about 2 hours, turning occasionally. 
Drain, reserving 1 cup soaking liquid. 
Coarsely chop chiles.
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. 
Add almonds, peanuts, raisins, and sesame seeds; sauté until toasted, about 12 minutes. 
Transfer mixture to processor; 
Add chiles with 1 cup reserved chile soaking liquid and plum tomatoes. 
Puree until mixture is almost smooth. 
Return mixture to skillet adding 2 3/4 cups water and bring to boil, whisking to blend. 
Reduce heat to medium-low; 
Add chocolate and whisk until melted. 
Simmer until sauce thickens and darkens, adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls if too thick, about 15 minutes. 
Season with pepper and generous amount of salt. 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/

Comments:
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minasmommy from montreal,PQ on 11/17/05 
tho this was a bit prep intense it was so worth it! the ancho mole was great and will definately make it again, a nice hearty autumn supper and 
awesome leftovers for lunch the next day, highly recomended vegetarian casserole that is not boring! 
I used several types of mushrooms that i had on hand and it was delicious.

A Cook from Peoria, IL on 11/12/05 
I found this to be very labor intensive, the components and prep work taking forever. 
I think this article was titled "easy entertaining" or some such thing, and while the recipe wouldn't fit into the easy category, it is possible they 
are referring to the fact that it can be completely assembled the day before and then baked before serving, which is a real plus. 
The mole isn't bad to make and shouldn't be skipped. 
It really is delicious and I would make it again if I had the time and needed a vegetarian do-ahead dish. I also made the other component of this 
menu and the courses harmonized beautifully. 

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