La magia del horno microondas

Within two blocks of my home I have access to the full range of Latin American gastronomy. I can choose between Nicaraguan or Salvadoran pupusas or explore the subtle difference between Honduran and Guatemalan empanadas. I can fine-tune my taste for lomo saltado at either Mi Lindo Peru or Inkas. I can sit down for seafood enchiladas at Las Brisas de Acapulco or just grab a burrito to go at Taqueria CanCun. In this paradise of cheap eatz, why would I ever bother to cook Mexican food in my bathroom? The answer is simple. Latino neighborhoods not only have an amazing range of restaurants, they also have great markets. I can't walk by the towering piles of mangos, platanos, yuca and chayote displayed on the sidewalk without being lured inside. There, surrounded by everything I would need to make tamales, chile rellenos, or pozole I can get overwhelmed. A flash of disappointment comes over me. My eyes are bigger than my bathroom. I don't have the counter space or the equipment to indulge my culinary dreams of a Latin American feast. I need to re-calibrate. Instead of the frozen banana leaves for Oaxacan tamales, I decide on some hand-made tortillas, still warm. Rather buying goat meat for a trial run at birria, I get a slice of queso fresca. I give up a bit of home made pride in setting aside a bag of dried black beans for a couple of cans of cooked beans. The meal I make won't involve simmering pots of aromatic spices or hand rolled anything. Tonight's enchilada dinner will be made entirely in the microwave oven and will take less than 5 minutes to prepare. Does this make it less authentic? Actually, I bet most of the enchiladas served in mexican restaurants are popped into the microwave -- that's why the server always warns you that the plate is hot.

Enchiladas Microondas

Ingredients:
8-12 fresh handmade corn tortillas
1/2 lb - 1 lb queso fresca or panela, crumbled (you could substitute monterrey jack or any other cheese you like, I like the queso fresca because it does not really melt, it stays integral as it cooks)
1 can black beans
1 avocado, peeled and chopped into cubes
1 small zucchini sliced into cubes (optional)
1 tomato, sliced thin
1 pint fresh salsa
Olive oil

To taste:
Chile powder (Pasilla or New Mexico)
Cumin
Cilantro or epazote

The Filling:

1. Drain the black beans
2. Chop the avocado and zucchini
3. Crumble the cheese (and reserve about a half cup)
4. Toss together in a small bowl
5. Add cumin, chile pepper and herbs to taste

Assembly:

1. Spread a bit of olive oil on bottom and sides of a small micro-waveable casserole (8 x 8)
2. Tear or slice eight of the tortillas in half
3. Place a layer of tortillas in the casserole, using the straight edge along the side of the pan. Overlap them as necessary. Cover the entire bottom of the pan. Depending on the size and shape of your dish, you may need to add some tortilla pieces in the middle.
4. Spread slightly more than half the salsa over the tortillas
5. Add the filling
6. Arrange the sliced tomatoes over the filling
7. Cover the filling with tortillas, following the same method as the bottom. Throw a whole tortilla in the center.
8. Cover the tortillas with the remaining salsa
9. Sprinkle the remainig cheese on top

Microwave for 4-8 minutes, depending on how your microwave cooks. The objective is to have the cheese bubbling hot throughout.

Serve like a lasagna.