Iron Chef Corn: Corn and Poblano Lasagna

I was pretty excited for Iron Chef Corn. There are a lot of great recipes out there featuring that ingredient. One of my favorite recipes is this one for Corn Chowder. I absolutely love it. It's spicy and cheesy and just plain delicious. But, since it's a recipe I posted on this blog I figured that was kind of cheating. Well, not really cheating but not very original. So, I went on the hunt for some main course recipes. I tried several before settling on this one for Corn and Poblano Lasagna. I loved the corn sauce that replaces the typical ricotta cheese mixture. Plus, the squash and poblano in place of the meat was a nice change. I loved how cheesy and spicy it was, too. I knew that if I didn't win at least it would taste pretty darn good. And, coming in second is not bad at all. I hope you like it as much as I did. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears), or frozen and thawed
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (I used Coriander instead of thyme)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
2 large zucchini or yellow squash, thinly sliced lengthwise
4 poblano chiles, charred, peeled, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional)

2 cups corn kernels (from about 2 ears), or frozen and thawed
12 (7 by 3-inch) no-boil lasagna sheets (I used regular lasagna sheets about 10)
2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese, or mozzarella (I ended up using 4 cups cheese)

First pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Next, take out a heavy saucepan and melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add 2/3 the garlic and cook until fragrant. I also added the chopped jalapeno at this point. Mix in the corn and sautee for a couple minutes. Add in the heavy cream and the coriander (or thyme). Season with salt and pepper. I also added about a teaspoon of red hot pepper flakes. Pour the mixture into a blender or use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth. Set aside. 

In the same heavy saucepan, add the remaining butter and melt over medium heat. Add the onions and sautee until translucent. Add the remaining garlic and cook until fragrant. Then, add the squash, poblano peppers and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add in the corn kernels and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. If you are using lasagna sheets that require boiling; go ahead and take out a heavy pot. Add the water and some salt and a little oil to help keep the sheets from sticking together. Add the lasagna sheets and boil for about 8 to 12 minutes. Drain. 

Next, take out a 9x13 baking dish and pour some of the corn sauce on the bottom. Cover with a layer of 3 lasagna sheets. Pour the vegetables on top of the lasagna sheets and the sprinkle with the cheese. Repeat layers by adding the corn sauce next then the lasagna sheets and then the veggie mixture and the cheese. Repeat 2 more times. Cover with foil and bake for about 50 minutes. Then, remove the foil and and turn the oven temperature to broil and broil for a couple minutes until the cheese turns a light golden brown color. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy.