Tortilla & Black Bean Pie

Something is wrong with me. While I was vacationing in Sandbridge, VA a few years ago I spent some time writing down some recipes. Who in the world spends their time at the beach writing down recipes? I'm not normal. I guess I can cut myself a little slack because we went after peak season and the temperature was a bit cooler and it was really windy, so I stayed inside one afternoon. I would now consider it crazy to write down a recipe. I've had a smart phone for about a year now and when I see a recipe I like, I take a photo of it.

This vegetarian recipe was found inside a Martha Stewart cookbook, or maybe it was a magazine...it's been a few years since I found it. This recipe is versatile. In fact, I would highly recommend doctoring it up to suit your taste. I prepared the recipe as written (substituting spicy black beans for regular) and my husband and I were pretty impressed with the presentation, but pretty disappointed with the overall lack of flavor. It has jalapenos and onions and cumin. How could it lack flavor?I loved seeing the layers; They turned out really well. I think the meal itself needed less corn, more cheese and more of a kick - like adding salsa and tomatoes inside. I topped mine with sour cream. I will make this again but with the suggestions I just made and if you're a meat-eater I'd recommend adding some marinated shredded pork tenderloin. I did not adapt the recipe.

Ingredients

4 flour tortillas (10 inch)
1 tbs canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
S & P
2 cans (15oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
12 oz beer or 1 1/2 cups water
1 package (10oz) frozen corn
4 scallions, thinly sliced + more for garnish
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Trim tortillas to fit 9" spring form pan.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic and cumin. Season with
S & P. Cook stirring occasionally - 5-7 minutes.
3. Add beans and beer to skillet and boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer until liquid has almost evaporated - 8-10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions and remove from heat. Season with S & P.
4. Tortilla on the bottom of the pan. Layer with 1/4 of beans and 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat 3 times.
5. Use 1 cup cheese on top layer.
6. Bake until hot and cheese is melted. 20-25 minutes.
7. Unmold; sprinkle with scallions.
8. Slice into wedges and serve immediately.