GRATIN OF THE THREE SISTERS

I am a member of paperbackswap.com and if you are not familiar with it you should be. Members post their books and then you swap back and forth. I received  a cookbook today that I had been waiting on for a long time and is marvelous darling....SEASONAL SOUTHWEST COOKING; by the multi-talented Barbara Pool Fenzl. It is a beautiful book that is literally swimming with wonderful recipes. This one just flew off of the pages at me and was saying 'eat me'.

BEAN LAYER:
1 tablespoon corn oil
1 (15oz.) can black beans, undrained
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

ZUCCHINI LAYER:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
4 zucchini (about 1 1/2 lbs.), diced into 1/2-inch pieces
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

CORN LAYER
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 Serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 cup grated Queso Fresco or Asadero cheese

Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Preheat the broiler.

To prepare the bean layer: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; add the black beans and their liquid, garlic, and chipolte. Cook, mashing the beans with the back of a fork until mixture has thickened slightly. and the garlic is tender, about 10 minutes. Spread the beans evenly in the bottom of the pan.

Zucchini Layer: Melt the butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until zucchini is golden and onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Spoon over the black beans.

Corn Layer: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the corn through Serrano chile. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add cilantro. Pour over the zucchini.

Spread the cheese over the corn mixture. Put pan under the broiler and cook until cheese is golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.

COOKS NOTE: If making ahead, complete the recipe through the corn layer and refrigerate, covered. Preheat oven to 350 F. Reheat the casserole until warmed through, about 15 minutes. Preheat the broiler. Spread the cheese over the corn mixture and broil until golden brown.

Makes 6 servings.