Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 pounds ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 14-oz can refried pinto beans
• 2 medium onions, chopped, about 2 1/2 cups
• 1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, chopped, about 1 cup
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 28-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes, preferably "Fire Roasted"
• 1 7-oz can diced green Anaheim chiles
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 12 corn tortillas
• 2 cups coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 cups coarsely grated mild cheddar cheese
• Sour cream
• Avocado
• Cilantro
• Iceberg lettuce

Directions

1. Set a large sauté pan, or a cast iron frying pan, over medium high heat and warm 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add the ground meat, crumbling it into the pan as it goes in. Season with salt, then scatter on the cumin, coriander, chile powder and cayenne. Turn the burner to high and pour in another 2 Tbsp of olive oil.
2. Resist the urge to fuss with the meat. Let it take on color on the first side, then move it around so the second side browns too. When the meat has browned, take the pan off the heat; the residual warmth in the pan will keep cooking it. After you have confirmed that the meat is cooked through, lift it out with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a bowl. Set it aside.
3. With the meat out of the pan, add another Tbsp of olive oil and bring the heat to medium. Stir in the onions and chopped bell peppers, and cook until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and give it 1 minute more.
4. Pour in the diced tomatoes, green chiles and oregano, then let the mixture come up to a simmer. Keep it at an easy simmer for 15-20 minutes while you get the tortillas ready.
5. As the sauce bubbles away, use a little oil to fry the tortillas just enough to make them flexible. Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a 9-inch skillet over medium high heat until the oil sizzles but is not smoking. Working one tortilla at a time, cook it for 5 seconds per side; you want soft tortillas, not crisp ones.
6. Use a metal spatula or tongs to move the tortillas onto a paper towel-lined plate, so the extra oil can drain away.
7. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a glass or ceramic 13x9x3-inch baking dish.
8. Arrange 4 tortillas in the baking dish in a slightly overlapping layer; they are not meant to blanket the whole bottom. If you are skipping the tortilla-softening step because time is tight, rub some olive oil over the pan bottom and add a little sauce before the tortillas go in.
9. Cover the tortillas with half of the bean mixture, spreading it evenly, then add half of the meat mixture over that.
10. Scatter one third cheese over the meat, then spoon half of the sauce across the cheese.
11. Build the same set of layers again with tortillas, beans, meat, cheese and sauce, then finish with the remaining 4 tortillas on top. Cover those tortillas with the remaining cheese.
12. Bake the casserole on the oven's middle rack for 35 minutes, until it is hot all the way through and the cheese has melted completely and is bubbling. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream, chopped avocado, chopped cilantro, plus iceberg lettuce sliced thin and sprinkled with vinegar and salt.