Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and prepare a gas or charcoal grill for the eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms.

Slice the chiles lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips and set aside.  Whisk the olive oil and the garlic together in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper.  Toss the eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms separately in the olive oil mixture just to lightly coat.  The eggplant will soak up the most oil, so add more olive oil as needed.

Remove the vegetables from the olive oil and garlic mixture, reserving the remaining oil.  Lay the eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms neatly on the hot grill.  Grill the vegetables, flipping once, until they are fairly soft and pliable.  The eggplant and mushrooms will take 6 or 7 minutes, and the zucchini 3 or 4 minutes.  Remove the vegetables with tongs as they are done.

In a large skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil mixture.  Saute the corn and sweet potatoes over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don't scorch.  This will bring out more of the sugar from the vegetables and soften the sweet potatoes so they cook completely in the casserole.  Allow to cool slightly.

Grease an 8-inch casserole with some of the remaining oil.  When the vegetables have cooled, slice the mushrooms into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Lay half the chile strips so they cover most of the bottom of the dish.  Layer half of the mushroom slices on top of the chiles, then place a layer of half the corn and sweet potatoes, then place a layer of half the eggplant, then a layer of half the zucchini.  Sprinkle with half of each of the cheeses.

Beat the eggs and milk together until well blended.  Ladle half the egg mixture over the cheese, shaking the casserole to help the mixture seep all the way to the bottom.  Repeat the layering process in the same order, ending with the remaining cheese as the top layer.  Pour the rest of the egg mixture over the top, shaking the casserole again to help the mixture seep all the way to the bottom.  Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the custard is set and the cheese begins to bubble.

Remove from the oven and let the casserole sit for about 15 minutes before serving.  This will help all the ingredients firm up, but it will still be quite hot.

Serves: 6 - 8

Reprinted with permission from ©2008 Janos Wilder The Great Chiles Rellenos Book, published by Ten Speed Press click for book review

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