In honor of Memorial Day–but mostly because I was craving Mexican food–I made roasted corn enchiladas for dinner tonight.

I tried this recipe for the first time a year ago when I was still in grad school in Chicago. My friend Stephanie and I were working on an end-of-quarter project, and we made the enchiladas as a study break. I still remember us chopping the tomatoes to make the sauce, and roasting the corn kernels in my tiny Easy Bake-style oven. We carefully rolled the corn tortillas around the ricotta cheese filling, and almost devoured the entire pan of enchiladas once it came out of the oven.

My life has changed a lot since last year: I moved to a new city, started a different job, and acquired an oven that actually works. But it’s nice to know that in the midst of change, some things remain consistently good.When I took the enchiladas out of the oven tonight, it reminded me of how good they smelled the first time I made them. The spicy, roasted tomato sauce bubbled up in the pan, the cheese was soft and melted across the surface, and the corn tortillas were crispy and brown. The ricotta was light and fluffy, and the corn kernels were slightly caramelized and crunchy. All the flavors melded together exactly the way they should.

The only caveat to this recipe is that once you taste one enchilada, you will probably have to eat the rest in one sitting. Unless, that is, you possess some superhuman strength that I do not.

Roasted Corn Enchiladas (slightly adapted from Naturally Ella)

Ingredients

Filling:

2 large ears sweet corn
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup ricotta
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro

Sauce:

2 large slicing tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2-1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 corn tortillas
1/2 cup queso fresco or goat cheese (I used goat cheese)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375˚.
2. Carefully remove corn from cob by placing the cob perpendicular to the bottom of a large bowl. Cut downward on the cob. Toss kernels with ½ tablespoon olive oil and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Roast, stirring occasionally, until soft, 15-20 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, whip together ricotta, honey, lime juice, and cilantro. Once corn is done, stir into ricotta mixture.
4. To make sauce, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium low heat. Add in minced garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Roughly dice tomatoes and add into pot along with chipotle powder and salt. Cook until tomatoes are starting to break down. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender or in a regular blender.
5. Layer tortillas in between a damp paper towel and microwave for a couple minutes until soft, or place them in the oven for a couple minutes until pliable.
6. To assemble enchiladas, use and 8×5 pan (or an 8×8 with extra space). Place ⅓ of the chipotle tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan. Next, scoop ⅓-1/2 cup corn filling in to the center of the tortillas, roll gently, and place seem side down in the pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas, carefully squeezing the last tortillas in. Pour remaining sauce on top and sprinkle the cheese over the top.
7. Bake enchiladas until lightly browning and bubbly, 20-25 minutes.