One of my favorite new things I've discovered in my cooking adventures is dried peppers. You know all those packages in the grocery store that you have no idea how to use? Well, let me tell you. They are easy to use and also YUM. They add an awesome smoky flavor to your concoction that you will just love.
It makes me a little excited inside every time I successfully create something using these peppers... trying new things and having new experiences is what makes life worth living!
Anyway, I had some guests over for dinner last night and decided to make some chiles rellenos. I tried out this recipe for plantain fried rice via Rick Bayless. It was great... but not as good as when I had it at Xoco (Wicker Park). Missing that Bayless magic! I've never cooked rice like this before, and I'm interested to try it again. FYI I quartered this recipe and there was enough to serve 8 people! My friend Kimmy snapped some pictures of the food and preparation... I am trying to get better with this. Or maybe I should just have her over every night for dinner to be my photographer?
In my pantry I have a few different kinds of dried pepper. Guajillo, ancho and chipotle are my favorites. Ok, they are the only ones I've tried but they are my favorites already! I used 2 ancho chiles and 2 chipotle in the sauce. It was a BIG hit and super versatile. I'd cook any kind of meat in it. You could thin it out with more wine or broth and use it an a sauce for enchiladas, or use it as as a dipping sauce/ salsa. It's smoky, spicy and has a great depth of flavor.
Chiles rellenos are easy of customize to your taste. I chose mine to compliment the spicy sauce. Love to get creative with these!
Ancho Chipotle Sauce
2 Ancho peppers
2 Chipotle peppers
4 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tbsp chile powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp oregano
1 jalapeno - half of the seeds removed
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup red wine (and more to reach desired thickness)
1 14 oz can tomato puree (or diced tomatoes... pureed)
Bring a small sauce pan of water to boil (enough to cover the 4 dried peppers, about 4 cups). Toast the peppers over a hot pan, a couple minutes per side until they begin to brown. Put them into the pot with boiling water and turn off the heat. Let sit for 20 minutes, covered. Meanwhile, toast the cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant and then grind with a mortar and pestle.
Seed the peppers and place in a blender with 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid, and the next 8 ingredients. Blend. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and sauce for a couple minutes. Add the red wine and continue to cook about 5 minutes as it reduces. Add the tomatoes and reduce to a simmer, about 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Chiles Rellenos (Stuffed Poblano Peppers)
6 poblano peppers
1/2 lb ground turkey
2 ears (or 1 can) of corn
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tbsp cumin
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup flour
1 1/2 Panko bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
First, char your poblanos over your kitchen burners, rotating them to get a good char on all sides. The peppers should be black all over. Wrap them in foil as you take them off the burners and let sit for about 10 minutes. Then, rinse the peppers in lukewarm water, peeling the skins off carefully as to not rip the pepper (they will be fragile). Cut slit in the pepper on one side from and inch above the tip to the point where you can easily seed the pepper. Seed it and set aside.
To make your filling, sauté the onion for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the red pepper and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the corn, garlic, oregano and cumin and sauté unit fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the group turkey and season generously with salt and pepper. Sauté until the meat is cooked, and then add the cheese and cook until melted.
Assemble your breading station and heat about 1 cm of vegetable oil in a pan. Beat the egg and milk together lightly in a bowl. Stuff the peppers to the point that they are full but you can still close the pepper. Coat with flour, cover with the egg/milk mixture, and then with the Panko. Place the pepper cut side down in the oil and fry for 2-4 minutes until golden brown. Flip, and repeat.
Serve on top of the Ancho Chipotle Sauce, with a side of plantain friend rice (above)... and enjoy!
It makes me a little excited inside every time I successfully create something using these peppers... trying new things and having new experiences is what makes life worth living!
In my pantry I have a few different kinds of dried pepper. Guajillo, ancho and chipotle are my favorites. Ok, they are the only ones I've tried but they are my favorites already! I used 2 ancho chiles and 2 chipotle in the sauce. It was a BIG hit and super versatile. I'd cook any kind of meat in it. You could thin it out with more wine or broth and use it an a sauce for enchiladas, or use it as as a dipping sauce/ salsa. It's smoky, spicy and has a great depth of flavor.
Chiles rellenos are easy of customize to your taste. I chose mine to compliment the spicy sauce. Love to get creative with these!
Ancho Chipotle Sauce
2 Ancho peppers
2 Chipotle peppers
4 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tbsp chile powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp oregano
1 jalapeno - half of the seeds removed
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup red wine (and more to reach desired thickness)
1 14 oz can tomato puree (or diced tomatoes... pureed)
Bring a small sauce pan of water to boil (enough to cover the 4 dried peppers, about 4 cups). Toast the peppers over a hot pan, a couple minutes per side until they begin to brown. Put them into the pot with boiling water and turn off the heat. Let sit for 20 minutes, covered. Meanwhile, toast the cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant and then grind with a mortar and pestle.
Seed the peppers and place in a blender with 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid, and the next 8 ingredients. Blend. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and sauce for a couple minutes. Add the red wine and continue to cook about 5 minutes as it reduces. Add the tomatoes and reduce to a simmer, about 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Chiles Rellenos (Stuffed Poblano Peppers)
6 poblano peppers
1/2 lb ground turkey
2 ears (or 1 can) of corn
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tbsp cumin
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup flour
1 1/2 Panko bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
First, char your poblanos over your kitchen burners, rotating them to get a good char on all sides. The peppers should be black all over. Wrap them in foil as you take them off the burners and let sit for about 10 minutes. Then, rinse the peppers in lukewarm water, peeling the skins off carefully as to not rip the pepper (they will be fragile). Cut slit in the pepper on one side from and inch above the tip to the point where you can easily seed the pepper. Seed it and set aside.
To make your filling, sauté the onion for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the red pepper and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the corn, garlic, oregano and cumin and sauté unit fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the group turkey and season generously with salt and pepper. Sauté until the meat is cooked, and then add the cheese and cook until melted.
Assemble your breading station and heat about 1 cm of vegetable oil in a pan. Beat the egg and milk together lightly in a bowl. Stuff the peppers to the point that they are full but you can still close the pepper. Coat with flour, cover with the egg/milk mixture, and then with the Panko. Place the pepper cut side down in the oil and fry for 2-4 minutes until golden brown. Flip, and repeat.
Serve on top of the Ancho Chipotle Sauce, with a side of plantain friend rice (above)... and enjoy!
1 comment:
As your dinner guest Amy, I can officially say this meal was off the hook! I'm always amazed when vegetables can be prepared in such a way that the flavor just blows your mind. I think this recipe is great for cooks who are looking to step outside their comfort zone with the end result being a cooking strategy you are bound to use again. Not to mention the delicious flavor profile. Thanks for sharing!
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