Potato & Cheese Stuffed Poblanos

September 1, 2015September 2, 2015Leave a comment

Potato & Cheese Stuffed Poblanos -oh yum! It’s been an unusual growing season here in central Ohio. By this time in the season I’m usually roasting Poblano Peppers to freeze and searching for yet another recipe to add to my growing collection. This year I’ve waited and watched my plants develop a few peppers and have just finally harvested enough of my favorite peppers to make one dish. Now the dilemma, which one will it be?? In the end it’s determined by another favorite vegetables – the potato and of course the potatoes will come from my CSA bag.

My earlier post on Crema de Chile Poblano taught you how to roast peppers on a gas range. Today I’m taking the speed approach and using our gas grill. It has an additional time-saving element because it’s a task that my husband is great at. So, while I do the rest of the prep, he’s out on the deck roasting my precious peppers.

The recipe originates from a February 2011 Cuisine magazine article on Meatless and Delicious and that it certainly is. In the article the stuffed peppers are paired with a Black Bean Sauté which is also delicious but for tonight’s meal I’m pairing them with some simply grilled boneless, skinless chicken thighs and fresh off the vine cherry and grape tomatoes. Our dog looks sooo sad because he knows that although he can enjoy the aromas, he won’t be getting a bite!

So finally I get to pick some peppers! Certainly not a peck but enough for dinner.

The jalapeno comes from my “garden” as well.

The peppers go on the grill while I take care of the remaining tasks-so sad that there are so few of them. Usually the grill is filled.

I’m using a combo of “red” skinned (Blue Gold from Wayward Seed Farms) and white potatoes (Kennebec from Dangling Carrot Farms), but in this recipe most any type of potato will work. But, remember the better quality the ingredients, the better the dish. So if at all possible look for some high quality potatoes at your local farmers market.

When I’m making mashed potatoes, I usually want a russet like variety, but in this recipe they will be more of a smash, so even potatoes that are of the waxy variety will be fine. It’s a dice for the potatoes and a slice for the onion.

Into a pot of salted water they go. Always start potatoes in cold water so the will cook evenly.

The charred peppers go into a bowl and get covered with plastic wrap to steam. This loosens the skins, making them easy to peel.

While the peppers are steaming, slice the scallions and grate the cheese. Check out those beautiful purple scallions from Clay Hill Farms. Use both the white/purple part and the green stems. I forgot the shot for mincing the jalapeno, but you should be doing this now as well.

When the potatoes are tender, drain and return to the pot over high heat just for 30 seconds or so to evaporate the excess moisture.

The peppers should be cool enough to handle after 10 minutes. So pull the blackened skin off (remember not to rinse the peppers, you want all of that lovely roasted flavor to remain), cut a slit on one side and remove the seeds and tough veins and set aside.

Add approximately 3/4 of the shredded cheese, the scallions, jalapeno, cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder and cumin and mash/smash. I like mine on the chunky side but if you like smooth just keep on mashing until you get the texture you like. Taste and season with salt and pepper and lime juice if you like. If you salted the potato water well you shouldn’t need any additional salt.

Generously fill the peppers and place them on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Top each one with some additional shredded cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or so until the the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Because a couple of my peppers were pretty small I had some leftover potato ( ya hoo-a start for tomorrow nights dinner). So I oiled a small baking dish, filled it with the potatoes, topped it with some cheese, covered it with plastic wrap and into the refrigerator it went. An alternative would be to make little mounds of potato on the sheet pan with the potatoes, top with cheese and bake.

If you’re having a meatless day, a side of Black Beans (there’s a very nice recipe for Black Bean Sauté that accompanied the original recipe in Cuisine) is all you need for the center of the plate. Tonight I’m pairing mine with a grilled boneless, skinless chicken thigh and a handful of cherry (Sun Gold) and grape tomatoes from my CSA and garden. And of course a glass of wine! The flavors here are bold enough for a light red. The contrast of the warm, earthy stuffed peppers and the bright fresh flavors of the cherry tomatoes (no need for any embellishment on them) makes for a fine late summer meal.

Buen apitito!

M.B.

Potato & Cheese Stuffed Poblanos

by: M.B. Einerson

Adapted from Cuisine- Potato-Stuffed Poblanos with Monterey Jack Cheese February 2011

Servings: 4 (plus some potential leftover potatoes for another meal)

4 large poblano chiles
24 oz. potatoes, cubed, about 2 cups
1 cup sliced onion
1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, divided
½ cup scallions-white and green parts, thinly sliced
6 Tbsp. ( 3 oz.) cream cheese
1 Tbsp. jalapeno chili, seeded and finely diced
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 to 2 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. ground cumin
4 tsp. lime juice (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Roast poblanos over a gas burner or on grill until skins blacken. Alternative if you only have an electric stove to work with is to roast the peppers under the broiler until they are charred and blistered.

Transfer the roasted peppers to a glass bowl, cover them with plastic wrap and let them steam for 10 minutes or so. Once they are steamed enough to loosen the skins and they are cool enough to handle. Peel the blackened skin off (don’t rinse), cut a slit along one side of the pepper and remove the seeds and any tough veins. Set aside.

Put the cubed potatoes and sliced onion in a pot of salted cold water, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain and return them to the pot to allow the moisture to evaporate.

Add approximately ¾ of the shredded cheese, scallions, cream cheese, jalapeno, sour cream, garlic powder and cumin to the pan with the potatoes and mash to the consistency you prefer. Stir in lime juice if you like and then taste and season with salt and pepper (if you salted the potato cooking water well, you shouldn’t need any additional salt.)

Fill the prepared poblanos with some of the potato mixture, top with shredded cheese and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and golden brown. If you have extra potatoes that you can’t fit into the poblanos, put them into an oiled baking dish, top with cheese and plastic wrap and refrigerate for tomorrow night’s dinner. Alternative would be to spoon the potatoes into little mounds on the same baking sheet with the poblanos, top with cheese and bake alongside the peppers.

Buen apetito!

M.B.

Mexico City Enchiladas

May 18, 20156 Comments

When I say “I’m thinking of making a batch of enchiladas.” the first thing my husband says is “Mexico City Enchiladas?” What last weeks Chicken Enchilada Verdes lack in authenticity, Mexico City Enchiladas make up for in spades.

The source is another of my go to cookbooks – Mexican Cooking by Cynthia Sheer. It’s one I gave to my then “boy friend-to become husband” for Valentines Day because it had a recipe for Huevos Machaca. I’m not sure we ever actually tried to make it because nothing could ever live up to the dish as served at Manuel’s Original El Tepeyac in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. If you are ever in LA, it is a place you should try to visit. Their claim to fame was the MANUEL’S SPECIAL BURRITO made with Original Chile Verde Pork It weighed in at 5 lb. and would easily feed a family. But it was the #9 Machacha dinner that was my favorite. I loved leaving the line for entry (and there was always a long one) to watch the chef’s sauteeing the shredded beef with onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, eggs & melted cheddar cheese. It was their beef that made the dish so unique-aged and air-dried and produced in the northern part of Mexico. My mouth waters just with the memory.

Even though I never made the Huevos Machaca from Mexican Cooking, I have made many of it’s recipes and this enchilada is likely the most repeated. It’s not quite as labor intensive as the Chicken Enclilada Verdes and is certainly a leaner, healthier dish.

The ingredients are pretty basic-Chicken ,spices, onion & garlic, chilies, tomatoes, tortillas and cheese.

I love that this recipe starts with a whole chicken! Of course you can start with pre-cut chicken parts (no boneless, skinless please) but a whole chicken is a good deal (often under $1.00/lb) and there is just something satisfying about mastering the art of cutting up the bird. It doesn’t have to be pretty, you just need to get it into manageable pieces that will cook evenly.

I like to use both a chef’s knife and a pair of kitchen shears on a cutting board with a trough to catch the juices.

Position the bird with the tail toward you. Pull the leg/thigh away from the body and slice through the skin and flesh until you get to the joint. You should be able to pop it and cut through the center of the joint with your knife or the shear. Repeat this same process with the wing.

Turn the bird over on its breast and using shears, cut through the fine rib bones on both sides of the back. This will give you one long piece of mostly bones that will give your dish tons of flavor. You should be able to see the spot where you can cut it into two pieces. Then cut along the breast bone/cartilage to cut the breast into two pieces.

Like I said, it doesn’t need to be pretty, it just needs to be cut so it can fit into your pot in one layer.

Sprinkle it with salt, cumin, Mexican oregano and red pepper.

Add chopped onion, fire-roasted chilies

then the tomatoes and their liquid and the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken is very tender.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken from the sauce. I put it into the dish I will use to bake the enchiladas.

While the chicken is cooling, puree the cooking liquid into a smooth sauce with an immersion blender, food processor or blender. Be careful if you are transferring to a blender etc. and be especially careful if blending a hot liquid. I highly recommend investing in an immersion blender! If the sauce seems very thin at this point, bring it back to a simmer and reduce to the consistency of tomato sauce.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and shred into bite size pieces – you should have about 3 cups of chicken. Add the tomato, onion and juice that was clinging to the chicken pieces to the bowl with the shredded chicken. Then stir in 1/2 cup of the blended sauce.

Back to the baking dish that was holding your cooling chicken. Pour 1 cup of the remaining sauce into it and spread in an even layer.

Today I’m using blue corn tortillas because they caught my eye when I was in the Mexican market, but any corn tortilla will do. If you can find some that are produced near you go for it, they will be much fresher.

Instead of the traditional method of heating the tortillas in oil prior to filling, I give them a quick dip in the remaining simmering sauce. Dip them just long enough to make them soft and pliable. Alternative is to heat a stack of six for 30 seconds or so in a microwave.

Fill each tortilla with approximately 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture

Roll or fold in half and place arrange on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Cover enchiladas with some of the remaining sauce. I like to keep a bit of extra sauce for serving. Bake, uncovered until bubbly and heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.

Sprinkle with crumbled cheese and thinly sliced red onion and a little cilantro if you like

A few chips, some black beans, fresh tomato, avocado, a dollop of sour cream and of course a margarita Yum!! And best of all I’ve got great leftovers for lunch or dinner tomorrow.

Provecho!

M.B.

Mexico City Enchiladas

(Enchiladas Mexicanas)

by: M.B. Einerson

Adapted from Mexican Cooking by Cynthia Scheer

Servings: 6 generous

1 whole frying chicken, cut up or chicken parts 2 ½ to 3 lbs.
½ tsp salt
¾ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp crumbled oregano (Mexican is best)
1 medium to large onion, chopped
1 small dried red pepper, crushed or ¼ to ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 can green chilies – 4 to 7 oz. depending on your taste
1 – 14.5 oz. can diced or whole peeled tomatoes (the original recipe used a 1 lb. can where oh where have those extra two ounces gone)
1 can tomato sauce the original recipe calls for an 8 oz. can, but I use a 15 oz. can because we like lots of sauce. When I can find it, I substitute a Mexican tomato sauce called El Pato.

12 corn tortillas

½ to 1 cup crumbled Queso fresco , Feta or shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 thin red onion slices, separated into rings (optional)
Cilantro (optional)
Sour cream, Mexican crema or crème fraiche (optional)
Avocado (optional)

Arrange chicken pieces in a layer in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Sprinkle with salt, cumin, oregano, chopped onion, red pepper, garlic and green chilies. Pour on the tomatoes and their liquid and the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 ½ hours or until the chicken is very tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken from the sauce.

Pre-heat oven to 375° F

While the chicken is cooling, puree the cooking liquid and solids into a smooth sauce with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender. No worries if you don’t have one of those power tools, a chunky sauce will taste mighty fine as well.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and shred into bite sized pieces. You should have about 3 cups of chicken. Add any of the tomato, onion and juice that was clinging to the chicken into the bowl with the shredded chicken.

Mix ½ cup of the reduced sauce with the chicken. Pour 1 cup of the remaining sauce into an ungreased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Dip the tortillas one at a time in the remaining hot sauce to soften slightly and fill each with approximately ¼ cup of the shredded chicken. Roll or fold in half and arrange on top of the sauce in the baking dish.

Cover enchiladas with some of the remaining sauce. I like to keep a bit of extra sauce for serving. Bake, uncovered until bubbly and heated through, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, red onion and cilantro. Serve with sour cream and avocado and extra sauce.

Provecho!

M.B.

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

May 11, 2015May 7, 20153 Comments

These Chicken Enchiladas Verdes, although not high on authenticity, definitely fall into the category of favorites at my table and top the scale on luscious . The original recipe appeared in the December 1988 issue of Bon Appetit and sadly to say cannot be found on either the Epicurious or Bon Appetit sites today. What it lacks in authenticity it makes up for in solid comfort. So with a nod to Cinco do Mayo (yes once again I’m blogging and making dinner at the same time) I give you Chicken Enchiladas Verdes!

Like many recipes of its type, lasagna included, it is a recipe that can be made in stages so that the cook can enjoy it for dinner without spending the whole day in the kitchen. You could also take some short cuts and use a rotisserie chicken for the filling and stock or broth without the addition of the veggies. It won’t be quite as tasty, but still pretty darn good. It also makes a big pan of enchiladas, so you may want to cut it in half if you’re not feeding friends or don’t like leftovers. A special someone however has been known to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The original recipe in Bon Appetit was from an article titled Bye-Bye Turkey. Hello Encliladas! in the section Cooking for Friends. It included a menu and game plan for a Christmas feast with a southwestern accent complete with the enchiladas, a romaine salad, sopaipillas and pumpkin flans for dessert. The magazine itself was comprised of 208 pages with no less than 130 recipes! My comments in the margins indicate that I made the Romaine Salad with Avocados, Oranges and Fried Chilies as well, but it’s the Enchiladas that have endured over the years and remained in the memory of one of my most special table companions (although I’m thinking she wasn’t quite ready for enchiladas the first time it was on my table).

We’ll start with the chicken, a few aromatics and some stock. Bone-in, skin on chicken will give you the best flavor

The poaching method for this one is a very gentle one. Bring the stock to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken stand until cooked through – 165°F. This makes a Dutch oven ideal for the job as it retains its heat during the stand time. If you have a thinner stockpot or pan, you will likely need to simmer for a bit longer – I’d say 10 minutes minimum.

When the chicken is done, remove it from the stock, pull it off the bone and shred into bit-size pieces. You can do this a day in advance. Refrigerate the stock with the aromatics and the chicken separately.

On day 2, my next first step is to grate the cheese! Make sure the Jack cheese is nice and cold for optimal grating.

‘

Now you can gather the ingredients for the sauce and the enchiladas and pre-heat the oven to 400°F

Warm the stock and transfer the aromatics to the food processor that you just grated the cheese in – no need to wash in between! You are going to have plenty of dishes to wash, so conserve where you can.

In another saucepan melt the butter and stir in the flour – you’re making a roux. It’s a blond roux, so cook it just until its light golden color and then stir in the hot stock and cook over medium heat until it’s slightly thickened and the floury flavor is cooked out. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.

While the sauce is cooling, start sauteing the onions in the vegetable oil in a large skillet. Cook them until they are soft and translucent.

Next add the spinach and cook just until it is slightly wilted-you want to keep that vibrant green color.

Transfer the spinach mixture to the food processor which has the aromatics from the broth, add the sour cream, green onions and 1/2 can of the chilies. Blend until smooth

Add as much of the cooled sauce to the processor or blender as possible (there is usually a maximum line on the food processor)and blend again. If your food processor won’t hold all of the sauce, no worries. Simply stir the blended sauce into the rest of the sauce and go from there. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the rest of the chilies if you like.

Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the blended sauce over the bottom of the baking dish and add 1/2 cup of the sauce along with 2 1/2 cups of the grated cheese to the shredded chicken. Mix well.

You’re on the home stretch now! Note that the traditional method of preparing the tortillas for filling is to heat them in oil until soft and pliable. There is plenty of fat in this recipe, so I opt to microwave 6 tortillas at a time until they are soft – about 30 seconds in my microwave. Lay them out on a cutting board and fill with the chicken/sauce/cheese mixture.

Roll them up and arrange seam side down in the baking dish.

Spoon the remaining sauce over the filled enchiladas, cover with foil and bake until heated through. It will take about as much time as it will take you to get the pots and pans cleaned and dishes in the dishwasher!

Remove foil, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake until the cheese melts-about 5 minutes.

Ready for dinner! I like to serve it with frijoles- either refritos or de olla and black are my favorite and a bit of salsa or pico de gallo on top.

Provecho!

M.B.

Chicken Enchilada Verdes

by: M.B. Einerson

Barely adapted from Bon Appetit, December 1988

Servings: 6 generous

Filling *

2 to 3 bone-in, skin on chicken breast halves – 2 1/2 lb.
3 cups chicken broth or stock
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
¼ large onion
2 garlic cloves
2 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf

Sauce

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. vegetable oil
1 ¼ large onions, chopped
1 bunch spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped or 6 oz. baby spinach
3/4 cup sour cream
2 to 4 green onions, cut into pieces (use both white and green parts)
½ to 1 four oz. can diced jalapeno or mild green chilies, grained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¾ lb. Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, grated
Vegetable oil (optional)
12 – 6-inch corn tortillas

Salsa

Filling:

Place all ingredients in a large sauce pan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken stand until cooked through, about 1 hour. Remove chicken from broth and cool slightly. Remove skin and bones from the chicken and shred the meat. Put in a medium size bowl and chill.

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

Grate Cheese

Sauce:

Transfer the aromatics from the stock to the bowl of the food processor or blender.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan or Dutch oven over low heat. Add flour and cook until light brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the reserved chicken cooking liquid. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Cool.

Heat 1 ½ tsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the food processor or blender. Add sour cream, green onions and ½ can chilies. Puree until smooth. Add as much of the cooled sauce to the processor or blender as possible (there is usually a maximum line on the food processor)and blend again. If your food processor won’t hold all of the sauce, no worries. Simply stir the blended sauce into the rest of the sauce and go from there. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the rest of the chilies if you like.

Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the bottom. Add ½ cup sauce to the chicken along with 2 ½ cups grated cheese.

** Pour ½ to 1 inch of vegetable oil into a small to medium skillet. Heat over low-medium heat. Add 1 tortilla and cook until softened, about 5 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. **

Divide the chicken filling among the tortillas and roll up. Arrange seam side down in buttered dish. If baking immediately, spoon remaining sauce over the filled enchiladas. Cover with foil. (This part can also be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate the enchiladas and sauce separately. Bring the enchiladas to room temperature before baking.)

Bake covered in the 400°F oven until just heated through, about 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Serve with salsa

Provecho!

M.B.

* The filling can be prepared a day in advance. Chill the shredded chicken and broth separately.

** Note this step can be skipped if you want to reduce the amount of fat in the recipe a bit. Simply put the stack of tortillas in the microwave and heat until soft and pliable. You’ll need to work quickly, so they don’t get stiff again, but you can do it!!

MB's Table

RECIPES FROM MY TRIED & LIKED FILE WITH TWEAKS THAT MAKE THEM FAMILY FAVORITES.

Category: Mexican

Potato & Cheese Stuffed Poblanos

Potato & Cheese Stuffed Poblanos

Mexico City Enchiladas

Mexico City Enchiladas

(Enchiladas Mexicanas)

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Chicken Enchilada Verdes