Tasting Spoons

When I spotted nice, jumbo, fresh Poblano chiles at the market I got to thinking about what would go well with them, and I remembered a dish I ate at a wonderful Pasadena restaurant, the Parkway Grill. At one visit, years and years ago, I ordered as an entrée their stuffed Poblano. I believe it was an appetizer (albeit, a hearty one), but I ordered it as my entrée. At the time I’d never had a Poblano, so was particularly impressed with the flavor, not only of the chile itself, but the fresh corn and cheese that melted out of it. I wanted to lick the plate. On the occasions that I’ve been back (not numerous, alas, since it’s about 40 miles away), it’s never been on the menu again, and likely they’ve changed chefs several times in the interim anyway. Some years ago I did try to make it, but just didn’t know what I was doing; didn’t have a recipe, so was kind of flying blind.

This time I used several internet recipes as guides (not including one that’s been copycatted all over the web that includes ½ cup of pecans), adapting it to fit what I wanted and what I had on hand to put into the chiles. We had fresh white corn on the cob, fresh red and yellow bell pepper, and I just kind of winged it from there. I tasted the mixture a few times as I went along, to see if it tasted anything like what I remembered. Well, it’s been so many years, I can’t be sure, but the combination of Poblanos (which are a very mild chile, by the way) and my addition of chipotle chile in adobo sauce, plus a little squirt of concentrated chicken broth, a little feta, a bit of garlic here, a bit of cream there really added to the flavor. I forgot to add the egg (I’d intended to) so the mixture kind of fell apart. I’m glad I took a photo of it in it’s BEFORE state, since it was quite difficult to serve AFTER. If I were going to make this again, I might try to find cotija cheese (a crumbly Mexican cheese), but the feta worked just fine. I was very pleased with the salty crumbly addition. If you like more heat, add a larger chipotle chile. If you don’t like heat at all, eliminate the chipotle altogether.

A word to the wise: if you broil the Poblanos too long, the flesh of the Poblano is somewhat compromised – it becomes too fragile to handle. So, just char the peppers until they’re black, not any longer. That means hanging around in front of the oven perhaps more than you want to, but it’ll be worth it. My recollection is that the chile I had originally was still almost chewy and crunchy, so perhaps they didn’t even char it and/or remove the skin. I simply don’t remember.

My result? Absolutely fabulous. This would make a delicious entrée – there was surely enough quantity to be one. I served it with some leftovers which didn’t exactly go with it (the Mexican chicken I made a few nights ago). I think perhaps a small green salad would have been the best thing to go with it. There really was enough another peppers so if you can find medium-sized ones, make three!

Roasted Poblano Chiles Stuffed with Corn and Cheese

Recipe By: My own recipe, but inspired by a similar dish at Parkway Grill in Pasadena, California

Servings: 2

2 whole poblano peppers

2 whole corn on the cob — cut off the cob

3 tablespoons red onion — minced

1 large garlic clove — minced

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 tablespoons red bell pepper — minced

3 tablespoons yellow bell pepper — minced

1 small chipotle chile canned in adobo — minced

1/2 whole lime — juice only

1 whole egg — whisked (optional)

1 cup jack cheese — or cheddar, shredded

pepper — to taste

1/2 teaspoon chicken stock base

2 tablespoons heavy cream

3 tablespoons feta cheese — or cotija if you can find it

1.  Preheat oven to broil.

2.  Wash and dry the fresh chiles and lay them on a small cookie sheet lined with foil or a Silpat.  Place under broiler and char the peppers until the skins are black, turning them over once or twice to get all the sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Do not overcook them or they will fall apart once you try to remove the charred skin.  Remove from oven and cover with foil or plastic wrap (in a bowl) and let sit for 15 minutes.  When they’re cool enough to handle, using a paring knife or a paper towel, remove all the skin.  Then slit the chile from the side (from tip to stem, but leaving stem end intact) and remove seeds.  Reduce oven temperature to 350.

3.  Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a small skillet and saute the onion for about 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for just 30-60 seconds, then remove from heat.

4.  Remove corn from the cobs (even scraping some of the milk from the cobs too as they add good flavor) and place in a medium bowl.  Add the cooked onion mixture, both bell peppers and chipotle.  Add the lime juice, heavy cream and the chicken stock base that’s been dissolved in about 1 T.  of water.  Season with salt and pepper.  Taste the mixture to see if it needs additional seasoning.  If you add feta cheese as I did, it’s salty all on its own.  You may not need any salt in the corn.

5.  Add the egg and about half of the cheese (jack and feta) to the corn mixture, stir and spoon the corn into the chile, laying the chile open somewhat.  Mound the mixture a bit, then sprinkle with the additional cheese.  Place the two stuffed chiles on the same baking sheet you used to char the peppers and bake for about 20 minutes until cheese is bubbling.  Serve immediately.

Serving Ideas: You could also add some chopped, cooked chicken to this, to make a complete meal.  Also wild rice would be a good addition, or even regular white rice.  Some recipes suggested small shrimp too.  This could also be served (in smaller sized peppers) as a side dish with a Southwest-inspired menu.

Per Serving: 289 Calories; 17g Fat (48.6% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 140mg Cholesterol; 263mg Sodium.

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(photo from hormel.com)

Sometimes when I entertain I don’t have a whole day to devote to preparing dinner. But then, when I entertain I always serve an appetizer, a salad, a vegetable, usually a carb of some kind, and a protein, maybe even with a sauce or salsa or something alongside. And dessert. That’s a whole lot of food prep.

I’d like to say that as I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten wiser about the work and stress of entertaining, but my DH would heartily disagree. I still do a too-ambitious menu. I choose things that require too much work. Once in awhile I either buy an appetizer, or sometimes buy a ready-made dessert. Or, I cut out the carb. But most often I think I can do it all and still be full of energy at 6 pm. But more often than not I’m still working furiously 5 minutes before the guests arrive. My DH loves to entertain (and he does deal with the wine, the wine glasses, and he even sets the table AND does all the dishes). I can’t complain at ALL that he doesn’t help. He just doesn’t help with any of the FOOD unless it’s a grilled meal we’re having. So when I start working up a menu I forget to think about the hours of work. I often underestimate how much time it will take. And I must not work at the frenetic level I used to. So I’m normally at work in the kitchen all day. One of these days I’ll learn. Maybe.

On occasion I start working on my entertaining menu several days ahead and do some of the work a day or so before. This is one of those recipes to do ahead - it’s not all that difficult, but you do have to make the chutney. It’s easy enough - just takes about 45 minutes total time, with a bit of chopping and mincing before you start. Then when the guests arrive, you can just whip this out and heat it up.

Poblano chiles are a favorite of mine. They have some kind of deep, complex flavor. They have character. That’s it. I don’t think I’ve ever had them and not liked them. This recipe came from a cooking class with Tarla Fallgatter. And the chutney is just wonderful. On my notes from the class I wrote “fabulous.” That means it’s a “must fix this” dish. And I have. You’ll have some leftover chutney, but it’s also delicious served with a pork chop or chicken breast popped on the grill.

The picture at the top - of the cheese - isn’t actually the right kind of cheese - you want the plain chevre or montrachet. A fresh and plain goat cheese log. Then you make the chutney, have it warm. Heat the log of cheese for 5 minutes, then plate it and mound the chutney over and around it. Some crackers, and you’re done. I think you’ll get raves.

Goat Cheese with Warm Apricot, Cherry & Green Chile Chutney
Recipe: Tarla Fallgatter
Servings: 8
8 ounces goat cheese — log
2 1/2 cups dried apricots — coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar — or sugar substitute
1 cup poblano peppers — roasted, peeled, chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries — chopped
1/2 cup red onion — chopped
1 whole cinnamon stick — 3 inches
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons Italian parsley — chopped
8 ounces crackers

Italian parsley sprigs for garnish
1. In a 3-4 quart pan over high heat, combine apricots, vinegar, sugar, chiles, cherries, onion, cinnamon stick, mustard seed and salt.
2. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apricots are soft when pierced, about 20-25 minutes. Uncover and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 5 more minutes.
3. Let cool, discard cinnamon stick and stir in the chopped parsley. Preheat oven to 350. Place goat cheese in an ovenproof dish and heat about 5 minutes or until JUST warm. Transfer to a serving plate and spoon some of the chutney over the top. Garnish with the Italian parsley sprigs, surround with crackers and serve.
Per Serving: 549 Calories; 14g Fat (22.0% calories from fat); 14g Protein; 98g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 30mg Cholesterol; 609mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 2 Fruit; 2 Fat; 2 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

To view a printable recipe, click HERE.

(photo from piercecollege.edu)

Ever heard of Calabacitas? I hadn’t until a few years ago when DH and I traveled to New Mexico and the mountains of Colorado. Dear friends from England joined us and we took a late September driving trip. We met up in Denver, rented an SUV and headed out. It took us 10 days to do the mountains of Colorado, then we headed south to New Mexico, ending up in Santa Fe. Our last night there we had dinner at the restaurant in the Inn at the Anasazi, and with my entree came this vegetable side. of zucchini, corn and poblano chiles. I was in heaven. I nearly licked the plate. Asked the waiter to tell me all about it, which he did.

So once I reached home I started searching around the internet for recipes for Calabacitas. It’s quite common in southwest cuisine - it’s just a combination of some typical vegetables of southwest but the seasoning and chiles from Mexico. Found several recipes, and have made a couple of different versions. But once I found this one from Rick Bayless (from the internet, but it’s from his cookbook Authentic Mexican), I’ve reverted to it more times than not. Most calabacitas versions are served without cream - traditional calabacitas just combine those three vegies -corn, zucchini and poblano chiles (that have been blackened over the gas range or under the broiler). But with the addition of the cream (or fat-free half and half as I’ve used also) it’s just meltingly delicious in the mouth. I really do plan to make this as my full meal one night. It’s that good. Or, I could just add to the dish some chicken broth and make it a great soup. The calories come from the cream, so really, do use the fat-free product instead and it’ll be nearly healthy.

Poblano chiles are quite mild - don’t be tempted to use any kind of hot chile in this recipe. If you can’t get poblanos, you could use a hotter chile but in very reduced quantity. Adding poblanos is not about heat, but about the depth of flavor poblanos bring to any dish. Since corn is on the wane these days, I want to enjoy this one more time before the season is completely gone.

Calabacitas con Crema
Source: Rick Bayless, restaurateur, from his book Authentic Mexican
Servings: 8
1 lb zucchini — (about four small)
1 1/2 cups corn kernels, fresh if possible
1/2 whole onion — thinly sliced
2/3 cup heavy cream (or use fat-free half and half) - optional
1 whole poblano pepper — roasted, seeded, peeled and cut in thin strips
1 tsp salt
1 Tb butter
1 Tb vegetable oil — or vegetable oil
1. Chop the zucchini in large chunks (about 3/4 inch to 1 inch) and set aside. Prepare onions ahead and set aside. Grill the poblano chile directly on a gas flame, cool, remove skin, then cut into small strips.
2. Using a very large skillet, heat butter and oil until very hot. Add zucchini and toss until tender. Remove the zucchini from the pan with a slotted spoon, allowing it to drain well. In the remaining oil and butter, fry the onion slices until soft and sweet, then add the corn and pepper slices. Add the zucchini and cream and cook until nice and hot. Taste for salt and pepper and serve.

Per Serving: 449 Calories; 46g Fat (89.9% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 58mg Cholesterol; 395mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 9 Fat.
To view a printable recipe, click HERE.

Remember a couple of weeks ago I posted about my dinner visit to Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena? And I showed a picture of the soup Cherrie and I had that night that we thought was so terrific - Tomatillo, Poblano and Asiago soup? And I researched on the internet and found a recipe from Stephan Pyles restaurant in Dallas?

Here’s what Cindy’s soup looked like:

Here’s my soup: Well, I’m here to tell you, this is very close if not one and the same. It looks the same. It tastes just about the same. And I’m a very happy camper, because now I can make this soup in a big quantity and freeze it like I do with most of my soups.

So what’s different at all? Well, the waitress at Cindy’s told us they sauteed the tomatillos for one thing. And they use masa to thicken the soup. I hunted all over in my pantry, but didn’t have any. I didn’t have any fine grind corn flour either (other than cornstarch, and I was certain that wasn’t what we wanted here). I did have polenta and cornmeal, but they’re both too coarse. So I used the regular flour called for in the recipe. And she thought there wasn’t any cream in it, but this soup (with milk and a little cream) looks JUST like theirs, so I’d say they did. Make sure you don’t get a single poblano chile seed in the soup - it won’t puree very well.
If I changed anything next time I make it, I will use less cheese. Asiago has a slightly bitter taste on the palate, and I think less would be an improvement. I only had a little over 1/2 pound, and the recipe called for 10 ounces. I think it has ample at that, and could easily be reduced, so I’ve changed the quantity in the recipe below. Asiago melts into the soup well - it’s doesn’t become stringy and difficult as some cheeses can do when added to hot soups. I did quick/flash fry the tomatillos first. A little olive oil, a hot burner and they browned in a hurry. Tomatillos have a lot of water in them, so once that was rendered out, they reduced to small pieces. I also sauteed the onion with the tomatillo, then the poblanos before adding any of the liquid. I’ve changed the recipe to that effect. I also didn’t strain the soup. I think the little bit of texture tastes just fine. I blended it well, though, so it wouldn’t have to be strained.

I can tell you I love simple soups, and this is one. You’re not likely to have all the ingredients on hand, however, but this one is certainly worth a trip to the market to buy the poblanos, the tomatillos, Asiago cheese, spinach and cilantro. Oh, yes, I’ll be making this again. Most definitely. Soon.

Roasted Poblano-Asiago Cheese Soup

Recipe adapted from one by: Chef Matthew Dunn, Stephan Pyles (restaurant), Dallas Servings : 6 Makes about 7 cups

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter — at room temperature
2 whole poblano chiles — roasted, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 whole onion — chopped
3/4 pound tomatillos — husked, rinsed, chopped
3 cloves garlic — chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
1 cup spinach — cleaned
4 ounces Asiago cheese — grated, or more to taste
1/2 bunch cilantro — chopped

Salt — to taste

Fresh ground pepper — to taste

1. In a mixing bowl, mix the flour and butter with a fork until the flour is totally incorporated.
2. Place the poblanos, onion, tomatillos, garlic, chicken stock, cream and milk in a pan and bring to a boil. Whisk in the flour and butter mixture and continue to whisk until lumps of flour disappear. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens. While stirring, add spinach, Asiago cheese and cilantro and continue to cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to a blender in batches and blend until completely smooth.
3. Strain through a medium strainer back into the heavy pan, season with salt and pepper and keep warm. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and garnish with tortilla strips and Pico de Gallo, if desired. Or sprinkle with additional chopped cilantro.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 317 Calories; 24g Fat (66.8% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 76mg Cholesterol; 899mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 4 1/2 Fat.

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