365 in 365 - #117 - Cream of Poblano Soup

This was a recipe that I posted last year, before the challenge began.  It is soooo good that I wanted to bring it back and include it in the challenge.  I have changed it up a bit and the flavor profile is a bit more smooth and sophisticated.  The texture is creamy and thick, but I will warn you...this is spicy!!!!!

My mother-in-law discovered this soup in a restaurant and tried to make it.  Hers was very good, but I decided to give it a try and came up with this version.  Everyone agreed that this was the better of the two.  

This is a very rich and decadent soup and is not for everyday.  It is a wonderful “special occasion” soup for a holiday or birthday.  It is a beautiful soft green color and is on the spicy side.  It can also be used as a sauce for chicken or pork tenderloin.  Just substitute 1 quart of the half-n-half with heavy cream so you will have a thicker base.

8 poblano peppers, charred, peeled, seeded and deveined

2 jalapenos, charred, peeled, seeded and deveined

1 large bunch cilantro, chopped

1 medium onion, sautéed in 2 tsp olive oil

6 cloves of roasted garlic

2 quarts half-n-half at room temperature

1 pint heavy cream at room temperature

¾ tsp kosher Salt 

¾ tsp fresh ground / cracked Pepper

Garnishes

½ small bag of frozen corn, thawed and sautéed with a bit of olive oil until lightly brown 

4 chicken breasts, grilled and diced

4 ripe roma tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced

2 ripe avocados diced and spritzed with lime juice to prevent oxidation

Thinly sliced radish

In a blender, combine the onion, cilantro, garlic, enough of the half-n-half to cover and process until very smooth and pour into a 4 quart soup pot.  Process the poblanos and enough half-n-half to cover in the blender and add to the soup pot.  Add the remaining half-n-half, the cream, salt, pepper and stir.  If you like your soup more spicy, add the remaining 2 poblanos after processing them in the blender with some of the soup.  If you like even more spice, you can roast a few Jalapeno or Serrano peppers in the oven with a bit of olive oil to soften them.  Place them in a blender with a bit of the soup to process and add to the pot of soup. If needed, add more salt and pepper taste.

When reheating this soup, please be careful to do so on a very low heat stirring frequently or it will scald.  Also, because of the cream base, do not leave this unattended while reheating as it may boil over.  

Serve with your choice of garnishes and enjoy!

365 in 365 - #107 & # 108 - Lime Marinated Pork Quesadillas & Roasted Pico de Gayo

Days left in this challenge:  118             Recipes left to post:  257

Lime Marinated Pork Quesadillas

This is a recipe that I came up with because I didn’t have enough chicken stock left to poach some pork tenderloin.  I love the taste of lime, so I figured what the heck!  This turned out to be my husband’s favorite version of my quesadillas to date.  The key is to let the pork sit in the marinade over night in the fridge.  YUMMY!

3-4 lbs Pork tenderloin, trimmed

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups unsweetened Lime Juice (fresh or from the specialty food store).  I typically use Key Lime juice.

2 large bay leaves

1 tbsp whole peppercorns

1 large onion cut into chunks

1 bunch of cilantro

Place all the ingredients into a large pan, cover and bring to a simmer.

Let this simmer slowly for approx. 1 hour.  Let cool and place in the fridge over night.

The next morning, remove the pork, drain the meat and shred or chop into small pieces.  The meat will be very tender and delicious.

Roasted Pico de Gayo

2 lbs roma tomatoes, washed, cored, seeded, roasted and chopped.  

To roast the tomatoes, place in a single layer in a jellyroll pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the over for 1 hour at 300”.

1 large red onion, chopped

2 coves garlic, minced

1 - 2 jalapenos, chopped (seeded if desired).  For the more adventurous, feel free to use a Serrano or habañero pepper.

One bunch of cilantro, washed and finely chopped.

¼ cup lime juice

½ tsp Kosher Salt and ½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Mix all the ingredients together, and let it sit to allow the flavors to meld.  

This can be made the day before also and refrigerated overnight.

Assembling the Quesadillas

You will need these additional ingredients:

4 cups shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese and 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, mixed

1 lb Sour cream

12 burrito sized Four tortillas

Cooking spray

A large griddle

Mix the Pico with the chopped pork and set aside.

Spread a thin layer of sour cream on a tortilla

Sprinkle a layer of cheese on half of the tortilla, 

Sprinkle about ½ cup of the pork and pico mixture on top of the cheese,

Sprinkle the pork and pico with cheese and fold the tortilla in half to cover the filling.

You now have a quesadilla that is really easy to turn without loosing any filling.

Preheat your griddle on medium heat.  Lightly spray the griddle.

Place the quesadillas on the griddle and let them turn a golden brown, once they turn a golden brown on one side, turn them over and repeat on the other side.  This makes 12 servings.

Serve with Chips, salsa, sour cream, and a Marguerita……Viva la Quesadilla!


From the heart of my purple kitchen to you!!!


Enjoy,
S.

365 in 365 - #74 - Grilled Salsa

Summer is a great time to play with your food.  As children, we were most likely told to not play with our food and that may have stuck with us throughout our lives......until now.  This home cook blesses you to go forth and play with your food, don't be shy, no one is watching and no one will make you stop.....

Cooking flings open the doors to experiment with different flavors, cooking techniques, new combinations, making a mess, throwing parties and just plain having fun.  

Grilled anything takes on a much different and deeper flavor.  This includes grilling all kinds of fruit.  If it can hold it's shape through cooking, it can be grilled.  

Any of the following fruits can be grilled and used in this recipe:

• Peaches
• Plumbs
• Pineapple
• Mango
• Papaya
• Star fruit
• Cherimoya (I'll have to check the spelling on this one)
• Granny Smith apples (with the skin on)

For the salsa:

1 fresh pineapple, trimmed and sliced into about 1/2 inch slices  and brushed with a bit of olive oil

1 purple onion, sliced, brushed with olive oil

2 limes, cut in half and brushed with a bit of olive oil

Grill the fruit and onion on each side until grill marks are nicely visible.  Limes need only be grilled on the "cut" side.  Time for cooking depends upon how hot your grill is.  Try to avoid direct flame on the fruit.

Jalapeno (1 - 3) and / or serrano peppers (1 - 3) washed and brushed with a bit of olive oil and grilled until charred.  For this part, be sure to wear gloves......peel off the outer charred skin, seed and mince.

1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Chop the pineapple and onion into about 1/2 inch pieces and combine with the remaining ingredients, squeeze in the lime juice, stir and serve. 

This works very nicely on baked / grilled fish, salmon burgers, with tortilla chips, on beef burgers, with turkey chicken and pork / ham.  

I simply know that you will enjoy this wonderful salsa.

Have a wonderful day!!!

S.

365 in 365 - #73 - Candied Jalapenos

I have several recipes that were posted before the 365 recipe challenge began.  I am re-posting them into the 365 challenge because it will make them easier to find and will give me a chance to review them and update the recipes with any changes that I have made.  


Typically, candied jalapenos are made from pickled jalapenos.  But that just takes too long for me.  Who wants to get a 5 lb jar of pickled jalapenos, try to fit a bag of sugar in the jar and then wait days for them to be ready?

I have come up with a great and easy recipe.  However........


First and foremost - be very careful with this recipe.  Please keep in mind these very important safety tips when working with boiling sugar and water mixtures:

• Boiling sugar and water is basically a clear form of molten lava and can cause severe burns. 
• DO NOT make this recipe with small children in the kitchen or with them trying to help you.  If you have small children, it might be best is you make these after they go to bed
• DO NOT inhale the fumes from the pan....these can irritate your airway and make you cough...you will be able to smell the peppers throughout the house/apartment.   If memory serves me correctly, the chemical that makes peppers hot is what is used in the pepper spray that police use.  
• DO NOT leave the handle of the pan sticking out from the stove
• DO NOT put your finger into the pan to try and do a taste test
• DO NOT try and sample the peppers with a spoon - these take time to cool.
• Leave the pan on the stove and let the jalapenos cool......this will take at least 2 hours, if not more.  
• When preparing the peppers, wear plastic / vinyl gloves....and DO NOT touch your face, ears, mouth, nose or any other body parts until you have removed the gloves and washed your hands. 

I actually made the mistake of cutting too many peppers (over 100 peppers) and didn't wear gloves.....let me tell you, my hands burned for days......and nothing helped with the burn.


Start with 30 - 45 peppers, wash and slice into 1/2 inch rings (I keep the seeds and veins).  
In a large heavy pan, add 3 cups of sugar, 3 cups of water, 3 tbsp of light corn syrup, 
In a piece of cheese cloth, place 1 cinnamon stick and 6 cloves and tie to secure the contents, Let the liquid get warm enough to melt the sugar & add the jalapenos, being very careful so that you don't get splashed with the boiling sugar water.
Simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally, or until the liquid boils down by about half so the syrup gets nice and thick and let cool.  
If you want a thinner consistency to the syrup, cook the peppers for about 30 minutes.

My husband LOVES these peppers and I make a batch every 2 weeks.

If I'm feeling very ambitious, I will cut the peppers in half, and seed and devein them......as noted above, be sure to wear gloves.  The Christmas gift for our party guests was a Mason jar filled with red and green candied peppers and a card with serving suggestions on it....think Goat cheese on garlic bruschetta topped with candied jalapenos, chopping the peppers and adding them to cornbread...and maybe a few other ideas.

Other tips: strain some of the spicy sugar syrup for use in Margaritas, Mango iced tea, brownies, home-made chocolate truffles or for any time you feel like adding something sweet and spicy to a drink or dish.


If you like sweet and spicy, you will like these.


Enjoy,
S.