White Chicken Chili

I mentioned in my first post about chili that my it was one of the first real dishes I ever learned how to make, from start to finish. This white version, though, is a far cry from the traditional Texas bowl of red. It’s lighter and healthier, but still full of flavor. Unlike red chili (or white chili’s close cousin, chicken tortilla soup) the dish contains no tomatoes in any form. And instead of ground beef or cubed chuck, chicken pieces are browned and then simmered, on the bone, in a light broth laced with garlic, cumin and chili powder, along with onion, bell pepper and two kinds of fresh chiles. Once cooked, the chicken pieces (I used a mix of white and dark meat) are shredded and returned to the pot, along with a generous splash of lime juice. Feel free to go wild with the garnishes…I used chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, crushed tortilla chips and a sprinkling of Monterey Jack. I could also see a dollop of sour cream working well, and some hot sauce or extra jalapenos if you like it really spicy (though the heat definitely builds as you eat).

White Chicken Chili

Active Time: 30 min.

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 min.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, thighs, or a mixture of both (I used a 50-50 mix)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 medium jalapeños, stemmed and finely chopped
• 2 medium poblano chiles, stemmed and diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini/white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (1 or 2 limes)
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Tortilla chips

Method

• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season generously all over with salt and pepper; set aside
• Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in 2 or 3 batches, add the chicken and cook, turning once, until it’s browned all over, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a large plate and set aside

• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the jalapeños, poblanos, bell pepper, and onion to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, scraping up any browned bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the pot and stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes

• Add the garlic, cumin, measured salt, and chili powder, stir to coat the vegetables, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute
• Add the stock and beans and stir to combine. Return the chicken pieces and any accumulated juices to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through

• Turn off heat and remove the chicken to a cutting board. Using two forks, remove the meat from the bone and coarsely shred it, discarding the skin and bones
• Using a potato masher, lightly mash about half of the beans and vegetables, leaving the remaining half intact. Stir in the shredded chicken and lime juice. Serve with the cheese, cilantro, tortilla chips and scallions on the side for garnishing

Flank Steak w/ Ancho Chile Rub and Chipotle-Tomatillo Salsa

Hola, friends! I know I know I know I know I know…Another Mexican-influenced dish…What can I say? I just can’t get enough.

Rick Bayless has always been one of my favorite TV chefs. From watching his endearingly stilted delivery on PBS’s  “Mexico, One Plate at a Time” to seeing him live at the Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend a couple years ago, I’ve always liked this guy. Besides being really easygoing and making exotic cooking seem approachable, he transformed my idea of Mexican food from one-note Americanized rice, bean and flour tortilla iterations to a stunning variety of complex flavors and comforting textures from the unique culinary traditions of the country’s different regions.

We already had a flank steak from Trader Joe’s in the fridge. I just had to go out, pick up some tomatillos and corn tortillas, and get a few things for a salad to go with: some roasted beets, red onions and poblano chiles, served over mixed greens with a lime, cilantro and Worcestershire sauce vinaigrette, topped with shaved Pecorino Romano. The steak was the easy part–just a quick rub of ancho chile powder, garlic, brown sugar, cumin and Mexican oregano…then it sat until it was time to throw it on the grill. It was delicious on its own, but even better with a simple, three-ingredient salsa of roasted garlic, roasted tomatillos and canned chipotle chiles in adobo.

Flank Steak w/ Ancho Chile Rub

 

Total Time: 35 min (plus marinating time, if possible)

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed through garlic press
• 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2-lb flank steak

Method

• Mix together garlic, ancho powder, brown sugar, oregano, cumin, pepper and salt until blended. Spread a heavy coating over both sides of the steak. If time allows, refrigerate steak 4-8 hours
• Heat one side of a gas grill to medium-high. Lay steak on hot part of grill, cover and cook 5 minutes. Flip, cover and cook 5 minutes. Move steak to cooler part of grill, cover and cook about 5 minutes, or until steak reaches desired doneness. Tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain and serve with chipotle-tomatillo salsa, with corn tortillas on the side

Chipotle-Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 8oz tomatillos, husked, rinsed, halved
• 2 canned chipotles en adobo
• Salt to taste

Method

• Preheat oven to 400. Spread garlic and tomatillos on baking sheet, drizzle lightly with oil and roast 10-15 minutes until soft.
• Scoop garlic and tomatillos into food processor or blender, along with chiles and 2 Tbs water. Process to a coarse puree, adding more water if salsa is too thick. Pour into a dish and let cool

Enchiladas Suizas w/ Frijoles de Olla

I generally like to keep my posts varied in terms of cuisine, type of dish and difficulty of execution. And I know that now, 3 of my last 4 posts will have featured Mexican flavors. But if our cooking truly is a reflection of how we feel (and I think it is), then I have to be true to myself. And I’ve just been really into Mexican food lately. I eat at the same taqueria at least once a week, but even that was insufficient in satisfying my cravings, so I brought the fiesta home with me.

I love the comforting aspects of Mexican cuisine (when executed PROPERLY). The toothsome chew and intense corn flavor of a handmade tortilla; the porcine fattiness and crisp texture of perfectly fried carnitas or chicharrones; the complex, dried-fruit, nut and smoke flavors of various dried chiles; the mouth-coating body and silky texture of slow-simmered beans; the fresh-apple crispness and vegetal heat of a raw jalapeno. I could go on…

Today, I felt like making a dish I never order in restaurants, as I’m usually too tempted by other dishes. These enchiladas are called “Swiss” in Spanish because of their creamy sauce and cheesy topping. But they get a nice, (for lack of a better word) green flavor from roasted chiles, tomatillos and cilantro, my all-time favorite herb. For the filling, I took a shortcut and got pre-cooked, pre-shredded chicken from Safeway. I served these with a pot of pinto beans, simmered for 2 1/2 hours with a sliced white onion and some rendered bacon.

Enchiladas Suizas

Total Time: 1 1/2 hours

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lb. tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed
• 2 serrano chiles, stemmed
• 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ tsp. cumin seeds, toasted
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 poblano chiles
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 6″ corn tortillas
• 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella

Method

• Arrange an oven rack 4″ from the broiler and heat broiler to high. Place tomatillos, serranos and poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil, turning as needed, until blackened all over, about 10 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes, peel and discard skins and roughly chop the poblanos. Transfer to a blender along with cilantro, sour cream, cumin, garlic and 1 cup boiling water; season with salt and pepper, and purée until smooth. Set enchilada sauce aside
• Heat a dry 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. One at a time, cook tortillas just until pliable, about 15 seconds per side. Transfer tortillas to a work surface. Place chicken in a bowl and toss with 1 cup enchilada sauce until evenly coated. Divide sauced chicken evenly among tortillas, and roll tortillas tightly around chicken. Pour about 1 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish, and place tortilla rolls in dish, seam side down, creating one row down the center of the dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over rolls, and cover evenly with mozzarella
• Heat oven to 375°. Bake enchiladas until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted on top, 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool for 10 minutes before serving

My pot of beans, simmering away

Mexican Baked Eggs

First of all, apologies for my month-long hiatus on posting. I’ve been sick, with a lingering cold that lasted 2 weeks, and I’ve also been really busy with work. Luckily, 1) I’m back to full health; and 2) 1World is now not only ready to take new members on the web, iPhone and Android, but we’re also on Facebook and we’re getting ready to spread the word at SXSW coming up next week.

Given that I’ve been so busy, dinner tonight needed to be something fast, easy and filling. Getting more new mileage out of an old common theme (baked eggs), I made this dish that draws on Mexican flavors–cumin, chipotle and cilantro–to spice up a basic tomato and black bean stew that acts as a poaching liquid for eggs. Served hot, with melted cheese, avocado slices and warm tortillas, it was a high-protein, relatively low-fat vegetarian meal that came together quickly and disappeared fast.

Mexican Baked Eggs

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 2 jalapeno peppers, diced
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes or 4 cups diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated cheese (I used a blend of cheddar and jack)

Method

• Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat
• Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes
• Add the garlic, cumin, chipotle chili powder, and jalapeno saute until fragrant, about a minute
• Add the tomatoes, black beans, oregano, salt and pepper and bring to a boil
• Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes
• Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro
• Divide mixture into 3 ovenproof baking dishes and top with the eggs
• Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the eggs just start to set, about 8-10 minutes
• Top with the cheese and broil until melted, about 1 minute

Chicken Enchilada Spaghetti

Sometimes, you need a recipe that doesn’t involve a lot of prep-time OR cook time, one that calls for ingredients you already have, or are repurposing…an easy recipe, in other words, for when you don’t have a lot of time.

Like, for instance, when you have a late afternoon meeting with the startup company you recently started working for, and which just released its app for sale! (Okay, so this isn’t just a hypothetical…)

For tonight, that meant trying out a dish I saw on Tracey’s Culinary Adventures for a pretty unique Italian-Mexican fusion dish called chicken enchilada spaghetti. I got home at ten to 6 and was sitting down to eat at 6:45. That’s because I utilized leftover rotisserie chicken, some cheese we had lying around in our fridge, and some spices and pantry staples we had in our cabinets. Saute the aromatics and spices together, add the chicken and a can of enchilada sauce, add cooked pasta, melt in some shredded cheddar, top with cilantro and serve. That’s it. Is it gourmet cooking? Hardly. But it’s a super-easy, intriguing meal combining the comforting chew of pasta and melted cheese with the warm spices of Mexican cuisine.

Chicken Enchilada Spaghetti

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 45 min.

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or equivalent amount of meat from pre-cooked rotisserie chicken)
• 1 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce (most of a 19.5-0z can)
• 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
• fresh cilantro, chopped

Method

• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside
• Meanwhile, add the oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika and cayenne, and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the spices are toasted, about 1 minute
• Add the chicken and the enchilada sauce and stir to incorporate. Reduce the heat to low and add the pasta to the skillet. Use tongs to toss until the pasta is coated with the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese, continuing to toss until melted and combined. Garnish with cilantro and serve

Vegetarian Chili

So this recipe goes out to my non-meat-eating followers (I know there’s a few of you), but this thick, spicy stew is loaded with beans, mushrooms and fire-roasted tomatoes, giving it plenty of satisfying substance and savory umami flavor, so the carnivores won’t give you that attitude…

This chili also has bell peppers, zucchini, jalapenos, corn, onions and lots of garlic, and is spiced like a traditional red chili, with cumin, New Mexico chili powder and oregano. It’s great served with a dollop of sour cream and some sliced green onions, with a big slab of cornbread on the side.

Spicy Vegetarian Chili

Total Time: 1  hour

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound cremini/baby bella mushrooms, washed and diced
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 3 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 14.5-ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• sour cream (optional)
• thinly sliced scallions (optional)

Method

• Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until translucent and slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute
• Add the red and green bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini and jalapenos and and cook until liquid is released and mostly cooked off, and vegetables are soft, anywhere from 5-10 minutes
• Make a well in the vegetables so that the center of the pot is clear, and sprinkle the cumin into the center of the pot and toast for 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir the cumin and vegetables together and let cook until the cumin is fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the chili powder and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add 1 3/4 cups broth (you could also just use water) and stir well to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and oregano, bring pot back to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes
• Add the beans and corn and stir gently to incorporate.
• When ready to serve, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Garnish with sour cream, scallions, shredded cheese, hot sauce, or whatever you like. Serve with cornbread

Red Mole Enchiladas with Shredded Turkey

We got a lot of mileage out of our Thanksgiving turkey this year…After two dinners of straight-up turkey, turkey sandwiches, turkey soup with wild rice, and two more nights of turkey gumbo, we finally had come to the last of our bird. And it was time, I thought, to do something a little less…American.

I had been wanting to try this recipe for chicken enchiladas with red mole, but I thought the turkey would make a good substitute (I’ve read turkey is a more traditional ingredient in Mexican cuisine than chicken, anyway, as turkeys are native to Mexico). So, I shredded up the last drumsticks and wings (how did those not get eaten earlier?) and ate some of the last turkey I’m sure I will have in a long time…

BTW, the accompanying soup is a puree of black beans, roasted onion, garlic and tomato, cumin, oregano and creme fraiche (which we had leftover from Thanksgiving, but sour cream or Mexican crema would work, too). If you have an immersion blender, this silky soup is a breeze to make and, as a Mexican side dish, it’s a nice break from the overplayed accompaniment of refried or stewed pinto beans.

Red Mole Enchiladas with Shredded Turkey

Total Time: 2 hours

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients

• 8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 8 medium (about 4 ounces total) dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferable Mexican
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• a big pinch cumin, preferably freshly ground
• a scant 1/4 teaspoon cloves, preferably freshly ground
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or pork lard, if you’ve got it)
• 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) whole almonds (with or without skins)
• 1 medium white onion, sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 3 plum tomatoes
• a scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces roughly chopped Mexican chocolate
• 2 slices firm white bread , toasted
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 10-12 corn tortillas
• 3 cups cooked, coarsely shredded turkey

Method

• Roast the unpeeled garlic directly on a dry heavy skillet over medium heat until soft and blackened in spots, about 15 minutes; cool and peel. While the garlic is roasting, toast the chiles on another side of the skillet: 1 or 2 at a time, open them flat and press down firly on the hot surface with a spatula; in a few seconds, when they crackle and send up a wisp of smoke, flip them and press down tot toast the other side. In a small bowl, cover the chiles with hot water and let rehydrate 30 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even soaking. Drain and discard the water
• Combine the oregano, black pepper, cumin and cloves in a food processor or blender, along with the chiles, garlic and 2/3 cup of the broth. Process to a smooth puree, scraping and sitrring every few seconds. If the mixture won’t go through the blender blades, add a little more liquid. Press through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl
• In a medium-size heavy pot, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil or lard over medium. Add the almonds and cook, stirring regularly, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the almonds to a blender or food processor. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until richly browned, about 10 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to scoop the onions in with the almonds, leaving behind as much oil as possible. Add the raisins, stir for one minute so they puff up, then use the slotted spoon to scoop them in with the almonds
• Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until blackened on one side, about 6-8 minutes, then flip them over and roast the other side. Cool, peel and add to the almond mixture in the food processor, along with the cinnamon, chocolate and bread. Add 1 cup of the broth and blend to a smooth puree, scraping and stirring every few seconds
• Return the pot to medium-high heat and, if necessary, add a little more oil or lard to coat the bottom lightly. When very hot, add the ancho mixture and cook, stirring almost constantly, until darker and very thick, about 5 minutes. Add the pureed almond mixture and cook, stirring constantly for another few minutes, until very thick once again. Stir in the remaining 4 1/3 cups of the broth, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium-low for 45 minutes. Taste and season with salt and sugar until the mole is slightly sweet and balanced
• In a dry, non-stick skillet over high heat, warm tortillas one at a time until soft and pliable, about 10 seconds per side, and keep covered under a kitchen towel so they stay warm
• To finish the enchiladas, in a medium-size saucepan, combine the turkey with 1 1/2 cups of the mole and warm over medium heat. Bring the remaining mole to a simmer. When you’re ready to serve, quickly make the enchiladas by scooping 2 generous tablespoons of chicken onto a tortilla, rolling it up and placing it on a warm dinner plate, seam side down. Continue making enchiladas, arranging 2 or 3 per plate, then douse them liberally with the mole

 

Crispy Roasted Carnitas with Garlic and Orange Sauce

It’s no secret I love pork…I feel like a majority of the recipes I make include some form of it (bacon, pancetta, country ribs, etc.). So, what could be better than simply seasoned, crispy, juicy roasted pork, served straight up with a light scattering of roasted garlic and jalapenos and moistened with a pan sauce of browned pork drippings and orange juice? Nothing, that’s what.

So I wanted to get a little Mexican in before going classic American for Thanksgiving (a meal I probably won’t be posting about here)…Typically, carnitas–a Mexican preparation of pork commonly found in taquerias as taco or burrito fillings–are fried, giving them a crispy exterior and a moist, chewy interior. To recreate the proper texture of carnitas without frying the pork, which is a whole other time-consuming, messy step, this recipe calls for you to pull the pork roast apart into progressively smaller chunks as it roasts, exposing more surface area to your hot oven and giving the outsides of the final product a good, browned crust.

I served these family-style, with a plate of warmed tortillas, and a Mexican-inspired Caesar salad with a lime zest and serrano chile-spiked dressing, cilantro, garlic croutons and queso anejo, an aged Mexican cheese similar to feta.

Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving!

– G

 

Pork Carnitas with Garlic and Orange

Total Time: 4 hrs., 15 min.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• One 3 1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder
• Vegetable oil, for drizzling
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 20 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 3 jalapeños, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• Warm corn tortillas, for serving (fresh cilantro sprigs, pickled red onions and diced avocado also would be good)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a roasting pan, rub the pork all over with oil and season with salt, pepper, and ancho chile. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover with foil and roast for 1 hour
• Scatter the garlic cloves and jalapeños around the pork and bake uncovered for 2 hours, rotating the pan after 1 hour. Transfer the garlic cloves and jalapeños to a plate
• Increase the oven temperature to 375°. Cut the pork into 4 thick slices. Using 2 forks, pull the pork into large chunks. Arrange the chunks in the pan, browned sides up. Peel the garlic and add the cloves to the pan. Roast the pork for 30 minutes, until well-browned and crisp. Pull into smaller pieces and roast for 30 minutes longer
• Transfer the pork and garlic to a large platter and scatter the jalapeños on top. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the roasting pan. Set the pan over moderate heat, add the orange juice and boil, scraping up the browned bits; pour over the pork and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve with tortillas

Posole with New Mexico Chile

The cold weather is arriving in the Bay Area, and that means it’s getting to be my favorite time of year, food-wise. The kinds of rich, hearty, warming and comforting food we eat during autumn and winter–like soups, stews, casseroles, and braised meats–are what I love best about cooking, and are what inspired the creation of blog. Today, for example, there was a cold bite in the air as the sun went down early, making it the perfect day for the thick, spicy, tender pork and hominy stew known as posole. Fully customizable with garnishes like pickled radishes, diced red onions, fried tortilla strips, cilantro and extra red chile paste, this dish offers different flavors and textures in every bite, consistently held together by the soft, yet toothsome pieces of long-simmered hominy and the meltingly tender chunks of garlic and cumin-scented pork.

Posole with New Mexico Chile 

Total Time: 4 hrs. (1 hour active)

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

Red Chile Puree

• 6 ounces dried New Mexico chiles
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 9 garlic cloves
• Kosher salt

Posole

• 2 pounds pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt, divided, plus more
• 7 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground toasted cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 pounds dried large-kernel white hominy (posole), soaked overnight
• 2 large onions
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• Garnishes: lime wedges, chopped cilantro, diced red or white onion, fried tortilla strips/tortilla chips, pickled radishes, chopped avocado, extra chile paste

Preparation

Red Chile Puree

• Preheat oven to 400°. Rinse and dry chiles; place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, turning occasionally, until puffed, fragrant, and a slightly darker red, 5–6 minutes. Let cool. Wearing gloves, stem and halve chiles lengthwise and discard seeds. Transfer to a medium saucepan and cover with 6 cups water. Add onion and garlic; season with salt. Bring to a simmer. Cook until chiles are soft, 25–30 minutes
• Drain chile mixture, reserving liquid. Purée mixture and 1 1/2 cups liquid in a blender until smooth, adding more liquid if needed for a sauce that can coat a spoon. Strain through a medium sieve into a medium bowl

Posole

• Season pork shoulder with 1 tablespoon salt. Rub garlic, chili powder, and cumin all over pork; set aside
  
• Drain hominy. Transfer to a large heavy pot; add 12 cups water. Stud each onion with 1 clove; add to pot with 2 tablespoons salt and bay leaves. Cover; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered and stirring often, until hominy begins to soften, about 1 hour
• Add pork shoulder to hominy; pour in water to cover by 1 inch. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed to keep ingredients submerged, until hominy is tender and pork is very tender and falling apart, 2–2 1/2 hours. Remove onions and bay leaves and discard. Stir in 3/4 cup red chile purée. Season to taste with salt and more red chile purée, if desired
• Divide posole among bowls. Serve with remaining red chile purée and garnishes
  

Chicken Fajitas

Not much to say about this one. An authentic Tex-Mex classic…chicken breasts marinated in garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, sugar so they char nicely before drying out…seared and finished in a low oven and tossed in pan juices for moisture and added flavor. Served with rich, creamy strips of charred onion and mild but complexly fruity poblano chiles to balance out the lean white meat. Served with lime, cilantro and pickled radishes for some acid and textural contrast. Wrapped up in toasted flour tortillas for a hand-held complete meal. If you wanted to go vegetarian, just make double the rajas, which are a common tortilla-filler all on their own in Mexico. Enjoy!

Chicken Fajitas with Rajas Con Crema

Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 min. (40 min. active)

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For Chicken:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to 1/2-inch thickness

For Rajas con Crema:

• 3 pounds poblano chiles, stemmed, halved, and seeded
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

For serving:

• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas, warmed in dry skillet
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• Spicy Pickled Radishes (combine 10 trimmed, thinly sliced radishes with 1/2 cup lime juice, 1/2 jalapeno stemmed, seeded and sliced thin, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and let sit for at least 30 minutes)
• Lime wedges

Spicy pickled radishes

Method

• Whisk 3 tablespoons oil, lime juice, garlic, paprika, sugar, salt, cumin, pepper, and cayenne together in bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes

• Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to highest position and heat broiler. Arrange poblanos, skin side up, on aluminum foil lined rimmed baking sheet and press to flatten. Broil until skin is charred and puffed, 4 to 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking. Transfer poblanos to bowl, cover, and let steam for 10 minutes. Rub majority of skin from poblanos and discard (preserve some skin for flavor); slice into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Adjust oven racks to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees F

• Remove chicken from marinade and wipe off excess. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook without moving it until bottom side is well charred, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken; transfer skillet to lower oven rack. Bake until chicken registers 160 degrees F, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes; do not wash out skillet

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a separate skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add onion and cook until charred and just softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds

• Add cream and cook, stirring frequently, until reduced and cream lightly coats onion, 1 to 2 minutes. Add poblano strips, lime juice, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Transfer vegetables to serving plate

• Slice chicken crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Return chicken strips to skillet and toss to coat with pan juice. Transfer to serving plate next to vegetables

• To serve, spoon few pieces of chicken into center of warmed tortilla and top with spoonful of vegetable mixture, cilantro, and pickled radishes. Serve with lime wedges