Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese

Flipping through the latest edition of Bon Appetit after it made its appearance in my mailbox, the first recipe that grabbed my attention was the Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese. There wasn’t even a photo to suck me in, and still it got my attention. Trust me when I say that is unusual. I rarely make a recipe that doesn’t have a picture to inspire me. I was excited when I saw this one, though, as I knew that I had just seen fresh poblanos at the local trading post (aka, Walmart. The only store we have other than the mom-and-pop grocery I prefer to frequent.). So the very next day I acquired the lovely chiles and set to work.

If you want to make this a quicker dish to prepare, char and prep the chiles the day before to save yourself the during the week.

Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese
Bon Appetit December 2010

1 whole fresh poblano chile, plus ¼ cup chopped fresh poblano chile
1 TB corn oil
¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup chopped red onion
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup fresh corn kernels or froze, thawed
¾ cup whipping cream
2 cups freshly cooked macaroni (about 2/3 cup dried)
½ cup grated hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese

Char whole chile directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Transfer to paper bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel, seed, and coarsely chop chile. Transfer to processor; puree until smooth.

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup chopped chile, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add corn; stir 1 minute. Add cream and chile puree; bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cheese; stir until cheese melts and mixture is heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

**NOTES: Instead of pureeing part of the chile and reserving some of it, I finely chopped two whole roasted poblanos and added it all to the skillet with the other veggies. I liked the veggies a little chunkier and more substantial.

The result? This macaroni was rich and satisfying with just the right touch of heat. I was absolutely certain my husband would love this dish, as everything ingredient was something he likes. Unfortunately, he tried, but rejected it as “too peppery”. In man-speak, I believe that means I should have pureed the chiles after all, because GOD FORBID he bite into an actual chunk of vegetable...

Oh well – more for me! I know what I’m having for lunch today. I absolutely loved this recipe, and in spite of my finicky husband, I will be making this again.

This is my submission to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted by Rachel over at The Crispy Cook this week!

Mango Habañero Jam

Says those words in the same sentence and watch how fast I’m on my feet and headed to the kitchen.

It would make your head spin.

It doesn’t help that I’m participating in Steph Chows’ 2nd Annual Jam Exchange, and I’m having a hard time resisting the urge to make jam right now. And, you know what they say, “some like it hot”.

This one is super simple. My batch didn’t firm up very well, but after tasting the heat of it, I’m thinking its probably a good thing you can’t get very much at a time. Dip a little cracker in it, or pour it over a brick of cream cheese, but this one is NOT one you want to eat by the spoonful (get back, Joey Tribbiani!). Unless, of course, you enjoy bleeding ulcers. Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Here is the link for the original recipe I used, but I am including my version (with a couple of changes) below.

Mango Habañero Jam

Yields 6 (1/2 pint) jars

6-8 whole habañeros (I bought a package of red habañeros that had 10 chiles in it, so I stemmed them and threw them all in)

1 c cider vinegar

1 fresh mango, peeled and chopped (sorry, it just didn’t look like enough fruit once you cut the pit out, so I used 2.)

1/2 c apricot nectar

1/2 c fresh orange juice (I couldn’t find apricot nectar, only mango nectar, so I used 1 cup of mango nectar in place of the apricot nectar and orange juice)

6 c sugar

1 packet liquid pectin (I used Certo sure-jell)

Blend all habañeros with vinegar, mango, and juices until well pureed. Bring mixture and sugar to boil in a heavy pot. Boil 8 minutes. Add certo and bring to boil again. Pour into 1/2 pt jars and seal.

Isn't it PRETTY??Now, just because I am a fool for a cool gadget, I have to show off my newest addition. The Norpro lid lifter. This bad boy will hold up to ten canning lids upright in your water bath so they stay out of the way of your jars. Either dip your magnetized lifter in the water to grab one at a time, or use the wooden knob to pull the whole thing out when you are ready to seal your jars. Nifty, no?

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Poppers - Revisited!

I do my very best to keep each and every post here original. But, some things are worth repeating. Ironically, the last time I made (and posted) this recipe was almost exactly a year ago. This one is an appetizer (although most of the time, the hubs has it as his main course) that is very easy, but always seems time consuming to me, only because I tend to do it in stages.

Stage 1: cube and marinate the chicken for 24 hours
Stage 2: clean and seed the jalapeños
Stage 3: partially cook the chicken, then stuff the peppers and wrap with bacon
Stage 4: Saute or grill

I spread these stages out over the course of a day or more, depending on what else I have going on, as it makes my prep work at dinner time much easier. Also, sometimes this is one I prep ahead and then send with Matt to an event to cook “on location”. Usually we make this indoors on the stove top, but since we all know I can’t keep myself away from the grill these days (and really, they are so much better on the grill!) the hubs and I grilled them last night. (**note: If you are grilling, make sure to pre-soak your toothpicks so that they don’t burn up on the grill.)One thing that was different this time is that I assembled them the day before, intending to cook them Sunday evening, but we had an injury/incident at home that night and they went right back into the fridge for the next day (everyone is fine now, but it made for a crazy night). I was concerned that having them sit out of the marinate for that long would dry them out, but they ended up being just fine. Obviously. You know. Since we scarfed them down like a bunch of Mary Jane lovin’ college students with the munchies. He’s lucky he had any to take to work today.I highly recommend this one for any outdoor gatherings you may have this summer, they go over like gangbusters, and it never fails that people end up begging me for the recipe. I tend to make this one any time I see big, beautiful fresh jalapeños at the grocery.

Check out last year's post for the details!

Some Like it HOT!

And I'm one of them! I don't honestly know what the requirements are to be able to consider yourself a "chilihead", but I know its hard for me to find something that is "too hot" for my tastebuds. So, naturally, when I planted my garden this spread, it included a wider variety of peppers, one being the red habañero. Finally last week, I started seeing some red on the plants. There are quite a few green ones on there yet, so I figured I had better do something with the ones that were ripe before I had a mountain of them to deal with. I found a recipe for Habañero Hot Pepper Sauce and decided it was worth a try.

One thing I need to remember is not to EVER make this during the winter, or any other time that the house cannot be opened up for ventilation. While the chiles were simmering away downstairs, we were upstairs watching Wow Wow Wubzy with Ty (yes, we really were) and nearly lost our nose hairs! The fumes drifting up the stairs were enough to peel the paint off the walls.

And I loved it.

I just kept thinking about how great that was going to taste when it was done. Matt was worried that it was going to be too hot to eat, but I assured him that although it was highly unlikely (for me, anyway), if it DID turn out to be too spicy, we could always mix it in with barbecue sauce to mellow it out.

Yeah, he is soooo not touching my habañero hot sauce!!! When Matt made ribs this weekend, I dabbed a little of the meat in the sauce....mmmmm....heavenly!!! Or hellish....not sure which applies, but I was loving it. Matt's friend Rex joined us that night and he mixed it in with his rice and said it was great. I couldn't resist adding some to my grilled chicken last night. I'm going to have to make a bunch more and freeze it or can it or something so I have it all year. Because I'm telling you right now, there is not way the one little bottle it made is going to last me long!

***WARNING!!! Not for the weak of heart...or taste buds*** Habanero Pepper Sauce Recipe
Habanero peppers

Jalapeno peppers

Cayenne peppers

Hot chili peppers

(Approximately 2 cups, total of the peppers)
1 head unpeeled garlic

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 T. sugar
Directions:The exact proportions of the various types of peppers above can be varied depending on your personal tastes and what you have available. For a milder sauce, milder varieties such as Hot Wax, Banana, Pimento, or Bell peppers can be substituted for a portion of the hot varieties listed above.
Using rubber gloves, clean and de-seed approximately 2 cups of peppers. In a saucepan, combine the peppers, garlic, and vinegar and cook, covered, over low heat for approximately one hour. Keep an eye on the liquid and reduce heat and add more vinegar if it seems to be boiling away quickly. Press through a sieve or a food mill, add the sugar, and return to low heat for approximately 30 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour into a jar or bottle which can be sealed and refrigerate. Will keep in refrigerator for several months.