Moon Palace Cream of Poblano Chile Soup

Undoubtedly the big hit of the Minch-Buechel wedding was the cream of Poblano Chile Soup served at Mom & Dad Minch's family dinner. The entire meal was fabulous & I would love to get into the resorts recipe box, but the soup was exceptional. I have been promising this recipe but it has taken me some time to figure out. I know many people will be excited to finally have this one (Uncle Mike).

3 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (I have amazing ancho chile powder from Penzeys)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/2 cup finely diced poblano peppers
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (I am the worst about over doing the garlic, seriously 1/2 tsp is plenty)
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup half & half
1/4 cup roasted chicken, chopped, the Moon Palace cubed it into tiny cubes, if you have the patience go for it, I shredded
1/2 cup shredded Queso Fesco, if you can't find it Monterrey Jack works

Cut three tortillas into ninths; place in food processor and chop until fine.
Add flour,chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper; blend to the consistency of cornmeal.
Place oil in stockpot over medium high heat; add onion, 1/2 cup poblano pepper, and garlic and sauté until the onion is transparent.
Add butter and let it melt.
Add tortilla-flour mixture to the pan and mix well.
Cook 4-5 minutes stirring constantly with a whisk- do not let mixture burn.
While stirring, slowly add broth, scraping down sides and bottom often.
Add half and half, bring to a slow simmer and cook 7-10 minutes.
Do not let soup come to a hard boil.
Turn off heat, process in batches in blender to achieve smooth consistency.
Add chicken before serving.
Top with cheese before serving.

More Penne

Last night at dinner, our niece Lily who is seven months old was eating & loving my penne with proscuitto & asparagus. I was so proud of her for loving her veggies & even eating her Uncle Matt's asparagus, Matt does have an aversion to green food :) Well this morning I was bragging about it to my mom & she pointed out that penne would be a perfect finger food for babies. With that in mind I set out to figure out a new penne dish for Lily. Here is what I came up with:

16 ounces Penne
3 cloves
garlic, halved
2 pounds broccoli, halved lengthwise and sliced diagonally
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/4teaspoon pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil

Cook Penne and garlic according to package directions, adding broccoli during last 3 minutes of cook time. Drain, removing garlic. Place pasta and broccoli in large bowl.Add oil, 2 tablespoons Parmigiano cheese, basil, salt and pepper; toss to coat.Stir in ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano cheese.

Don't quote me on this but I am pretty sure Lily could eat this if the broccoli was chopped small.

Italian desert, Marscapone Cheesecake

Today is the 12th day of Christmas or the Epiphany, when we were kids we celebrated the Epiphany as Italians do with a visit from the Befana. Since my mom isn't here to fill my Befana doll's pockets in her dress with little toys & chocolate coins, I decided to have Matt's family over for an Italian dinner. This is a recipe for an Italian cheese cake.

Crust: 1 cup chopped hazelnuts, lightly toasted

2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Filling: 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

2 (8-ounce) containers mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons Frangelico

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

Topping: 1/2 cup Nutella

1/4 cup whipping cream

For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Tightly wrap the outside of a 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with heavy-duty foil. Finely grind the hazelnuts, cracker crumbs, and sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and process until moist crumbs form. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan (not on the sides of the pan). Bake the crust until it is set and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Cool. Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
For the filling: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the Frangelico and vanilla. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 5 minutes (the cake will become firm when it is cold). Transfer the cake to a rack; cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.
For the topping: Combine the Nutella spread and cream in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave until warm, stirring every 20 seconds to blend, about 1 minute.

Carne Asada Tacos

My mom, dad, Aunt Karen & Uncle Mike just announced that they are all going to Cozumel in February, being the beach lover that I am, I am insanely jealous. So to make my self feel a little better & to honor Matt's request of tacos for dinner, I am going to whip up these authentic Carne Asada tacos. Just add Margaritas to feel like you are South of the Border!

3 pounds Flank Steak
Marinade
1/3 cup White Vinegar
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Limes, juiced
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Ground White Pepper
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Paprika
Relish
1 White Onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped Fresh Cilantro
1 Lime, juiced
Salsa
2 large Tomatoes, chopped
2 Jalapeno Peppers, chopped
1 White Onion, quartered
4 cloves Garlic, peeled
4 Dried New Mexico Chile Pods
1 pinch Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 package Tortillas (corn or flour)
2 cups grated Cheese
2 Limes, cut into wedges

Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 8 hours.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 chopped white onion, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Set aside to use as a relish for the tacos.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Toast chile pods in the skillet for a few minutes, then remove to a bowl of water to soak for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Place the tomatoes, 1 onion, jalapenos, and 4 cloves of garlic onto a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, until toasted but not burnt. Place the roasted vegetables, and soaked chile pods into a blender or food processor, along with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the marinated flank steak into cubes or strips. Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Warm the tortillas in a skillet for about a minute on each side to make them pliable. Tortillas may also be warmed in a microwave oven. Arrange two or three tortillas on a plate, and lay a generous amount of beef over them. Top with a sprinkle of the onion relish and a large spoonful of the pureed salsa. Add as much cheese as you like. Garnish with lime wedges, and serve.

Shrimp with pasta

Matt of course wants shrimp for dinner, but rather than doing our usual I am going to mix it up a little today. Normally Ricotta cheese is used in lasagna, but mixed into a pasta dish it is very creamy. To cut the fat content from this dish, lessen the pancetta or replace it with chicken, use part skim ricotta cheese, for a general more healthy dish replace the pasta with a whole wheat variety.

1 pound pasta -- penne

1/4 pound pancetta -- cut in narrow strips
1/4 cup frozen peas -- thawed
1/2 pound medium shrimp -- peeled/trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese -- grated

Cook penne in boiling salted water.In a large frying pan heat pancetta until fat begins to melt. Stir in thawed peas and saute for 1 to 2 minutes before adding shrimp. Cook until just done. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.In a bowl combine ricotta, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Just before serving, add 1 or 2 tablespoons boiling pasta water and whisk through.Drain penne when al dente and mix in ricotta. Add pancetta, shrimp and peas and toss together before serving.

Trisha's Chicken

My friend Trisha sent this recipe to me today, she is an excellent cook & obviously better at keeping cooking ingredients in the house than me. She said she was making this tonight so she didn't have to run to the store. This sounds like great winter comfort food but using the 98% fat free soups would cut down on the calories for everyone's resolutions. I haven't made this before so I didn't have a picture, but I do have this adorable picture of Reese, Trisha & Dave's daughter. Thanks for the recipe Trish!

4 chicken breasts
1 box of Uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice with herbs
1 can of cream of mushroom (98% fat free)
1 can of cream of celery (98% fat free)
1 cup of milk
1/4 packet of dry onion soup mix


Mix rice, packet of rice seasonings, cream of mushroom, cream of celery, and milk and pour into a 9x13 pan. Place chicken breasts on top and sprinkle with dry onion soup mix. Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours. It is delicious and easy!I usually serve with a side of broccoli.

Happy 2008

Happy New Year to everyone. I am sure many people made a resolution to eat healthier. To help you out with that I am going to post my favorite healthy chicken recipe. It is beyond simple.

Preheat your oven to 425

In a roasting pan pour about a cup of water into the bottom of the pan. On the rack place 4 bone in chicken breasts. Season the chicken breasts with chili powder & Cavender's Greek seasoning. Roast for 50 minutes. The water under neath keeps them super moist. Serve with fresh veggies & salad. Simple, delicious, healthy & will help you keep your resolution!