Chipotle Butter Steak and Poblano, Potato and Corn Gratin

Those who read this blog, know I love a simple steak with flavored butter melted on top. So, when I read this recipe for chipotle roast chicken tacos, I knew that the butter recipe (intended to be rubbed under chicken skin then roasted) would also be great on steak. Not to mention the smokey chipotle will marry perfectly with the steak.

I paired it with a poblano, potato and corn gratin – and it was a great twist on a traditional steak and potatoes. Thanks to Bon Appetit for the potato recipe and for inspiring my steak recipe!

CHIPOTLE BUTTER STEAK
Serves 4

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves plus 3 fresh oregano sprigs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves plus 3 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed in resealable plastic bag with mallet
4 flank steaks

Using fork, mix butter, all chopped herbs, chipotle chiles, and crushed coriander in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

Cook steak (grill, stove or oven) until done as desired. While steak is resting (at least 10 minutes), place dollop of butter on top, so it melts.

POBLANO, POTATO, AND CORN GRATIN
Serves 8

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 large fresh poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, cut into 2×1/4-inch strips
1 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup coarsely grated Oaxaca cheese or whole-milk mozzarella cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups half and half
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. Rub 9 1/2-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish or cast-iron skillet with 2 teaspoons oil. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add poblano strips and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Arrange 1/3 of potato rounds, overlapping slightly, in prepared pie dish. Sprinkle 1/3 of poblano strips over, then 1/3 of corn and 1/3 of cheese. Repeat with 1/3 of potatoes, 1/3 of poblanos, 1/3 of corn, and 1/3 of cheese. Top with remaining potatoes, poblanos, and corn, reserving remaining 1/3 of cheese. Place pie dish on rimmed baking sheet.

Whisk half and half, flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in small bowl. Pour over potato mixture in pie dish; press potatoes to submerge. Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle remaining cheese over gratin. Continue to bake gratin until potatoes are tender and cheese is golden brown, about 25 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Maple Chipotle Hot Wings

I am currently still licking the sauce off my fingers from this one (sorry, Mac keyboard) – literally made them only a hour ago for the NFL playoffs and couldn’t wait to blog them. If that doesn’t say something about these wings, not sure what does!

As the SuperBowl is quickly approaching, I am always looking for great “football” food to serve at whatever party we attend or host. These will be brought to our friends’ house this year, no question!

This particular recipe was in a great article in Food & Wine magazine (thanks for the subscription, Mom & Dad!). The article gives you a great basic hot wing recipe, then all of the great ways you can mix them up and give them different flavors. These are the maple chipotle hot wings, but I will surely be trying the others soon!

Something to note – yes, you roast them for 45 minutes at 500 degrees. The mixture of the dredging, the veggie oil and high temperatures gives them a crispy skin, almost like they were fried.

Happy SuperBowl Party!

MAPLE CHIPOTLE HOT WINGS
2-4 Servings

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 pounds chicken wingettes and/or drumettes

2 1/2 tablespoons red hot sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 canned chipotle pepper, minced
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 500°. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil. In a bowl, mix the flour with the salt and sage. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Spread the chicken on the baking sheet in a single layer and spray with vegetable oil.

Roast the chicken for 45 minutes, turning once or twice, until browned and crispy. In a bowl, whisk the hot sauce, butter, chipotle pepper and maple syrup until combined. Add the chicken wings to the sauce and toss; serve.

Pork Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce

When the weather gets cold, I love a huge bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. So, when I saw this recipe on a PBS show (Everyday Food), I thought it was an interesting twist. I love the unique flavor the chipotles provide, and it gives the traditional spaghetti and meatballs a different personality.

I personally love to bake the meatballs vs. frying them in a skillet (I tend to get a better shape and overall cooking temperature). But, this recipe would work either way (it was originally written for pan frying). I also cut back on the onion (1/2 an onion vs. a full onion) because it seemed like a lot in comparison to the meat. But, feel free to add more!

PORK MEATBALLS IN CHIPOTLE SAUCE
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1/2 medium onion, coarsely grated and squeezed firmly to remove excess liquid
1 small zucchini, coarsely grated and squeezed firmly to remove excess liquid
1 large egg
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cooked rice and chopped fresh cilantro, for serving (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine pork, onion, zucchini, egg, breadcrumbs, oregano, cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix well with a fork. Form into 16 (2-inch) balls; transfer to a plate, and place in freezer until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine tomatoes and chiles in a blender; process until smooth, and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the meatballs; cook until brown, turning often, 4 to 5 minutes; transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining oil and meatballs. Or, preheat oven to 375-400 and place meatballs on jelly roll pan. Bake until cooked almost all the way through.

Add pureed sauce and return all meatballs to a skillet on medium low (the same skillet you cooked the meatballs in if you pan fried them). Cover; simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Uncover, and simmer until sauce is thickened, 5 to 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice, sprinkled with cilantro, as desired.

BBQ Spiced Chicken, Salsa Salad and Pumpkin Chipotle Polenta

I have to admit, although I married into an Italian family (with the last name Pasquinucci), I had never cooked with polenta before. Not only did I have no clue how to even cook it, but I always thought it had the stigma of being like gruel with no flavor. So, in the spirit of Julia Child, I was not afraid and gave it a whirl!

For those of you who haven’t made it before, you will laugh at how quick and easy it is. Just boil chicken broth with half and half, throw in the polenta and it is done in literally 2 minutes. But, the trick is adding additional flavor – this recipe does a great job with chipotles in adobo (if you haven’t tried these before, start slow in adding them until you get the head you want) and pumpkin.

The chicken also has an amazing flavor, different than other BBQ chickens I have made.

This recipe is special thanks to Rachael Ray – whose spice and flavor I always love!

BBQ SPICED CHICKEN, SALSA SALAD AND PUMPKIN-CHIPOTLE POLENTA

1 tablespoon grill seasoning
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1/4 fresh pineapple, cut into spears and grilled
2 limes
A handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk or half-and-half
1 chipotle in adobo, finely chopped and 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
3/4 cup quick cooking polenta
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey

Heat grill pan over medium-high heat.
Mix spices and sugar in a large plastic food storage bag. Coat chicken with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and add to bag. Coat the chicken evenly in the spices and sugar. Let the chicken hang out a few minutes.

Chop and combine the tomatoes, bell pepper, onions and grilled pineapple spears.

Place chicken on grill and cook 6 to 7 minutes on each side.

Dress the salad with lime and a couple tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Season the salad with cilantro, salt and pepper.

Heat the stock and milk or half-and-half in a sauce pot with chipotle and adobo sauce. Whisk in the polenta and thicken 2-3 minutes, stir in pumpkin to warm through. Stir in butter and honey and season with salt and pepper.

Serve polenta with chicken and salsa salad.

Chipotle Cashew Chicken with Brown Rice

This recipe is one of my favorites, making its way into our dinner rotation every few weeks. The reason is because is a truly unique chicken dish – the blend of flavors is almost a mix between Chinese takeout and TexMex. And, because so many of the ingredients are pantry staples, I can almost make this one on a whim!

The chipotle peppers give it a great smoky flavor. If you haven’t cooked with these peppers before, you should give them a try. You can buy them in a can and you can actually freeze them! So, I buy a can and freeze the rest in a plastic bag – then I always have them on hand!

The original recipe comes from Rachael Ray. I love how this dish, like many of Rachael’s, incorporates some heat! Although, my husband isn’t a fan of peas, so I swap them out for a green bell pepper. You can really add in any veggies you like!

CHIPOTLE CASHEW CHICKEN WITH BROWN RICE

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 lbs chicken meat, boneless, skinless
2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend
2-3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper
10-12 water chestnuts, sliced
1 green bell pepper
3 tablespoons chipotle in adobo (3-4 peppers and their sauce)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2-3 tablespoons honey
1/4-1/3 cup real maple syrup
2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 cup raw cashews

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil, then the chicken. Season the chicken with grill seasoning (pre-cut the chicken in bite size pieces). Brown the chicken on both sides, season with soy sauce then move off to one side of the pan. Add the onions, garlic and peppers. Cook 2-3 minutes then add water chestnuts and mix everything together. Add the chipotles and cumin. Toss to coat. Glaze the mixture with honey and maple syrup and turn off the heat. Add in the chopped cilantro and cashew nuts. Serve over top brown rice.