November can start to feel a little grey and a little dulling to the senses. It seems once that snow falls and sticks to the pavement, it can linger there until April. One of the best ways to turn up the color and heat is through fun nights with family and friends, and of course some yummy food. November also starts the bustle of the holiday season, so energy preservation is important. One of the best ways to preserve a little of that energy is to cook once, eat twice. Our recipes this month hit all the marks. Chile verde uses smoky poblanos, with some spicy chipotle, tangy tomatillos and gooey cheese. A perfectly palette-awakening chili for Saturday night dinner with the family, turns into an easy game day appetizer for watching the game. Touchdown.
Poblano Chicken Chili
Ingredients:
10 large tomatillos
7 poblano peppers
1 Vidalia onion diced fine
3 cloves garlic - minced
15 oz cannellini beans drained
Meat from 1 rotisserie chicken
4T avocado oil
2T butter
3T dried mexican oregano
1T ground cumin
1T ground coriander
1tsp garlic powder
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp smoked paprika
Pinch ground chipotle
½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh pepper
1.5 cups chicken broth
Sour cream
3 limes
Fresh cilantro and chives
Directions:
This recipe serves 6 people with plenty left for game day dip. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line 2 large baking sheets with foil and cooking spray. Cut poblanos in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Remove paper skins from tomatillos, wash well with baking soda and water to remove sticky residue. Slice in half and place cut side down on the other baking sheet. Bake both sheets for 25 minutes.
While those bake, in a medium sized stock pot, heat up oil and butter. Add onion and sautè on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add garlic and spices and cook for another 3 minutes stirring. Remove from heat. When done, remove peppers and tomatillos and let cool for a few minutes. The skins on the poblanos will have blistered and need to be removed (they should peel easily). Place tomatillos in a blender or large bullet with ½ cup of water and about ¼ of the peppers. Blend until mostly smooth (some chunks are ok). Chop the rest of the peppers into bite sized pieces. Return pot to medium heat and add the tomatillo sauce, chopped poblanos, and broth. Stirring often, simmer on low for 30 minutes. Stir in chicken and beans and warm through. Serve with sour cream, cilantro, scallion and lime.
Creamy Poblano and Chicken Dip
Ingredients:
1 - 8oz pkg softened cream cheese
1 can seasoned refried beans
½ cup sour cream
1 - 8oz chunk sharp white cheddar cheese
2 cups left over poblano chicken chili
Fresh cilantro, chopped fine
Lime
Chives, finely chopped
Fresh tomato and shredded lettuce, optional
Favorite hot sauce, optional
Sliced black olives, optional
Pickled jalapeno peppers, optional
Favorite corn chips
Directions:
Chili on day 2 has had a chance to season even deeper and tastes even better. All of this can be prepped the day before and refrigerated until ready to bake. If baking directly from the fridge, do not preheat the oven. Place the baking dish into a cold oven and bake about 10 minutes longer.
Shred the cheddar cheese and set aside. In a medium sized glass mixing bowl, place the refried beans and mash well with a fork. If it’s a little tough, warming them in the microwave for about 30 seconds will loosen them up. Add the softened cream cheese, sour cream (makes this dip extra gooey and compliments the smoky chili really well), and about ¼ of the cheese. Mix until combined well and spread on the bottom of a medium sized baking dish. Top with 2 cups of the leftover chicken chili, leaving about a 1 inch border of the creamy base exposed (this keeps the chili from spilling over when baked). Top with the rest of the cheddar cheese, and bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to get golden. Serve with corn chips, limes, hot sauce and some lettuce and tomato on the side if desired, sprinkle with chives.