Because this week we're taking our recipes from New Mexico; Santa Fe to be more specific. They still have the same feel and vibrancy as our other dishes and nothing came out of an Old El Paso box, so I figure we're still in the clear.
On the agenda we've got Corn Soup with Poblano Chiles, followed by Santa Fe Slaw with Caramelized Pecans. These recipes come from Seasonal Southwest Cooking by Barbara Pool Fenzl which is an absolutely beautiful cookbook to look through. It also contains some great contextual information about the recipes which I find really makes or breaks a cookbook. Be warned: there are pictures missing this week, so you'll have to use your imaginations for some of this.
6 ears of corn, 2 ancho chiles (you only require one but could get away with two), and two poblano chiles. Have I mentioned how much I love Mexican Dry Foods? They always seem to have what I need. This week's ancho chiles, the fresh poblano chiles, and pecans were purchased there for something like $6. How can you beat that price?
Remove your corn from the cobs and split it into two bowls. Toss the cobs into 2 litres of water on the stove along with a seeded, stemmed, and shredded ancho chile. Boil and then simmer for 45 minutes.
While that's happening put the BBQ on medium-high and toss on the poblanos. Turn them every so often to make sure they get blackened all over. Once they're all black, toss them into a paper bag for a few minutes. This helps loosen the skin so you can peel it off. Take off the stem and get rid of the seeds too. The instructions also mention that you shouldn't rinse them under cold water to remove the seeds because you'll also remove some of the flavour; so be prepared to get your hands dirty.
This photo is on par with the ones of the boiled flank steak; some foods just aren't photogenic. On that note, here is where you have to turn your imagination on. Once your stock is done simmering, strain out the cobs and the ancho pieces, and set it aside. Get some onion and garlic going with a little bit of oil in the bottom of your stock pot. After that has had about 5 minutes of heat, throw in one of your bowls of corn. When that corn is soft (8-10 minutes) take that whole mess and put it in a blender with 2 cups of corn broth. Once smooth, back into the pot it goes with the rest of the broth, the other bowl of corn, and your pile of roasted poblanos. Give it another 10-15 on the flame.
When you're ready to serve, stir in about a half cup of cream and salt and pepper to taste. I put some cilantro in there because, well, I put cilantro on everything. For a soup made with 6 cobs of corn and peppers and cream, it is not heavy at all and quite refreshing on a hot day.
Wow, another appetizing picture. In this dressing is garlic, chile powder, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, sugar, olive oil and some salt.
Here is where you need some more imagination. Heat up your skillet and roast your pecans until you can smell them. You might try sifting out all of the small crumbs first as they'll just be burnt by the time the larger pieces are roasted. Once roasted, slide in some butter followed by some sugar. Keep stirring until it caramelizes and then add a little cayenne pepper. Remove them from the heat and turn them out onto some wax paper to cool.
So here is a yellow pepper that we did on a mandolin. It's a pretty terrifying pieces of kitchen equipment and that's coming from someone who is used to woodworking tools. It did an admirable job, but I think I'll stick with a sharp knife.
Things that met a similar fate: cabbage, carrots, red onion and radishes. There was supposed to be a jicama in there too, but it never showed up.
Toss with the dressing, and then add in the pecans. This recipe actually calls for cilantro, so don't forget that either!
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