Enchiladas with Creamy Roasted Poblano and Spinach Sauce

These were the best enchiladas I've ever tasted! The creamy roasted poblano and spinach enchilada sauce is what really puts them over the top.  I will be making this sauce all the time. It's also wonderful as a dip with tortilla chips.  I found the recipe here while I was looking for a recipe to use up some spinach and poblanos I had in the fridge.  The original recipe calls for 3 cups of chicken, and I used diced roasted sweet potatoes instead of chicken and also made some with just cheese and they were both amazing!

Enchiladas with Creamy Roasted Poblano and Spinach Sauce

Enchiladas Especiales Tacuba Style

adapted from Rick Bayless's website, originally from Cafe Tacuba

2 fresh poblano chile

1 cup (lightly packed) roughly chopped spinach leaves

2 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth ( I used vegetable broth)

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter—or you can use vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped (I used roasted garlic)
1/2 cup flour

Salt

3 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken) (I used roasted sweet potato cubes in some and cheddar and colby jack cheese in some instead of the chicken, use whatever you like :) )

12 corn tortillas (I made homemade tortillas for these, totally worth the extra effort)

A little vegetable oil for brushing or spraying

About 1 cup Mexican melting cheese (Chihuahua, quesadilla, asadero or the like) or Monterey Jack, brick or mild cheddar

A little chopped cilantro for garnish

1. Make the sauce. Roast the poblanos directly over a gas flame...

or on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, turning regularly, until the skins have blistered and blackened on all side, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes under the broiler.

Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel (paper towel worked fine) and, when handleable, rub off the blackened skin, tear open and pull out the seed pod and stem. Quickly rinse to remove any stray seeds or bits of skin.

Roughly chop and put in a blender jar. Add the spinach.

In a medium (3-quart) saucepan, combine the milk and broth, set over medium-low heat to warm. (I just warmed these in the microwave)

In a large (4-quart) saucepan, melt the butter (or heat the oil) over medium. Add the garlic (I used about half a head of roasted garlic) and cook for a minute to release its aroma, then add the flour and stir the mixture for a minute. Raise the heat to medium-high. Pour in the warm broth mixture and whisk constantly until the sauce boils. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Pour half the hot sauce into the blender with the chiles and spinach.

Cover loosely (I remove the center part of the lid, secure the lid, then drape a cloth over the whole thing) and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining sauce.

Taste and season with salt, usually about 2 teaspoons.  (I started with one and tasted from there, 2 seems like a little too much.)

2. Finish the enchiladas. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Smear about 1/4 cup of the sauce over the bottom of each of four to six 9-inch individual ovenproof baking/serving dishes or smear about 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish. Stir 1 cup of the sauce into the chicken (sweet potatoes, for just cheese enchiladas I did not add extra sauce to the cheese, just rolled them up with cheese only and did sauce on top).

Lay half of the tortillas out on a baking sheet and lightly brush or spray both sides of the tortillas with oil; top each tortilla with another one and brush or spray those with oil. Bake just to warm through and soften, about 3 minutes. Stack the tortillas and cover with a towel to keep warm.

Working quickly so that the tortillas stay hot and pliable, roll a portion of the chicken up in each tortilla, then line them all up in the baking dish(es).

Douse evenly with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until the enchiladas are hot through (the cheese will have begun to brown), about 20 minutes. Garnish with the cilantro and serve without hesitation.

~~~~~

I thought these were absolutely wonderful!  The homemade corn tortillas were amazing in this recipe. I used Rick's recipe for them using just Maseca and water and my new tortilla press and was so impressed. I usually prefer flour tortillas over corn, but these were just perfect for soaking in that delicious sauce and sopping it up. They did not get mushy like store bought corn tortillas and had a really nice toothsome texture after baking. So delicious!  I loved the gorgeous green color of the sauce before baking, it was so pretty. It darkened up a bit while baking but I just couldn't get over that soft mint almost seafoam green color.

Unfortunately my kids and picky husband wanted nothing to do with this dinner, not even the cheese ones, I was kind of anticipating that so made them something else instead as an option. Maybe next time I make these they will give them a try. I think if you took just one taste of this luscious sauce you would be a fan for sure :) Since I am the only enchilada fan I am linking these over to IHCC for their theme of the week, For Mom.  

Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta

This is such a delicious pasta dish, especially if you are a goat cheese fan. I found this recipe here at foodnetwork.com one day when I was looking for something to make with some extra tomatoes I had. I used red Campari tomatoes and yellow cherry tomatoes.

Pasta with Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Sara Moulton via foodnetwork.com

• 2 pounds red and yellow cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 pound penne -- I used fusilli
• 6 ounces fresh goat cheese
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces -- I was out of fresh basil so used a little dried to sprinkle on top
• Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Halve each tomato and place cut side up in 1 flat layer on the baking sheets. Drizzle the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle on the salt.

Roast until the tomatoes are dried around the edges but still moist, about 2 hours.

Crumble the goat cheese into large chunks and refrigerate until ready to serve the pasta.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the package directions.

Remove 1 cup of the cooking liquid and reserve. Drain the pasta well and return to the pot.

Add the tomatoes, goat cheese, basil, reserved cooking liquid, and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

~~~ 

This is one of my new favorite pasta dishes. I can't wait to make it with fresh basil and garden fresh tomatoes. Even the kids liked this one and they are usually a little unsure about tomato dishes. One of the best parts is how easy this one is, all you have to do it start the tomatoes mid morning, and by lunch time you will be ready to make this dish.

I am sending this over to Alisha of Cook. Craft. Enjoy., who is hosting Presto Pasta Nights #247, thanks Ruth and Alisha!

Tomato Lasagna

This is my dish for the I Heart Cooking Clubs October Potluck.  Who doesn't love a lasagna at a potluck?  This is a basic lasagna with a tomato sauce and bechamel sauce sandwiched between layers of noodles, simple and delicious.   I made this for our unofficial monthly lasagna night, usually a weekend day when there is nothing planned, and I have plenty of time to make picky husband's favorite meat lasagna and a vegetarian friendly lasagna. The kids get to pick whichever lasagna they want, and we always have enough leftovers for a few quick lunches during the busy week.

This is the second Tessa Kiros recipe I've try (thank you, IHCC) and another good one! Here is what Tessa has to say about her Tomato Lasagne in the book Apples for Jam...

"This is a straightforward recipe to which you can add a few blobs of goat's cheese, some dollops of pesto, a little cooked spinach, or broiled long slices of zucchini between the layers.  This is just lasagne noodles, a good tomato sauce, and bechamel, and my children love it..."    I love all of Tessa's suggestions for add-ins and was planning to use a special limited batch goat's cheese I have in the cheese drawer, but I completely forgot to add it in while making this, so this is the plain and simple version...

Tomato Lasagne

Tessa Kiros -- Apples for Jam

Tomato Sauce:

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole

salt

3 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes -- I used two cans of whole San Marzanos and one can of regular diced tomatoes

About 12 basil leaves, torn

1 cup hot water -- I only used about 1/2 cup

Bechamel Sauce:

1/4 lb butter

2/3 cup all purpose flour

4 cups milk, warmed -- I used skim

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg -- I used ground, about 1/4 teaspoon

3/4 (16 ounce) package lasagne noodles

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

For the tomato sauce, heat the oil and garlic in a large pan. When you begin to smell the garlic, add the tomatoes and a good pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook uncovered for about 20 to 25 minutes, until it has all merged into a sauce. Add the basil and 1 cup of hot water toward the end of the cooking time. Puree until smooth, minus the garlic if you'd prefer.  (I didn't puree, just mashed with a potato masher, garlic and all)

To make the bechamel, melt the butter in a small (I'd say medium) saucepan over lower heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then begin adding the warm milk.  It will be immediately absorbed, so work quickly, whisking with one hand while adding ladlefuls of milk with the other. When the sauce seems to be smooth and not too stiff, add salt, pepper, and a grating of nutmeg and continue cooking, even after it comes to a boil, for five minutes or so, mixing all the time. It should be a very thick and smooth sauce. 

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a deep 8 1/2 by 12 inch baking dish. Drizzle some bechamel over the bottom of the dish to cover it very thinly. Put a slightly overlapping layer of lasagne noodles on top. Dollop a thin layer of tomato sauce over that, spreading it with the back of the ladle. Add about two ladlefuls of bechamel in long drizzles, and the cover with a sprinkling of parmesan. Add another layer of lasagne noodles, then tomato, bechamel, and parmesan as before, and then repeat the layers one more time.  I just repeated until I was at the top of my baking dish and out of bechamel, I did have about 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce left. You should have about 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce and a good amount of bechamel left. Make a final layer of lasagna noodles and cover with all the remaining bechamel. Dollop the tomato sauce here and there and sprinkle with and remaining parmesan. 

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until it is bubbling and golden on top.  Serves 6 to 8.

~~~

This was a delicious dinner.  The bechamel was so rich and creamy, one small serving of this lasagna was very filling.  My two oldest wanted meat lasagna, so only my youngest, who is four, and I ate this one but we both liked it.  I wouldn't hesitate to make it again, and definitely think Tessa's add-in suggestions would be fabulous.  The leftovers were great reheated in the microwave, and I think that it tasted even better the second day :)



I'm sending this along to Ruth at Once Upon A Feast for Presto Pasta Nights #234 -- thanks, Ruth!

Gnocchi a la Parisienne -- French Fridays with Dorie

Welcome to our second French Fridays with Dorie recipe for January -- Gnocchi a la Parisienne. This was such a new dish to me, I'd never heard of a French Gnocchi, but love the traditional potato gnocchi and ricotta gnocchi so I could not wait to give this French version a try!


First the pâte à choux dough is shaped, either by spoon or by being squeezed out of a bag and cut (which is what I did) -- this method was mentioned on the FFwD site and after a little internet sleuthing, I found this to be a popular way to form Gnocchi a la Parieienne. The dough is then boiled like regular gnocchi, until they float to the surface, and cooked a minute longer...


My five year old daughter had so much fun watching me make these, we both snuck a few before they were baked with the sauce and thought they were great. The texture was softer than I expected, they reminded me a little of ricotta gnocchi. One option was to whip an egg white and fold it into the gnocchi dough to make it even lighter, I did not do this and am kind of glad I didn't, I think the texture would have been way too light for us.


After the gnocchi are boiled, they are gently place in a baking dish that has been dusted with parmesan cheese and has a layer of absolutely delicious bechamel sauce (one of my favorite sauces!) on the bottom.

Then they are blanketed with another layer of bechamel sauce and some shredded cheeses. Now they are ready to go into the oven.

Finally they come out looking like this, bubbling bechamel, crusty cheese topping, and a few little gnocchi peeking through.

Making this French dish was an enjoyable experience. I made a couple of minor changes, using skim milk instead of whole in the bechamel (since skim is the milk we keep on hand) and leaving off the extra butter dotted on top of the cheese before baking, this was an accidental omission, but I don't think it mattered much since the dish was so rich anyway.

Gnocchi a la Parisienne was such a neat recipe to try, even though my daughter and I are the only ones who finished our servings for dinner. I couldn't help thinking how this would taste extra delicious with some sauteed mushrooms added to it before baking, yum! Picky husband and our two boys only had a bite or two. Picky husband said it was the texture. Oh-well. Can't win them all over all the time, right?

Mushroom Mascarpone Pasta

This is a very simple and easy recipe with delicious results. I recently ordered some Marella Linguine Arcobaleno Pugiese Pasta aka Rainbow Linguine and wanted a simple sauce to go with it so I could really taste the pasta, which is made in Gioia del Colle, Bari, in the Puglia region of Italy.

Mushroom Mascarpone Pasta

2 tbsp butter
2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1 small container mascarpone cheese (8 ounces)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesiano Reggiano
1/4 cup cream (more or less to get the consistency you'd like)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb pasta, cooked according to package directions -- you can cook the pasta while making the sauce

Saute the mushrooms in the butter over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes until they are nicely browned. Turn off heat.

Add in the mascarpone, Parmesiano Reggiano, and cream.

Turn on the heat to medium low and gently stir the cream and cheeses into the mushrooms.

Gently simmer, while stirring, until the sauce comes together and continue to simmer for a few minutes. If the sauce is too thick add a touch more cream, if it is too thin, simmer a little while longer until you get your desired pasta sauce consistency.

isn't that rainbow linguine pretty?

Plate the pasta and spoon the sauce over top...

Serve with extra grated Parmesiano Reggiano and enjoy!

I think the grated cheese looks like snow in the above photo :)

The kids and I loved this special pasta dish -- they are always excited when we try a new pasta shape or color. Picky husband is not a fan of mushrooms so we made this for lunch while he was at work. If you are a fan of mushrooms or mascarpone or creamy pasta dishes (or all of the aforementioned) you should give this simple dish a try for sure!

I'm submitting this dish to Helen of Fuss Free Flavours who is hosting Presto Pasta Nights #189 -- thanks, Helen!

Potato Gratin -- French Fridays with Dorie

Time for French Fridays with Dorie! November FFWD recipes are: Potato Gratin, Caramel Topped Semolina Cake, Pumpkin Gorgonzola Flans, and Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux -- I was so excited that we got to vote for November recipes and 3 out of the 4 that I voted for won! Sadly, Brown-Sugar Squash and Brussels Sprouts en Papillote, my 4th choice, got out voted :( I hope the group will get to that recipe soon, it really sounds delicious and I've never cooked anything 'en papillote' before and that sounds fun.

We got to choose the order we'd like to post the recipes this month, and I went with the Potato Gratin first. I love potato dishes but don't make them too often. I have a special cheddar scalloped potato recipe (which is basically a gratin with a sharp cheddar bechamel based sauce) that always gets requested at Easter and this recipe sounded similar.

I followed the recipe pretty much word for word, using russet potatoes, Emmentaler cheese that I bought at a recent visit to Whole Foods -- my only tiny change was using roasted garlic cloves in my garlic cream. This is a very simple recipe to prepare.

The baking, well, that is a different story. My gratin looked and tested done at the suggested 45 minutes, so I let cool and sliced into what my kids called "potato pie" -- my 4 year old even asked for whipped cream with it and I had to explain this was a savory dish, not a sweet one :) Anyway, the slices looked absolutely perfect, but my gratin was not done! My potatoes were raw and crunchy, not a pleasant surprise. How could this be? I don't know! I think that my gratin tested done since my potato slices were so thin and the tester knife went right through them, but they were way under-done. So...

I popped the remaining back into the oven, without the baking sheet underneath this time. I think mine needed another 30 minutes or so. The taste was phenomenal with such basic ingredients, I really loved the flavor, just be careful to make sure your potatoes are really done! I'm so glad I didn't make this when we had company, whew. I will be making this again, it truly is delicious, and just upping the baking time to 1 hour and 15 minutes or so, probably covering with foil so the top doesn't over brown. Can't wait to see how everyone else did and get cookin' on the other delicious picks for this month :)