breadcrumbs

Stuffed Poblano Chiles With Chorizo and Goat Cheese

by Anne Maxfield on September 23, 2019

I picked up some nice looking poblano chiles from my CSA last week and wanted something other than chiles rellenos to make with them. This looked good, with chorizo and goat cheese. Serves 4:

  • 4 large (about 1 1/4 pounds total) fresh poblano chiles, look for straight ones
  • 1 pound Mexican chorizo
  • 2 cups diced white onion (about 1 medium onion)
  • Salt
  • 1 pound zucchini, diced
  • 6 ounces goat cheese
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup chopped pine nuts
  • 2 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Roast the poblano chiles directly over a gas flame or under a very hot broiler on a baking sheet, turning regularly until the skins have blistered and blackened on all sides, about 5 minutes for open flame, about 10 minutes for broiler. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand 5 minutes.

Rub off the blackened skin, then cut an incision in the side of each one, starting 1/2-inch below the stem end and continuing to the tip. Make two more cuts on either side of that opening, next to the stem, to extend the open at the top, about 1/2-inch on both sides. Open up the poblanos and remove all the seeds. Rinse the the chiles,to remove the remaining seeds, being careful not to rip the opening any wider; and drain on paper towels, cut-side down.

Remove the casings and crumble the chorizo into a 12” non-stick skillet set over high heat. Cook for 5 minutes, using a spoon to break up any large pieces, until the chorizo is nicely browned and cooked through. Lower the temperature to medium, scoop in the diced onion, zucchini, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir to combine, then cover and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the zucchini has softened. Remove from the heat and cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Crumble the goat cheese over the chorizo mixture and stir to combine. Stuff each poblano with 1/4 of the chorizo-goat cheese mixture and then fold the chile around the sides of the filling leaving a gap in the center. Place the filled chiles into a 13 x 9-inch casserole dish and wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, scoop in the panko crumbs and pine nuts. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture is golden brown. Cool completely. While the chiles are baking, stir the chopped cilantro and 1/4 teaspoon salt into the panko/almond mixture. Remove the casserole from the oven, slide the chiles onto a serving dish and sprinkle the panko topping over the top. Serve and enjoy!

My verdict: I think I liked this more than Frank did. The stuffed poblanos were a little dry. It may have been from a slightly overcooked chorizo mix, or the fact that no one remembered to buy a zucchini, so we went without. If I made them again, I’d probably only cook the mix for about 10 minutes, since it will have more cooking time in the oven.

It was funny, because we both had one poblano that was really hot and one that was totally mild. I preferred the hot chile—it gave the dish more flavor.

I roasted and prepped the poblanos ahead of time, stuffed and baked them the next day. You can stuff them and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake them.

 

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Beef and Onion Gratin

by Anne Maxfield on February 18, 2016

Accidental Locavore Beef GratinWhile you might think that a gratin has to have cheese, as the Accidental Locavore recently found out, it just means that it is topped with a browned crust. I was making the famous chicken from Judy Rodger’s The Zuni Café Cookbook and came across her recipe for a beef gratin or le Miroton, which she says is a French way to transform leftovers. Having some leftover roast beef, I thought this would be a good alternative to roast beef sandwiches (even on Tartine’s great bread, 2-3 days lunch is enough). Her recipe is per person, I doubled it to serve 2:

  • 10 ounces leftover beef from Pot au Feu or short ribs, sliced ¼” thick
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound onions (about 4-5) sliced
  • Salt & pepper
  • 2 teaspoons flour
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 2 small ripe tomatoes

For the topping:

  • ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • Splash of white wine

Accidental Locavore Stewing OnionsIn a sauté pan that will hold the onions in a ½-1” layer, warm a splash of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and stir once or twice. Cook until they are colored slightly. Salt and stir again. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook until the onions are soft and silky, about 15 minutes.

Sprinkle the onions with the flour, stir and simmer until the juices have thickened. Stir in the broth and cook for a few minutes until you have a syrupy stew. Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 425°.

Slice off the ends of the tomato and slice ¼” thick. If the tomatoes are really wet, place between paper towels while you’re prepping the gratin.

Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl and toss well.

Accidental Locavore Prepping GratinConstruct the gratin. In a shallow gratin pan lightly greased with olive oil, begin with a smear of the onions, then a layer of the meat, slightly overlapping. Spread with a thicker layer of onions, then the tomatoes. Repeat, ending with a Spartan layer of tomatoes. Tamp lightly to encourage the layers to sink into each other. It should be quite moist. If not, add a splash of broth or water. It will thicken during cooking and you want it have enough sauce.

Top with a thin layer of breadcrumbs (depending on the size of your dish, you may not need them all).

Bake until it bubbles at the edges and the topping is golden brown, about 15-30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

My verdict: A great way to use any number of leftovers! Judy suggests that instead of the tomatoes, you could use truffles and I almost used some truffle paste I had, but decided not to go overboard. Mushrooms or potatoes would be fine – actually, you could just use whatever was kicking around the fridge. I ended up using red wine with the bread crumbs and other than having pink breadcrumbs, it didn’t seem to make a difference.

 

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2 Great Uses for Leftover Bread

by Anne Maxfield on August 4, 2014

Accidental Locavore Bread for CroutonsOne of the things the Accidental Locavore has always appreciated about France is the ability to get a demi-baguette at almost every boulangerie. Since baguettes are meant to be eaten immediately, or certainly by the end of the day, their shelf life is in measured in hours (not weeks, like some of our breads). While American baguettes have a slightly longer shelf life, you’re usually required to buy a whole one (and of course, ours are bigger…), so we generally have most of one lying around getting stale. If I remember to catch them before they’re so stale you could use them to hit a hardball, I chop them up and make breadcrumbs. All you do is cut (or rip) the bread into ½” slices, cut those in half and pop them in a food processor. Process until the crumbs are a size that you like. I keep mine in a Ziploc bag in the freezer, ready for action.Accidental Locavore Breadcrumbs

This morning, I started working on our leftover baguette from the great cheese and charcuterie board Frank put together for le 14 juillet. I had cut it into such perfect slices that it occurred to me that croutons might be a better use for this than the usual breadcrumbs. Here’s how they came together:

  • 2/3 of a baguette, cut into ¾” slices and then quarter the slices
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large garlic clove, put thorough a press (optional)
  • Large pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Accidental Locavore CroutonsPreheat the oven to 450°. Put the melted butter, olive oil, salt, garlic and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Add the bread and toss until well coated. Put on a cookie sheet or hotel pan and cook until golden-brown, about 8 minutes. Put on a wire rack to cool. Store in a Ziploc in the freezer or toss these in soups or salads and enjoy!

My verdict: True confession, when I make Caesar salad, I generally use commercial croutons. Not anymore! These were so easy and delicious, and a look at the ingredients on the back of the crouton bag just made me cringe. I would have liked a bit more salt in them, but I held back. You could also toss them in some Parmesan, herbs (I kept eyeing a big bunch of basil on the counter), whatever strikes your fancy. You can also flavor them to go with what you’re serving. Almost any type of bread will work, although I’m not a big fan of croutons made with soft white breads.

 

 

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