Chicken with Garlic & Chile (Pollo Aglio e Peperoncini)

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Serve this easy chicken dish with fresh crusty bread and a salad, but not with pasta or rice. The latter are solo players in Italy and are not served as side dishes.

Ingredients

Tomato, Chicken Breast, Garlic, Onion, Small Red Chile Pod, Italian Parsley

Instructions

Serve this easy chicken dish with fresh crusty bread and a salad, but not with pasta or rice. The latter are solo players in Italy and are not served as side dishes.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe tomatoes

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)

  • 14 ounces skinless chicken breast, cut into ½-inch cubes.

  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped

  • 1 small chile pod, red, hot (Thai , Serrano or Birdseye), seeds and stem removed, chopped

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 1/2 bunch of Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation:

  1. Slit the tomatoes on the top and submerge in boiling water for a minute. Remove from water, peel and remove seeds.

  2. Cube the tomatoes and drain in a strainer for 10 minutes.

  3. In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil and cook onions and garlic until translucent.

  4. Add cubed chicken and brown, stirring constantly.

  5. Season with pepper and salt, add the chopped chile pod and the tomatoes. Cook uncovered for about 15 minutes.

  6. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Yield: 2 to 3 servings

Heat Scale: Medium

Enraged Pasta (Penne all Arrabiata)

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Of all the spicy Calabrian dishes, this one is probably the best known. Feel free to increase the heat scale by adding more peperoncini.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 to 3 medium onions, chopped

  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 2 small chile pods, red, hot (Thai , Serrano or Birdseye), seeds and stems removed, finely chopped

  • 2 14-ounce cans chopped tomatoes, for example Progresso

  • 1 pound Penne Rigate pasta

  • 3 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

  • Pinch of sugar, salt

Instructions

In a pan, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the onions, garlic, and chile and cook until the onions are golden brown. Add the tomatoes and cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes over low to medium heat.
 
Meanwhile cook the pasta “al dente” in lightly salted water, according to instructions on the package. Grate the parmesan cheese and stir half of it into the sauce. Season with salt and sugar to taste. Drain the pasta well, mix thoroughly with the sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.
 
Serve piping hot.

Pasta with Garlic, Olive Oil and Chiles

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Note the lack of tomatoes in this pasta. The dish depends heavily upon the flavor of the chiles.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Olive oil

• 2 small chile pods, red, hot (Thai , Serrano or Birdseye), seeds and stems removed, finely chopped

• ¼ cup finely chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

• 4 to 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 pound Spaghetti pasta

• Salt to taste

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the chiles, parsley, and garlic. Cook until the garlic is soft.

Meanwhile, in lightly salted water, cook the pasta “al dente,” according to instructions on the package.

Strain the pasta well. Add the pasta to the mixture in the pan, mix well and let sit for a few minutes for the flavors to blend. Add salt to taste. Serve hot.

Prime Rib with Pinon Chile Sauce

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This recipe is from The Bull Ring of Santa Fe, New Mexico. I have reduced the amounts proportionally, as the recipe I was given was for restaurant servings.

Ingredients

Prime Rib, Grill Spices, Pinon Nuts, Almonds, Red Chile Powder, Chicken Stock, Red Onions

Instructions

Avocado and Ancho Chile Cheesecake with Crab Fondue

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This recipe is from the Inn at Loretto in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Ingredients

For the Crust:

  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  • 1 cup breadcrumbs

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

  • 1 3/4 pound cream cheese

  • 1 large egg

  • ½ cup heavy cream

  • 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

  • 4 ripe avocados

  • 1/4 cup ancho chile puree

For the Crab Fondue:

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

  • 1 cup shallots, finely minced

  • 1 cup white wine

  • 1 quart heavy cream

  • 2 sprigs of fresh tarragon

  • 8 ounces jumbo lump crab meat

  • Chopped tarragon for the garnish

Instructions

For the Crust and Filling:

Pre-heat the oven to 350° F

Combine crust ingredients and press the mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese and avocado. Add the egg and continue beating until the mixture is smooth, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the filling into the springform pan and swirl in the ancho puree to create a marbled effect.

Bake the cheesecake in the pre-heated oven until firm, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool thoroughly on a rack. Serve at room temperature with warm crab fondue (see recipe).

For the Crab Fondue:

Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the shallots until they are translucent. Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce the mixture by half. Add the cream and tarragon and reduce by half; the cream should coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove the tarragon and fold in the crab meat.

Spoon the mixture over the Avocado Ancho Chile Cheesecake and garnish with the chopped tarragon.