Great family dinner highlighting Baked Ziti and Peanut Butter Cake. I’ve been asked by family to spend less time at the stove and more time at the table with them. Some meals it’s almost impossible but not this one. This is an amazing dinner for a crowd and no one feels neglected not even the gourmet.
A tweet shared with me goes something like this, “A Sister asked this Priest (apparently a good cook) for a kale recipe.” His advice … “Chop it up, toss it in the garden and grow something good!” I must say I’ve met more with this attitude about kale than not. As for me, I haven’t met a green I didn’t like! In this dish I simply sautéed the closely chopped kale separately and layered the pasta mixture right over the top. There’s just enough sweetness in the pasta sauce to counter the usual slight bitterness of kale. I love this dish for so many reasons. If you haven’t tried gnocchi shaped dried pasta you must. The pasta cooks up beautifully. And look how it holds the meat sauce perfectly!
Here’s a homemade version of gnocchi I believe you will enjoy too!
Earthy beefy Chile Colorado! Thinking quickly I turned the last little bit in the serving dish into this quesadilla. That’s what I get … attempting to do a food photo while everyone is eating. Wait! Two slices of flat bread hot off the skillet, slathered with Chile Colorado, sprinkled with cheese and slapped together. Beyond expectations. Luckily I got in a couple of snapshots before this too was gone.
Check out my Red Chile Sauce here. You’ll need two cups for this recipe. It’s worth doing from scratch.
Hatch Chiles from New Mexico make this red sauce. The ornamental cluster of dried pods was a gift from a good friend. Now one of my best friends! Ha! My Enchiladas are more amazing. And today I’m making my first Chile Colorado Beef dish. This sauce has some heat, moderate … just enough to give a little bite but not hide the flavor. I’d like to give credit here but the printed recipe card was simply slipped into the bag with the string of dried pods and has no author. It’s a recipe that won’t disappoint! Give it a try! Don’t know where to buy Hatch Chiles? Try Amazon for dried pods and powder and here for the fresh product. You won’t need luck with this recipe!
Amazing gift from a friend who traveled through New Mexico. He just knew I’d love this ornamental dried pod arrangement. What he didn’t know is these are more than ornamental! They cook into the best red sauce in the world. Okay, I don’t know if they meet this claim to fame but it’s the best Red Chile Sauce I’ve ever eaten. What better way to spend a rainy day! Cooking this simple recipe! What makes the sauce is not a complex recipe but the Hatch Peppers.
You might enjoy this short article, the Hatch Pepper, a New Mexico icon, here. And yes, these dried pods are available on Amazon. The recipe for Hatch Red Chile Sauce will be coming soon in another post!
These recipes can incorporate this Red Chile Sauce easily. Enjoy!
Mexicali Casserole
Enchilada Casserole
Burritos
Cheese Enchiladas
What do you do when you have leftover cooked chicken and an overabundance of broccoli? You make this delicious pie. And because it was a pasta Sunday I added egg noodles. Absolutely delicious. We’ll be making this one again soon. Change up the pasta, add turkey or tuna instead of chicken and substitute cottage cheese for ricotta. I guarantee this recipe will work with substitutions. This is a great make ahead meal that can easily be frozen after baking for another day.
Just in Time for National Soup Day! One of those delicious soups that puts together in less than 15 minutes. The chicken, pork, or shredded beef is precooked for a quicker meal. But the option of adding uncooked chicken is given here too … just add on an additional 15 minutes to complete the cooking process.
Hearty! Oh so delicious! Yep, this would even please the guys on Super Bowl Sunday! Chicken and Italian sausage are the stars of this dish … It’s all about the meat. You can try it with boneless skinless chicken if you like but you’ll be missing the depth of flavor. This stew is amazingly simple and just the ticket for the game.
A favorite of mine. It’s a basic recipe that can be dressed to your taste or served in the basic form. Another great tasting soup to enjoy this winter!
Add a little less broth and you’ll have Portuguese White Beans. Love, love, love this soup. Add greens, spinach, kale, swiss chard or turnip greens for a more complete meal. Chop these pretty fine to speed the cooking. This is just the perfect soup for our rainy days.
If you’re looking for a sweeter (and I mean sweet!) Portuguese White Bean Recipe try this.