Spicy Eggplant with Chicken

I wanted to get one more meal in from our Hawaiian cookbook before the end of the month, so we tried the Spicy Eggplant with Chicken (pg. 118). This was very simple and tasty. Brian is not a fan of eggplant but thought this was a good dish (he enjoyed this more). I could have used more spice, so if I make this again, it will be with additional peppers. I was actually beginning to think that there was a page missing from this recipe since the instructions just ended without really summing up what to do with the reserve spices... I just threw everything in at the end. I also thought there was not enough liquid in the sauce mixture ("cook until liquid is evaporated..") so I added a little water, which turned out to be a mistake; too much liquid after the bell peppers and onions released their juices. All in all it turned out ok and we had a nice little meal.

Stephanie

Stir-Fry Pepper Beef

This past weekend I decided to give this Hawaiian island food a go: it was pouring rain, cold... not exactly the ideal Aloha weather. Nonetheless, I had my eye on this simple Stir-Fry Pepper Beef (page 83) and the results were AMAZING! Brian said his favorite element was the infusion of ginger that perfectly flavored the tender meat and the crisp peppers. We served this over white rice and found it hard not to polish off the entire meal. I will also try using this same recipe, substituting broccoli for the peppers for a convincing home version of my mom's favorite Beef & Broccoli meal.

Stuffed Poblanos

Or so I thought. Who knew the great debate happening long before my first encounter with the so-called Pasilla pepper. This is how it began:
I received our new cookbook at my office, eagerly flipped through the colorful pages and settled, rather quickly, on the delicious looking "Stuffed Poblanos" recipe (maybe it had something to with the smell of Chile Relleno in the office... one will never know). I used my lunch break to gather the ingredients at the store, but came to a confusing stop when the pepper that I recognized at site as a poblano, was labeled at the market as a pasilla pepper. "Eh?" After looking up and down the produce for any other identical pepper called poblano, I realized I was on a time crunch, so I grabbed these "pasillas". At the check out the lady looked at me and confirmed, "Pasilla?"..."I guess?!".
So to settle the debate I thought I would simply google the two peppers (in secret of course, because now all my self-proclaimed culinary prowess was coming into question). Come to find out, I was not the only one confused... It appears that this mis-labeling of the poblano as a pasilla is a California quirk that has been noted by such knowledgeable Mexican cuisine chefs as Rick Bayless. Phew!

So, to get on with the actual recipe...

This was a delicious dish: quick, easy, fresh, flavorful; completely doable on a weeknight after a long day of work. This recipe made enough for me to split into 2 medium casserole dishes, so I froze one (prior to baking) for a quick go-to meal in the upcoming weeks.

I made Spanish rice to accompany the stuffed poblanos, which worked well to soak up the slightly-spicy tomato sauce.

Overall, a great vegetarian-friendly meal that's satisfying when you are having a hunger for Mexican food, but won't leave you feeling weighed down with grease. Looking forward to leftovers!

Stephanie

On the Menu: Leftovers

After our Catalonian fish soup meal, I utilized a few of the residual ingredients to create this satisfying rainy day lunch. Eggs over toast is one of my favorite dishes to eat, so I spiced up the usual with a little sautéed Spanish chorizo topped with leftover Red Pepper Sauce. Served alongside a simple arugula salad dressed in a pear gorgonzola vinaigrette, and voilà!

Stephanie