Tuesday's Dinner - 07/21/2009

[labradors]

No "What was for dinner tonight" thread for today, yet, so here goes.

Finally made a recipe I had saved a while back, and it was a scrumptious blend of flavours. Here it is:

Rollitos de Pollo en Salsa de Guajillo (Chicken Rolls in Guajillo Pepper Sauce)
Servings: 6
Source: AllRecipes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Onion
  
• 1 Clove Garlic
  
• 2 Teaspoons Vegetable oil
  
• 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
  
• 1 (16 ounce) Can Sliced mushrooms, drained
  
• 2 Teaspoons Minced fresh cilantro
  
• 6 (5 ounce) Skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded 1/3 inch thick
  
• 8 Ounces Thinly sliced ham
  
• 2 Teaspoons Vegetable oil
  
• 2 Cups Water
  
• 5 Guajillo chile peppers, stemmed and seeded
  
• 1 Pound Tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  
• 2 Teaspoons Vegetable oil
  
• 1/2 Cup Orange juice
  
• 1/2 Teaspoon Dried oregano
  
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the onion quarter, and garlic clove on a small pan, and place in the oven to roast as oven comes to temperature. Remove once golden.
   
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in minced garlic, and cook for about a minute until golden brown and fragrant. Pour in mushrooms, and cook for a minute or two until the garlic flavor has infused the mushrooms, and they are no longer soggy. Stir in the cilantro, then remove from heat.
   
3. Prepare the rolls by laying each chicken breast onto your work surface. Spoon some of the mushroom filling onto the center of the chicken breast, then cover with the ham. Roll into a firm cylinder, and secure with toothpicks.
   
4. Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken rolls; sear until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Place into the preheated oven, and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), 15 to 20 minutes.
   
5. While the chicken is baking, bring the water to a boil, and blanch the guajillo chiles until softened, about 30 seconds. Place chiles into a blender, along with the tomatoes, roasted onion, and roasted garlic; puree until smooth, using water as needed to make a smooth sauce.
   
6. Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Pour in the pureed sauce, and bring to a boil. Pour in the orange juice, season with oregano, and salt to taste. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 5 minutes.
   
7. To serve, remove the toothpicks from the chicken rolls, and slice each into 3 or 4 slices. Arrange onto dinner plates, and bathe with sauce.

[esgunn]

That sounds really good Labs. What pepper do you think the Guajillo pepper is closest to - the everyday/available in America peppers that is.

We had chicken enchiladas that I had frozen a while back.

[HomeCulinarian]

I made a TNT shark steak recipe with a new browned and braised cauliflower recipe from The Best Recipe cookbook along with some sticky rice. Never tried cauliflower this way and it was really good.

[Gourmet_Mom]

Shark steak? REALLLY?!?!?!? That sounds really interesting. We always threw them back...mean little jokers to have on a boat....not as bad as a barracuda, though. (Can we say...watch me climb the tuna tower in 5 seconds flat?!?!?!)

Anyway, I had a picture taking/boat riding day! So I put a Boston Butt I thawed yesterday on the grill with some of Jean's KC BBQ rub. That didn't require much tending, so I was able to work on my slide show AND work out some of the kinks to get the boat ready for the weekend. I served it with corn on the cob from the garden and cabbage steamed in the juices from when the roast "rested". YUM!

[labradors]

Quote:

---

That sounds really good Labs. What pepper do you think the Guajillo pepper is closest to - the everyday/available in America peppers that is.

---

Guajillos are particular, dried peppers - usually not too hard to find in the States. They are the basis for the most traditional tamale sauces. They are mild, and have a unique flavour that other dried peppers don't match. They also have much tougher skins, so they are almost always boiled (or soaked in boiling water) longer and then puréed into whatever sauce you're making.

One thing that this recipe does NOT mention, but is standard practise with guajillos is to toast them in a dry frying pan (or on a comal ) until they become aromatic, THEN boil them. Even though the recipe didn't mention it, I did it automatically.

If you absolutely cannot find guajillos, you could get away with using ancho chiles (dried poblanos), but anchos do have a different flavour, AND are hotter (not very hot, but hotter than the relatively mild guajillos). The recipe would still taste good, though.

Here is some more good information about guajillos.

[Mare749]

Thanks for the pepper info, Rob. That chili shouldn't be too hard to find here. The recipe sounds really tasty, too.

We're on a pizza kick this week, so I'm trying a few different doughs, methods and toppings. My daughter is still in the process of moving (it's endless!) so I have plenty of hungry family members around.

[cjs]

I had burger thawed out, so had a burgers and grilled Yakima corn. so good.

[Harborwitch]

That recipe sounds divine! I'm trying not to heat up the kitchen too much this week. It will be saved and made as soon as we get some cooler weather.