Ziti with Poblanos and Chipotle Sauce
This chile pepper is often mislabeled ‘Pasilla’, which is a different pepper entirely.It is one of the most popular chiles in Mexico and has won the appreciation of many a chef worldwide because of the superior flavor it has over regular bell peppers.
They have a tough outer skin that usually requires roasting and peeling before use. These very large chile peppers are most popular in chiles rellenos recipes, but cooking with these as a substitute for bell peppers in any recipe will enhance the flavor.
Ingredients:
1 large onion, thinly sliced (2 1/4 cups)
1/2 lb fresh poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped bottled roasted red peppers
1 lb ziti or penne
1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotles in adobo
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup chopped scallions (about 1 bunch)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Garnish: raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted
Instructions:
Cook onion, poblanos, and 1/2 tsp salt in oil in a heavy medium pot over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add red peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook ziti in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 Tbsp salt for 6 qt water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain ziti.
While ziti cooks, purée chipotles with sour cream in a blender.
Add purée to onion mixture with scallions, cilantro, 1/4 cup cooking water, and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a simmer, stirring. Add ziti and toss, moistening with additional cooking water if desired. Season with salt.
Serve with: green salad
Serves 6 to 8.
Recipe by Lillian Chou via gourmet.com