Sunday, June 3, 2012

Fettucine with Poblano Chile Sauce

This is a new recipe I tried out today. I was going to make Enchiladas, but I forgot to get tortillas. Some other time.

I based this on an older recipe I've yet to post. It's a very versatile base, which serves well for creamy, yet low-fat pasta sauces. It's a bit odd, in that it uses cottage cheese.



Ingredients:

250 gr. fettuccine cooked to taste
5 Green tomatoes without husks
200 gr. of Pobalno chile rajas ("rajas" are thin strips of chile, usually Poblano, sauteed with a little oil; I buy mine frozen at any local supermarket), these are to be divided in half.
2 Cloves of garlic
1 Chicken bullion cube, low-fat and low-sodium
4 Cilantro branches, stems and all (you can remove the leaves from the stems; I find the stems as good as the leaves)
2 Scoops or about 220 gr. cottage cheese, either regular or low-fat.
1/3 Teaspoon powdered cumin
2 Tablespoons oregano.

1/2 Onion cut into thin slices and separated into rings
1 Teaspoon olive oil
2 Teaspoons corn starch, dissolved in 1/3 cup of water.

Place the green tomatoes whole in boiling water until they begin to change color. Get them out and place them in a bowl with ice water for a few minutes. When getting tomatoes, or anything else, in and out of a pot of boiling water, remember to be cautious. I use a slotted spoon.

Quarter the tomatoes and remove the core (not the seeds), then toss them in the blender with a trickle of water. Liquefy the tomatoes. With the blender off, add 1 clove of garlic, half the Chile Poblano in rajas, all the cottage cheese, cilantro and chicken bullion cube. Liquefy everything thoroughly.

In a deep saucepan, heat the olive oil. Once it's heated, add the onion and 1 minced clove of garlic. Saute until the onions begin to turn flexible. Add the rest of the Chile Poblano and cook for one more minute; you just want to soften them a little. Remove from the heat and let the pan cool for a few minutes.

When the saucepan cools, put it on the stove on low heat and add the sauce from the blender. Bring to a boil while stirring on occasion. When you begin to see bubbles forming, add the cumin and oregano and stir well (BTW I like to crush the dry oregano leaves before adding them to the mix). When the sauce begins to boil, or when larger bubbles form, add the corn starch dissolved in water. This last is a thickening agent only. If you think the sauce is thick enough, you may not want to add it. Keep on the flame for one or two more minutes, then pour the sauce over the pasta.

Please note that Poblano chiles are considered to be very mild, but some varieties can be quite hot. If you prepare the rajas yourself, think about removing the veins and seeds first. And try them before cooking, too, whether you make them or get them frozen, so you can decide how hot the dish will be.

As I said near the beginning, I like mixing cottage cheese and corn starch with liquefied vegetables in order to make creamy, low-fat sauces. In the future I'll post similar recipes, like Green Bell Pepper Pasta Sauce, and Elbow Macaroni with Chipotle Sauce.

As always, comments are welcome.

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