I’d been looking forward to making this soup for a while but was waiting for an opportunity to have it as a starter. That plan came to fruition tonight. We enjoyed this soup, based on a recipe in Healthy Latin Cooking, as a first course before moving on to our Tuna Machaca.

Lisa says:

Whoa, is this as healthy as it seems? It’s really good, and thicker than it looks.

Chris says:

Yep, it’s really healthy — basically just an entire bunch of cilantro, some peppers and onions, and chicken broth.

Lisa says:

Looks hard to photograph.

Chris says:

Harder than making it, that’s for sure.

Cilantro Soup
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1 large poblano pepper
2 bunches fresh cilantro, stemmed
1 medium onion, coarsley chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper
tortilla strips
sour cream
queso fresco

Preheat a broiler to high. Place the chile pepper directly under the broiler. Roast, turning once, for 6 to 8 minutes or until charred and blackened on all sides. Transfer to a paper bag. When cool enough to handle, scrape off as much of the skin as possible. Split the pepper and remove and discard the seeds.
In a food processor, combine the chile pepper, cilantro, onion, and garlic; puree until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan. Pour in the chicken broth and simmer over medium-high heat for 5 to 8 minutes. The soup should be highly seasoned; sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Spoon low-fat sour cream into the center of each bowl. Sprinkle with tortilla strips and queso fresco.

2 Servings

We like to try out new recipes when we have friends over, and we were in the mood for fish, so we tried out this recipe from Healthy Latin Cooking. In spite of the late hour (or maybe because of it?) the dish got quite a few compliments. The sauce had many distinct flavors in it (from three types of roasted peppers, roasted tomatoes, pineapple, and plantains) and a deep dark red color that really contrasted the white of the swordfish. We served it with the green rice that we listed a few weeks ago. This was one of Lisa’s favorite dishes all year.

Swordfish with Roasted Fruit and Chile Sauce
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6 swordfish steaks (6 oz. ea.)
salt and pepper
2 tbsp lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 ancho chile peppers
3 guajillo chile peppers
3 cups warm chicken stock
2 tomatoes
2 jalapeño peppers
3 tbsp slivered almonds
3 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
1 stick cinnamon (3″ long)
1 ripe plantain, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped fresh or drained canned pineapple
1/2 cup chopped jicama
3 tbsp cilantro

Sprinkle the swordfish with salt and pepper. Place in a 13″ x 9″ glass baking dish. Sprinkle both sides with the lime juice and garlic. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, tear open the guajillo and ancho chiles. Remove and discard the seeds and stems. Roast the peppers on a dry nonstick skillet over dry heat for 10 seconds; do not burn. Place in a medium bowl. Add the stock or broth, place a small dish on the peppers to keep them covered, and soak for 15 minutes or until softened. Transfer the peppers and stock to a food processor.
Roast the tomatoes and jalapeños in the skillet for 5 minutes or until the skins blister. Scrape off the burnt skin and seed the tomatoes and peppers. Transfer to the food processor.
In the same dry skillet, over medium heat, roast the almonds and sesame seeds for 3 to 4 minutes, or until browned. Transfer to the food processor, and puree all ingredients until smooth, working in batches if necessary.
Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, plantains, pineapple, and the pureed sauce. Simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until thick and flavorful and the plantains are cooked. Season with more salt and pepper if desired. Remove the cinnamon stick.
Preheat a BBQ and grill the swordfish for 4 minutes per side or until firm and white and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Transfer to a platter and spoon the sauce over the top. Top with the jicama and cilantro.

6 servings.

Another delicious, low-fat recipe from Healthy Latin Cooking — in this one, the ground beef in traditional picadillo is replaced with ground turkey. I was a little skeptical with the inclusion of raisins, but it worked really well. Lisa’s not a huge fan of green olives, capers, OR raisins, but she was singing the praises of this dish all night. We placed the picadillo on plantain “surfboards”: plantains boiled, then rolled out flat and baked until crisp on the outside. The recipe specifies to do the plantains one at a time, but I was able to do 2 by temporarily using a third pan when flipping them over.

Plantain “Surfboards”
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4 green plantains, peeled
6 cups chicken stock or water
1 tbsp olive oil
salt

Preheat the oven to 400. Coat 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray.
In a large pot over high heat, combine the plantains and stock or water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the plantains for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain.
Place a plantain between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap. Gently flatten it by tapping with a rolling pin. Roll it out to form a large flat oval about 12″ long, 5″ wide, and 1/8″ thick. (If the ends break apart, push them together with your fingers.) Slide the plantain onto the back of a prepared baking sheet. Lift off the top sheet of plastic wrap. Lightly brush the plantain with some of the oil and season with salt. Place another baking sheet on top, bottom side up. Invert the plantain onto it. Peel off the other piece of plastic wrap, brush the plantain with oil, and season with salt.
Bake, turning once, for 20 minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned. (To flip, place a baking sheet on top, then invert the plantain onto it.) Transfer to a large serving plate. Repeat with the remaining plantains.

Makes 4

Turkey Picadillo
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1 1/2 lbs ground turkey breast
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tomato, seeded and finely chopped
8 pimiento-stuffed green olives, finely chopped
1/4 cup dark raisins
3 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp caper juice
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp tomato paste

In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, cumin, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp black pepper. Mix well with a spoon and let stand for 5 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Cook for 4 minutes, or until the onions are just beginning to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Crumble the turkey into the skillet. Cook, breaking up the turkey with a spoon, for 3 minutes or until it starts to turn white.
Stir in the olives, raisins, and capers. Cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the caper juice, wine, and tomato paste and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until the turkey is tender and no longer pink in the center and most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with more salt, pepper, and cumin, if desired.

4 Servings

Tonight we tag-teamed dinner, with Lisa making a cilantro-tomatillo rice while I took care of the chicken and salsa. The recipes were from two different sources, but went really, really well with each other. We loved the smoky tomato salsa, it was excellent with both the chicken and the rice. The grilled chicken recipe is from Healthy Latin Cooking, and the Green Rice is from Cooking Light. We cut both of the recipes in half to serve 2.

Also, hooray! Our 50th post!

Orange-Marinated Grilled Chicken with Smoky Tomato Salsa
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CHICKEN AND MARINADE
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each)
salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tbsp lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)

SALSA
2 large tomatoes
1 small onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic
2 canned chipotle peppers
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2-3 tbsp lime juice
salt and ground pepper

4 sprigs cilantro

Chicken and Marinade: Season each chicken breast with salt and pepper, and place in a 13″x9″ baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, and oil (if using). Whisk and pour over chicken. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 60 minutes.

Salsa: While the chicken is marinating, preheat the grill over high heat. Place the tomatoes, onions, and garlic on the grill and roast, turning occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the skins are charred and blistered. (Skewer the garlic to keep them from falling through the grate. Transfer to a plate to cool. When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, peel off most, but not all, of the burnt skin. (The few pieces of charred skin left will add a nice flavor.) In a food processor, combine the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chipotle peppers. Puree until smooth. Stir in the chopped cilantro and 2 tbsps of the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper, add more lime juice to taste. Let cool to room temperature.

Assemble and cook: Just before serving, preheat the grill to high heat. Grill the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side or until done. Spoon one-quarter of the salsa in a pool on each of 4 plates. Place a grilled chicken breast in the center of each and garnish with a cilantro sprig.

Green Rice
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6 large tomatillos (about 3/4 lb)
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
4 tsp minced seeded jalapeno peppers
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups uncooked long grain rice

Discard husks and stems from the tomatillos. Cook the tomatillos in boiling water in a medium saucepan for 4 minutes or until soft; drain. Combine the tomatillos and 2 teaspoons water in a blender and process until smooth. Pour the tomatillo mixture into a 4 cup glass measure, and add enough water to mixture to measure 2& 1/2 cups. Combine the tomatillo mixture, cilantro, jalapeno, salt and garlic in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add rice; cover mixture, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and fluff with fork.

Our main dish tonight was this grilled beef tenderloin, with chimichurri sauce and grilled sweet onions. Tender, highly flavorful, and surprisingly quick. Both the steak and chimichurri recipes are from Healthy Latin Cuisine.

Nicaraguan Grilled Beef Tenderloin
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1 lb beef tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat
salt and ground black pepper
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp sherry
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp red-wine vinegar
4 large sweet onions, cut crosswise into 1/2″-thick slices
1/2 cup chimichurri (recipe below)

Lay the beef on a cutting board with the long side facing you. Holding a sharp knife parallel to the board, cut the beef through the side lengthwise into 4 flat, even slices. Place each slice between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with the side of a cleaver to a thickness of 1/4″. Season each slice with salt and pepper and place in a 13″x9″ baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine the thinly sliced onions, parsley, garlic, sherry, bay leaves, and red-wine vinegar. Mix, and pour over the meat. Cover and marinate for 15 minutes, turning once.
Preheat the grill to high.
Coat the sweet onions with nonstick spray. Place on a grill tray and grill for 4 minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Turn carefully with a metal spatula. Transfer to a platter.
Drain the beef and discard the marinade. Grill the beef for 2 minutes per side for medium-rare, or slightly longer for medium. Arrange the beef on top of the onions, top with chimichurri.

4 servings

Chimichurri
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1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, minced
1 carrot, minced
1 small onion, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
4-8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3-5 tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red-pepper flakes
salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, starting with just 3 tbsp of the vinegar. Whisk to mix. The sauce should be highly seasoned; add more salt and vinegar, if desired. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

2 cups