Chilaquiles

This is another recipe from The Sriracha Cookbook by Randy Clemens.  In case you can’t tell, we really love sriracha in this house, so I’m sure we’ll be making our way through the cook book pretty rapidly.  Chilaquiles are a Mexican peasant breakfast dish designed to use leftover, slightly stale tortillas.  I absolutely loved the flavors of this dish, especially the creamy queso fresco as a foil to the spicy tomato sauce.  The “breakfast-y” flavors of the leftover coffee and orange brined chicken in milk really worked well.  In the future, I would love to try this with some homemade fried tortillas, but in a pinch during finals, the pre-made corn tortilla chips were absolutely delicious.  I would also love to try this with chipotles in adobo or some thinly sliced jalapeños, although it was absolutely delicious as-is!

Chilaquiles

Adapted from The Sriracha Cookbook by Randy Clemens

1 28 oz. can whole San Marzano tomatoes

3 tbs. sriracha

3 tsp. canola oil, divided

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 lb. corn tortilla chips

1 cup leftover coffee and orange brined chicken in milk, shredded and heated through in a microwave or small pan

1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, divided

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

2 eggs

In a food processor or blender, purée tomatoes and their liquid with sriracha until smooth.

In a 10″ cast iron skillet, heat 2 tsp. canola oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions, and sauté until lightly caramelized, 8-10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.  Add tomato/sriracha mixture and bring to a gentle boil.  Lower heat and add most of cilantro, reserving few tbs. for garnish.  Simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, 10-12 minutes.

Add tortilla chips and stir to coat with sauce.  Be careful – you don’t want to break them.  Heat for 1-2 minutes and allow chips to absorb the sauce.  Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.

In another pan, heat remaining tsp. canola oil.  Fry two eggs until over easy.

Serve in small bowls topped with chicken, cheese, cilantro and a fried runny egg.

Ginger and Spice Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This soup was smoky, spicy, salty and sweet – basically, everything I could ask for in a soup.  I had a bit of a minor disaster when I walked away from the simmering shallots, garlic and carrots for (no joke) five minutes with the heat turned a tad too high and came back to a charred mess of vegetables.  I was on my way out the door in a few minutes and really had to scramble to get the vegetables back to their perfect caramelized, tender state but in the end it was well worth it.  The hint of ginger, the smoky flavors of the roasted butternut squash, the spice of the Sriracha, and the salt of the soy really set this butternut squash soup apart from previous versions I’ve made or tasted.

Ginger and Spice Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 2

1/2 roasted squash (refer to the “Butternut Squash Puree” section and use the leftover half), removed from skin and cut into chunks

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

3 tbs. Brummel and Brown

1 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger, divided

1 tsp. beef fat from homemade beef stock

2 1/4 cups homemade beef stock, divided

2 tsp. soy sauce

2 tbs. plain Greek yogurt, plus more for garnish

1/2 tsp. Sriracha sauce, plus more for garnish

Large pinch of kosher salt, or to taste

In sauce pan, sauté shallots, garlic, and carrot in Brummel and Brown and beef fat until lightly caramelized, roughly 10-15 minutes.  Add 1 tsp. powdered ginger and sauté 1-2 minutes until fragrant.  Add 1 1/2 cups beef stock and simmer covered 15 minutes until carrots are fork tender.

Transfer shallots, garlic, carrot and beef stock to food processor (or use immersion blender) and puree until smooth.  Slowly add chunks of butternut squash and pulse 10-15 times.  Once ingredients are incorporated, run processor until texture is smooth.  Transfer back to saucepan.

Add 3/4 cup beef stock (or however much until the soup is your desired consistency), soy, 1/2 tsp. ginger, plain Greek yogurt, Sriracha sauce, and large pinch of kosher salt and stir to combine.  Heat, covered, 15 minutes or until hot.  Serve in bowls garnished with a few drops of Sriracha and a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt.