Citrus Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower with Queso Cotija Dressing

As soon as I saw Mexican chef Pati Jinich prepare this dish on her PBS show, I had to make it. 🙂 I bought beautiful purple cauliflower and purple broccoli at the farm stand to make it extra special. We ate it with Mexican-Style Chipotle-Lime Pork Cutlets.

The salty, cheesy sauce was absolutely incredible. I loved how the vegetables were sliced into steaks instead of florets as well. I trimmed the tough outer portion of each stem but would remove even more next time to make that portion more tender.

This recipe was adapted from Pati’s Mexican Table and patijinich.com, via kcet.org. It was on an episode featuring dishes inspired by Isla Mujeres. I substituted creme fraiche for the Mexican crema. I also modified the method and proportions. Amazing!

Yield: Serves 6

For the Vegetables:

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (I used 2 limes)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (I used 1 large naval orange)
• 3 chopped chiles de arbol or 1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing/drizzling
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds broccoli, cut into 1/4″ vertical slices, including thick part of stem (I used 2 large heads)
• 2 pounds cauliflower, cut into 1/4″ vertical slices, including thick part of stem (I used 1 large head)

For the Queso Cojita Dressing:

• 1/2 cup crumbled queso cotija
• 2/3 cup Mexican crema or creme fraîche
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used Canola oil)
• 2 tsp sherry vinegar
• 2 T water
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

To Prepare the Vegetables:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. ( I set my oven to convection roast.)
2. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a glass measuring cup with a spout, mix the lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, red pepper flakes (or chile de arbol), 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
4. Place the cauliflower and broccoli steaks on the prepared baking sheets in a single layer, making sure that they are not crowded.
5. Evenly pour the orange juice mixture all over the vegetables.
6. Place in the oven and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until well roasted and considerably charred. Remove from the oven and set aside.

To Make the Dressing & To Serve:

1. While the vegetables are roasting, combine the queso cotija, Mexican crema (or creme fraîche), vegetable oil, sherry vinegar, water, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the jar of a blender or mixer. Puree until smooth. (I used a Vitamix.)
2. Serve the broccoli and cauliflower on a large platter and ladle the queso cotija right on top, or let your guests spoon sauce onto their plates and dip their vegetables in the sauce to their liking. (I served the sauce in a bowl on the side.)

Chile Chicken Nachos

One of my friends has been trying to convince me to make nachos for dinner for quite some time. My kids (who were well aware of this suggestion) were so deprived, they have ordered nachos on several occasions as an entrée when we’ve indulged at a Mexican restaurant. 😉

When I saw this recipe for “party nachos,” I thought that I could (and should) serve them for dinner! Crazy? Nope. My kids were thrilled. After all, nachos are a sheet-pan dinner. This version uses rotisserie chicken meat as a shortcut too.

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Rick Martinez. I scaled down the proportions. However, I did prepare the full recipe for the rotisserie chicken and sauce, keeping half to use for tacos, etc., on another occasion.

The bottom layer was reminiscent of a enchilada pie, or taco or enchilada skillet meal- other weeknight favorites over here. The rotisserie chicken meat is coated with a fabulous, full-flavored sauce. This sauce brings these nachos to the next level. I loved all of the toppings too. Very cheesy.

When not being served for dinner, these nachos would also be a great appetizer or snack, of course.

Yield: Serves about 6

• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 large red onion, chopped, divided
• 1 T achiote paste or tomato paste
• 8 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded (I substituted 2 ancho chilies plus 4 guajillo chiles)
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped (or 1 T adobo sauce to keep things mild)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Kosher salt
• 1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled from bones and shredded
• 1 10-oz bag frozen corn, thawed, drained
• 1/2 poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, chopped
• 4 oz crumbled feta cheese (about 1/2 cup) or finely grated Cotija cheese (about 1 cup)
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 8 to 10-oz tortilla chips
• 1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• thinly sliced radishes, cilantro leaves, avocado cubes, and pickled jalapeños, for serving, as desired
• sour cream, for serving, as desired

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high until shimmering.
2. Cook garlic and half of onion, stirring occasionally, until tender and beginning to brown, 6–8 minutes.
3. Stir in achiote paste/tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until brick red, about 1 minute.
4. Add dried chiles, chipotle chile, stock, cumin, and 2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit until chiles are very soft, about 30 minutes.
5. Place a rack in the center of oven; preheat to 350°, preferably on convection.
6. Transfer chile mixture to a blender and purée until smooth.
7. Return to saucepan, stir in chicken, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat; season with salt. Remove from heat; set chicken aside until ready to assemble. (Reserve half of this saucy chicken for another use; only half is needed for the nachos.)
8. Meanwhile, toss corn, chopped poblano chile, half of the feta/Cotija cheese, and remaining onion in a medium bowl until combined; season with salt.
9. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.
10. Arrange half of the chips in an even layer on the bottom of the baking sheet.
11. Top with half of the reserved chicken mixture, half of the corn mixture, and half of the cheddar.
12. Repeat layers with remaining chips, chicken mixture, corn mixture, and cheddar.
13. Bake nachos, rotating pan halfway through, until cheese is melted and edges of chips are beginning to brown, 8–10 minutes.
14. Serve topped with radishes, cilantro, avocado, pickled jalapeños, remaining feta/Cotija cheese, sour cream, and other desired toppings alongside.

Do Ahead: Nachos can be assembled 1 hour before baking. Cover with plastic and store at room temperature.

Sweet Summer Corn- Two Ways

I typically enjoy our amazing Long Island summer corn simply on the cob after boiling it for two minutes in salted water. No butter, no extra salt. It’s perfect. 🙂 But, I must admit that both of these dishes brought sweet corn to another level and were absolute crowd-pleasers.

The first dish, pictured above, is Ina Garten’s Chipotle Parmesan Sweet Corn. It was buttery and indulgent. We ate it as a side with grilled chicken. The second dish, photo below, is Mexican-Style Corn with Citrus Cream. I served it on a separate occasion as an appetizer with tortilla chips.

The Chipotle Parmesan Sweet Corn Recipe is from Ina Garten’s Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks via barefoot contessa.com. The Mexican-Style Corn with Citrus Cream recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food. The street corn had more of a spicy kick compared to the buttery chipotle corn.

Ina Garten’s Chipotle Parmesan Sweet Corn

Yield: Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup shallots, halved lengthwise, peeled, and thinly sliced crosswise (3 large shallots)
• 8 cups white or yellow corn kernels (8 to 12 ears) (I used 9)
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• freshly squeezed lime juice from 1 lime (about 2 T)
• 1 T freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1. Standing the cob upright inside the center of a medium to large shallow bowl, cut the corn kernels off of the cobs. (This prevents the kernels from scattering all over the counter.)
2. Heat the butter in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the shallots and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender and fragrant.
3. Add the corn, chipotle powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
4. Raise the heat to medium high and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the corn to brown lightly, until the corn is tender but still firm.
5. Off the heat, stir in the lime juice and Parmesan.
6. Taste for seasonings and transfer to a large shallow serving bowl. Serve hot.

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Martha Stewart’s Mexican-Style Corn with Citrus Cream

Yield: Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

• 8 ears corn, husked and silks removed
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 T fresh lime juice
• pinch or two cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro, or more, to taste
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled cotija or goat cheese
• tortilla chips, for serving

1. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high. Clean and lightly oil the hot grill.
2. Grill the husked corn cobs, turning occasionally, until kernels are tender and charred in spots, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine sour cream, lime juice, cayenne, chili powder, and cilantro in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Cut off the tips of the grilled corn cobs and stand in a wide, shallow bowl. Using a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cobs.
5. Combine the corn kernels with the sour cream mixture.
6. To serve, top with the crumbled goat cheese. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping, as desired.

Note: This dish can be served warm or at room temperature

Mushroom Tacos with Avocado-Tomatillo Sauce

More tacos to share! I served these full-flavored vegetarian tacos for our Cinco de Mayo celebration this year- with margaritas, chips, and guacamole, of course.

The recipe was adapted from The Essential Mexican Instant Pot Cookbook: Authentic Flavors and Modern Recipes for your Electric Pressure Cooker by Deborah Schneider. I used a stove top pressure cooker instead of an instant pot, but this filling could be prepared just as easily without using a pressure cooker at all. The creamy avocado sauce was amazing!

The original recipe is for “quesotacos” which the author describes as black-belt street cooking, made by browning a layer of cheese right on a griddle, scooping it up with a tortilla, and using that to wrap the filling. I opted to serve the filling over the shredded cheese in a traditional taco form. This wonderful filling is also used in enchiladas in this book. Yum!

Yield: Serves 4 to 6, with about 1 cup of Avocado-Tomatillo sauce

For the Avocado-Tomatillo Sauce:

• 1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and peeled
• 2 tomatillos, husked and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup diced white onion
• 1/2 serrano chile, stemmed (and seeded, if desired)
• 1 T water
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• leaves from 2 sprigs cilantro, chopped (about 1 T)

For the Mushroom Tacos:

• 3 T olive oil
• 1 large white onion, cut into 1-inch dice (2 cups) (I reserved 1/4 cup of the onion for the sauce)
• 9 garlic cloves, minced (3 T)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 large portobello mushrooms, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 to 10 oz cremini mushroom, sliced or cut into quarters
• 8 to 10 oz white button mushrooms, sliced or cut into quarters
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves or shredded fresh epazote
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 poblano chiles, roasted, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 12 corn or corn-wheat tortillas
• 1 1/4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese or grated Cojita cheese
• Avocado-Tomatillo sauce, for serving
• chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

To Make the Sauce:

1. In a food processor, combine the avocado, tomatillos, onion, Serrano Chile, water, and salt.
2. Pulse until fairly smooth, about 10 pulses, scraping down the bowl as needed.
3. Add the cilantro and pulse a couple of times to combine.
4. Transfer to a bowl, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed.

Note: The Sauce will keep well for 24 hours, covered and refrigerated.

To Make the Filling:

1. Place poblano chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet.
2. Broil the poblano chiles in the oven, rotating every 5 to 7 minutes, until charred and blistered on all sides. (I set my oven to Broil Max at 450F.)
3. Wrap the chiles in the foil lining, to loosen the charred skin with steam.
4. When cool enough to handle, peel, seed and dice the roasted chiles.
5. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, instant pot, or dutch oven.
6. Sauté the onions, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until golden brown.
7. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
8. Add the water, salt, portobello mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, and white mushrooms, then stir in the cilantro/epazote.
9. If using a pressure cooker or instant pot, secure the lip and cook on high for 1 minute. (Alternatively, cook the mixture in a Dutch oven until mushrooms have released a significant amount of moisture and are lightly browned.)
10. Use the quick pressure release. (I rotate the valve into a perpendicular position on the top of my pressure cooker.)
11. Set a colander in a bowl. Pour the mushroom mixture into the colander, reserving the liquid in the bowl.
12. Set the colander aside and return the liquid to the pot.
13. Bring the liquid to a boil, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until syrupy and very thick.
14. Return the mushroom mixture to the pot and stir in the black pepper, pepper flakes, and roasted and diced poblano chiles.
15. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, until heated through.
16. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, as desired.
17. Serve the mushroom filling in warm tortillas over shredded Monterey Jack and crumbled feta. Top with sauce, minced cilantro, and extra cheese, as desired.

For “Quesotacos”:  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly oil, place a tortilla in the pan and toast for about 3 minutes, until golden brown. Turn the tortilla and top with 2 T of Jack cheese and 1 T of feta/Cojita. Continue toasting until cheese is melted, about 3 minutes more. Top with mushroom mixture, sauce, sprinkle of cheese, and pinch of cilantro. Serve immediately.

For a Grilled Corn & Mushroom Variation: Add kernels from 2 ears of grilled corn to the pot after adding the roasted poblano chiles.