manzana chile verde!

oh man, i have been a bad blogger lately - no posts that involve actual cooking on my part in the last few weeks. i deserve to be shamed in front of the whole blogging community: bad blogger, bad.

ok, that's over. i actually have four posts saved up, which i will thoughtfully and cleverly dispense, now.

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today's entry is manzana chile verde, which is from the ever-popular (in my kitchen) veganomicon. i wanted to try a chili that was a total departure from anything i'd ever done before, and this one fit the bill in every way: 1) its green 2) it contains apples and 3) my first time cooking with tomatillos.

this recipe falls under the ever-present category of "i followed this exactly from a popular, copywrited cookbook, and so i don't feel totally comfortable re-posting it," but someone else didn't have the same quandries, and posted either the recipe, or something very close to it.

instead, i offer you pictures:

chili verde is a mixture of mostly green with bits of white. one must begin by parboiling little bits of potato and setting them aside.

then, there is prepping of many green things: poblano peppers...

a few jalapenos...

and, my first introduction to tomatillos. hello, tomatillo.

let's see what you look like on the inside: little. green. different.

and here we have some saute action of various green and white items. first comes onions and peppers:

and then comes the spices, white wine, and tomatillos.

next up we have the secret ingredient, which, as veganomicon points out, is not a secret if you can read spanish:

who knew? you add the apples to the mix, along with crazy things like veggie broth, scallions and cilantro and simmer.

next up was a tricky step - pureeing this stuff in the blender. i keep telling myself that i need an immersion blender and...i think i am right.

afterwards, add the potatoes, some white beans and lime juice.

and put it in a shallow bowl and add fun garnishes: cilantro, scallions, and most importantly, avocado. i am not ashamed to admit that i was quite proud of my presentation. this dish is totally worthy of TOP CHEF'S color challenge from top chef masters. and, as a side note, i am sad that philly jen is gone from last week, but i am pleased that i like all three of the finalists. i think i am voting for either nice brother voltaggio or gimli kevin, simply because other brother is sometimes mean, and he clearly has a good career already going.

but i digress. this was a really interesting chili. i'll have to make it again to get used to the flavors and texture; it was definitely good, but i'm used to something so different that i shocked my system. i have a feeling that the second time i make it i'll think its the best thing ever.

and this is where the post should end, but instead, children, we are going to have a little talk about how one shouldn't cook with hot peppers. one shouldn't, for example, brush one's hands up against the jalapenos in a constant manner when chopping. this is because the oils and seeds from the HOT peppers get into one's hands, and that means bad news bears for you later on.

how bad, you ask?

let's just say that i rejoiced that i had dairy milk in the fridge. because i poured a cup, and stuck my right hand in it for half an hour. my hand. in a cup of milk. i learned all about the neutralizing effects of milk from watching an episode of alton brown, and, while i'd never actually used it on anything but my throat, i can verify it does work on hands as well. i thought about taking a picture, but then i didn't, because that would have been humiliating. the end.