I can not believe Christmas is here! O M G. This is the first year I'll be hosting in my home, so I am extra excited. As you can imagine, I've been scrambling trying to come up with an incredible Christmas menu for my family. My mom's green spaghetti has become a staple at all of our family gatherings, and I thought it would be perfect to make for my family, and share with all of you. It's super easy to make (takes about 30 minutes) and sure to be the hit at any Christmas Pot Luck. My mom told me not to use more than two poblano peppers, but I went ahead and used three (because I love spicy food so much) and it came out perfect. My sister and I finished half a pound of this pasta..ok, ok, ALMOST finished. I also sprinkled it with a bit of parmigiano cheese and a queso istmeño my dad brought from Oaxaca, but feel free to use cotija cheese as well, it pairs super nicely.
Also, one side note.. I did have a hard time finding Poblano peppers at my local grocer, but Northgate Gonzales market came through and saved the day!
I hope all of you enjoy not just the spaghetti but this incredible time of year with your loved ones. Be safe, eat a lot and enjoy the blessings of this holiday season!
-B
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS:
2-3 Poblano peppers, roasted and peeled
1/4 white onion
2 garlic cloves
5 parsley springs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup Mexican cream
1 tablespoon salted butter
500gr Bucatini Pasta
2 bay leaves
kosher salt and ground pepper
PREPARATION:
To prepare the peppers- place peppers directly onto the flame, turning constantly until charred on all sides, about 5-7 minutes.
Put peppers in a medium bowl and cover for a few minutes to steam, this will make peeling the skin off easy. Uncover until cool to handle, remove most of the skin. Reserve
In a blender, puree the peppers, onion, garlic, parsley, milk and cream and blend until finely pureed. About a minutes.
In a medium pan, heat the butter until bubbly, but not browned. Add the pureed sauce to the pan and allow to simmer. About 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta. Make sure your water is boiling hot and extra salty before adding your pasta (pasta water should be salty as the sea) add two bay leaves and allow your pasta to cook for one minute less than it calls for on the package.
Drain the pasta and add to the pot with the poblano sauce. Discard the bay leaves. Stir or toss the pasta to coat with the sauce. Turn off the heat and give a big sprinkle of cheese and a drizzle of high quality olive oil. Toss or stir vigorously. Top with grated cotija or Parmigiano.