Roasted Jalapeño Pesto Recipes

JALAPENO PESTO

Steps:

• Pulse walnuts and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and jalapeno pepper; process until combined. Stream olive oil into basil mixture while food processor is still running until consistency is smooth. Season with salt and black pepper.

CILANTRO JALAPENO PESTO WITH LIME

Steps:

• Combine the cilantro, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, lime juice, jalapeno pepper, and Parmesan cheese in a blender; pulse until the mixture reaches a soft, paste-like consistency.

CLASSIC SPANISH TORTILLA WITH ROASTED JALAPENO PESTO

Steps:

• For the Roasted Jalapeño Pesto: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, toss the jalapenos with a few teaspoons of canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet in an even layer and roast until golden brown and charred, turning once, about 18 minutes. Return the jalapenos to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam for 15 minutes. Peel and seed the jalapenos (discard the skin and seeds) and transfer to a food processor.
• Add the parsley, pine nuts, and garlic to the food processor and pulse to coarsely chop. With the motor running, add the olive oil through the feed tube and process until smooth. Scrape into a bowl, fold in the cheese, and season with salt and pepper. The pesto can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 2 days.
• For the Classic Spanish Tortilla: Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a 10-inch nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron pan over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Add half the potatoes and one-third of the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat if needed, so that they do not brown, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 8 minutes. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a colander set over a bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 cup oil to the pan and heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the remaining potatoes and one-third more of the thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook as you did the first batch. Transfer the second batch of potatoes to the colander with the first and set aside.
• Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pan into a heatproof measuring cup and set aside. Heat the oil remaining in the pan over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining thyme and season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Whisk together the eggs in a large bowl until lightly frothy and evenly colored, about 2 minutes. Fold the potatoes and onions into the eggs until evenly combined. In the pan you used to cook the potatoes, heat 2 tablespoons of the reserved oil over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the egg mixture to the pan, making sure the potatoes and onions are evenly distributed. As soon as the edges firm up, after a minute or so, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the bottom is set and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and broil until the top is puffed and lightly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the strength of your broiler.
• Rub a spatula around the outside of the pan and along the bottom and slide the tortilla out onto a cutting board. Cut the tortilla into wedges and transfer to a plate. Let cool slightly.
• To serve: Drizzle the tortilla with pesto and serve warm (not hot) or at room temperature. Do not refrigerate.

ROASTED JALAPEñO PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Toss the jalapeños in a few tablespoons of canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in an even layer on a baking sheet until soft and the skin is blistered, about 15 minutes. Remove the jalapeños to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 15 minutes. Remove the stems and seeds; do not remove the blistered skin for this particular recipe.
• Combine the jalapeños, cilantro, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the oil through the feed tube and process until smooth. Add the cheese, season with salt and pepper, and pulse a few times just to combine. If the mixture is too thick, add a few more teaspoons of oil and pulse. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the vinegar. The pesto will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for up to 24 hours. Serve at room temperature.

ROASTED JALAPENO PIMENTO CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Put the jalapenos on a sheet pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast in until the skins look like they are blistered, about 15 to 20 minutes. Put the jalapenos in a mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let them cool. When the jalapenos are cool, remove the skin and seeds. Put them into a food processor and puree until smooth. Add the cream cheese, honey, hot sauce and spinach and puree until incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and add the cheese. Stir in the mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

JALAPENO PESTO-STUFFED PORK ROAST

Steps:

• First you will need to roll-cut the pork roast to open it up for stuffing. You can either have your butcher do it or you can do it at home. To roll cut the roast, remove any strings around the pork roast and then lay the roast on a cutting board, with a shorter side facing you. With a sharp knife make an incision along the length of the meat parallel to the cutting board, one-third of the way up the height of the meat, as if you were using the knife to open a book. Cut into the meat, gently pulling it back as you cut, making sure not to cut all the way through. Once done, spread the cut meat until it looks like an open book, with the side on the left thicker than the other.
• With the meat now open, place the knife at the top of the center crease or "spine" and cut along the length of the meat parallel to the cutting board, like you did for the first cut, this time halfway up the height of the crease, again pulling back as you cut. At this point, as the meat opens it will be more like unrolling a roll of paper towels. Continue to cut in and unroll until you've reached the end and the meat is flat. Cover the flattened meat with plastic wrap and then gently pound with the flat side of a meat mallet until the meat is 1/2 inch thick, if it's not already. If it's not a perfect rectangle, that's okay.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
• To make the jalapeno pesto, combine the jalapenos, cilantro, garlic, pecans cumin, 2 tablespoons of the Cotija cheese, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the lemon juice in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as you blend, if necessary. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
• Spread the jalapeno pesto in the center of the flattened pork loin, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges, and then sprinkle on top of the pesto the remaining 2 tablespoons cheese. Starting from the short end, roll the pork roast and then secure with kitchen string at one-inch intervals. Rub the outside of the rolled roast with the remaining 1 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper (and if any pesto oozed out of the roast as you rolled, you can rub it over the outside, too).
• Roast, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 145 degrees F. Allow the roast to rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving (there will be carry-over cooking).

ROASTED-JALAPENO PIMIENTO CHEESE TOASTS

Steps:

• Roast bell pepper and jalapeno over a gas flame, turning often, until skin is blistered and charred all over, 5-10 minutes. (Alternatively, broil on a rimmed baking sheet.) Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let steam 10 minutes.
• Peel and seed peppers, then finely chop. Mix mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, and paprika in a medium bowl. Fold in cheddar and chopped peppers; season with salt and black pepper. Spread on ciabatta and slice crosswise into pieces. Serve with pickles.
• Do Ahead
• Pimiento cheese can be made 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.