Chicken Chili Verde

I am not the biggest fan of chili, I really only like it on top of fries with cheese and even so, thats pushing it. I do really like 'white' chilis though, that have chicken or turkey and fresh herbs.

I was awfully sick a few weeks ago and for a few days had never ending chills, so I made this chili in hopes of warming myself up. It also so happened the week before I had bought peppers, tomatillos, and other various Mexican ingredients to make a dish that I never ended up making. So it worked out.

The chili was delicious. I'm not a fan of extremely spicy food and the poblano peppers do not add a fiery element, but instead a nice roasted chili taste. You can add jalapenos or serranos to this if you want a spicier dish.

40 Clove Garlic Chicken with Pommes Puree

I first heard about this dish at the Stinking Rose restaurant in LA. I didn't order it there, but I saw it on the menu and I remember thinking "wow, thats a lot of garlic". Then again, they do also serve garlic ice cream.

I found some version of the recipe a few years ago actually and attempted to make it. This was before I completely knew what I was doing. During attempt #1,  I understood the concept of braising but didn't brown the meat enough and I wasn't sure what to do with this whole pot of cooking liquid after I removed the chicken. But now, it became a beautiful reduction sauce with lots of fragrant garlic.

40 cloves!

The elements in this dish happen to be some of my favorite ingredients. They are like the holy trinity of deliciousness: garlic, rosemary, and chicken (& a splash of white wine). All pureed together after reduced enough, makes a velvety smooth and rich sauce.  I made pommes puree [mashed potatoes] as a side dish because chicken + potatoes are one of the best combinations.

I also attempted to practice my plating skills with this one, which I normally don't do. Plating never seemed so important to me until I took my last culinary class & there are just so many creative ways to make food look even better.