Jalapeno-Peanut Pesto With Masa Gnocchi

One of my favorite hangouts is a pub called the Bleeding Deacon here in St. Louis. They have an awesome jukebox, good beer selection, comfy, friendly feel and good food. One of their appetizers is grilled chicken served with a jalapeno-peanut pesto. Yum! I thought that was a brilliant idea for a pesto, and decided to try making something similar at home.

But what to serve it with? I thought it would be fun to do a Mexican play on gnocchi, just as the pesto is a Mexican-influenced version of Italian pesto. Thanks to the Rick Bayless recipe I made last month, I knew just the thing. Masa Gnochhi! This time, however I added an egg to the dough, in an attempt to make the gnocchi less dense. It worked! I bought some smoked chicken thighs and used the meat from those as my protein and added flavor for this dish.

The pesto recipe makes much more than you will need for this dish, but it would also just be good as a dipping salsa!

Jalapeno-Peanut Pesto

-6 jalapenos, seeded and chopped very roughly
-3 Pablano peppers, seeds intact, chopped roughly
-6 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
-1 1/2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts
-1/2 cup olive oil
-juice from 1 lime
-salt to taste

Pulse the peppers, garlic and peanuts in a food processor until a paste starts to form. Drizzle in lime juice while processor is running. Slowly drizzle in oil until a desired consistency is reached. add salt to season.


Masa Gnocchi

-1 1/2 cups instant masa flour for tamales + extra for dusting
-3/4 cup hot water
-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
-1 Tablespoon olive oil
-1 egg
-salt to taste

Mix masa and water well. Add baking soda, oil and egg. Combine to form a slightly sticky dough. With floured hands, roll dough into marble-sized balls and press with a finger to indent.

Cook gnocchi in salted boiling water for about 5-7 minutes. Reserve some of the cooking water. Drain.

Combine gnocchi, the chopped meat from 2 smoked chicken thighs, 3/4 cups of the pesto in a pan and gently combine over medium heat, adding the gnocchi cooking water to thin out sauce, until heated through. Serve with shredded Manchego cheese.

Tempeh Broccoli Stir-Fry

I've explained this many times, but I will keep saying it... I love meat, and I love tofu. I don't like when people try to make tofu a substitute for meat. I think that's why poor tofu has a bad rep! The other day I decided to try tofu's cousin, tempeh. Tempeh is made from soy beans too, but unlike tofu, they are left whole, making a more textured, denser product. It also has a more pronounced flavor...kinda nutty and bitter?

I used mine in a stir-fry with broccoli and cashews. I was worried about the bitterness of the tempeh, but this turned out really good! I am a fan, now. I like the texture and nuttiness of the tempeh, especially in a stir fry.

Tempeh Broccoli Stir-Fry

-1 8 oz. pkg. tempeh, sliced into about .25-inch slices, then cut in half to make bite-sized pieces.
-about 4 Tablespoons oil
-about 5-6 Tablespoons soy sauce
-about 4 Tablespoons sugar
-3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
-2 inch piece of fresh lemongrass, chopped fine
-1 large shallot, chopped fine
-1 teaspoon red chili flakes
-1 medium onion, sliced into half moons
-1 head fresh broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
-2 teaspoons sesame oil
-1 cup cashews

1. Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a wok. When hot, add tempeh slices and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring gently until there are some nice brown spots on them. Add a couple Tablespoons of soy sauce and cook another minute or so. Set aside on a plate.

2. Add rest of oil to wok, cook garlic, lemongrass and shallot until translucent and beginning to brown. add a Tablespoon of soy sauce and the sesame oil and chili flakes. cook for about 30 seconds, then add the broccoli and onion. Stir/toss often. When the Broccoli starts to turn bright green and the onions start to soften, add a few more Tablespoons of soy sauce and the sugar. Cook, stirring often, until onions are very soft. Add tempeh back in along with cashews. Cook until everything is heated through. Serve over rice with Sriracha hot sauce.