Ziti with Poblanos and Chipotle Sauce: 2000s Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

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2000s Recipes + Menus

Serves6 to 8 (main course)

Active time:25 min
Start to finish:45 min

June 2008

If the famed Italian-American noodle took a trip to the Southwest, it might come back looking a little like this. With a creamy sauce and a duo of chiles that adds smoke and spice, this pasta is packed with flavor.

1 large onion, thinly sliced (2 1/4 cups)
1/2 lb fresh poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped bottled roasted red peppers
1 lb ziti or penne
1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotles in adobo
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup chopped scallions (about 1 bunch)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Garnish:

raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted

Cook onion, poblanos, and 1/2 tsp salt in oil in a heavy medium pot over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add red peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook ziti in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 Tbsp salt for 6 qt water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain ziti.
While ziti cooks, purée chipotles with sour cream in a blender.
Add purée to onion mixture with scallions, cilantro, 1/4 cup cooking water, and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a simmer, stirring. Add ziti and toss, moistening with additional cooking water if desired. Season with salt.

Serve with: green salad

Recipe by Lillian Chou

Photograph by Romulo Yanes