Best Roasted Jalapeño Pesto Recipes

SPICE RUBBED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS, JALAPENO PESTO AND POMEGRANATE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the pork tenderloin: To a bowl, add the paprika, brown sugar, coriander, cumin, mustard powder, chili powder, 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper, and stir to combine.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a cast-iron pan over high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Sprinkle the tenderloin on both sides with the seasoning mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the pork in the pan and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
• Transfer the pork to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Put the pan into the oven and roast the pork to medium (an internal temperature of 130 degrees F), about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, tent loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2-inch-thick medallions.
• For the pomegranate sauce: Whisk together the pomegranate molasses, vinegar, mustard and honey in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
• For the pesto: Combine the cilantro, cheese, pine nuts, jalapenoes, garlic, and some salt and pepper in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and process until emulsified. Scrape into a bowl.
• For the Brussels sprouts: Put the Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet , toss with the canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until light golden brown and a knife inserted into the centers goes in without any resistance, 20 to 30 minutes.
• When ready to serve, reheat the brussels sprouts in a saute pan with the butter. Then add the pomegranate molasses.
• Plating: Place 2 pork medallions cut-side up on a plate. Top with some pomegranate sauce across the pork and a dollop of jalapeno pesto on the top of each pork medallion. Add some Brussels sprouts on the side, garnish with hazelnuts, pomegranate seeds and cilantro.

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.

FIRE ROASTED SNAPPER WRAPPED IN GREEN CORN HUSKS WITH CHARRED CORN-CHARRED JALAPENO SALSA, AND JALAPENO PESTO

Steps:

• Remove the very outer husks from the corn. You will need 8 for wrapping the fish. Soak the husks for about 30 minutes. Peel back the inner husks, remove the silks, and close the husks around the ears, and soak for 30 minutes. Heat the grill to high. Grill the corn until the kernels are golden brown and slightly charred, about 15 minutes. Remove the kernels from the corn and place in a bowl. Save the cobs for the pesto, recipe below.
• Brush the jalapenos with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until charred all over, about 6 minutes. Dice chiles, including skin and seeds, and add 2 peppers worth to the corn with the onion, lime juice, honey, 2 tablespoons canola oil, cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Save the remaining jalapeno for the pesto
• Remove the corn husks from the water and pat dry. Brush the snapper on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place 2 husks flat on a work surface with the tapered ends facing out and the broad bases overlapping by about 3-inches. Place 1 fillet in the center and bring the longs sides up over the fish, slightly overlapping and pat down to close. Tie each end of the bundle with string and trim the ends to about 1/2-inch beyond the tie. Brush the bundles on both sides with oil and place on the grill. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until the fish is just cooked through.
• Brush cut side of limes with some canola oil, place on the grill, cut side down and grill until slightly charred, about 1 minute. Serve alongside the fish.
• Combine cilantro, grilled and diced jalapenos, garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and process until emulsified. Scrape into a bowl.
• Scrape milk and any remaining kernels from grilled corn by standing cobs in bowl and running a knife blade down the cob. Stir the milk and scrapings into the pesto and serve.

SPICE RUBBED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS, JALAPENO PESTO AND POMEGRANATE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the pork tenderloin: To a bowl, add the paprika, brown sugar, coriander, cumin, mustard powder, chili powder, 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper, and stir to combine.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a cast-iron pan over high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Sprinkle the tenderloin on both sides with the seasoning mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the pork in the pan and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
• Transfer the pork to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Put the pan into the oven and roast the pork to medium (an internal temperature of 130 degrees F), about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, tent loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2-inch-thick medallions.
• For the pomegranate sauce: Whisk together the pomegranate molasses, vinegar, mustard and honey in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
• For the pesto: Combine the cilantro, cheese, pine nuts, jalapenoes, garlic, and some salt and pepper in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and process until emulsified. Scrape into a bowl.
• For the brussels sprouts: Put the brussels sprouts on a baking sheet , toss with the canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until light golden brown and a knife inserted into the centers goes in without any resistance, 20 to 30 minutes.
• When ready to serve, reheat the brussels sprouts in a saute pan with the butter. Then add the pomegranate molasses.
• Plating: Place 2 pork medallions cut-side up on a plate. Top with some pomegranate sauce across the pork and a dollop of jalapeno pesto on the top of each pork medallion. Add some brussels sprouts on the side, garnish with hazelnuts, pomegranate seeds and cilantro.

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.