Sunday Nachos and More

Hey there – do you know what time it is? If you live in America or one of those other countries that has time change rules, it’s time to use up all that daylight we’ve been saving since spring. Yeah, saving daylight is over.

On the National Food Front, today is National Nacho Day. Who doesn’t like Nachos? Great as snack, an appetizer or to go all out and make a meal of spicy meats, melted cheese and tortilla chips. I think Nachos for Supper served up with a pitcher of Margaritas is one of my guys favorites. But then anything with a Margarita is bound to be a hit.

Most of us are familiar with the story of Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya of the El Moderno Restaurant in Piedras Negras. As the story goes, back in 1943 a group of Army wives from Fort Duncan in Eagle Pass, Texas stopped in the restaurant to get something to eat after a day of shopping. The kitchen staff had gone, leaving Nacho to close up. Not wanting to turn the women away, he came up with what would become known as the Nacho’s Special – broken tostada shells topped with shredded cheese and jalapenos that was warmed in the oven. The Army wives took the recipe back to Eagle Pass, and from their it traveled through Texas, then fanned out across America.

I suppose we could have whipped up the simple recipe from 1943 and paid homage to the day as well as the man. But hey, it’s Sunday. I don’t know about you, but in our home we try to make Sundays extra special. So with Nachos as a starting point, I’ve created a spicy-delicious Sunday Chicken Supper. Enjoy!

National Nacho Day Sunday Supper
Nacho Scoop Appetizers

Three Chile Roasted Chicken
Ancho Chile Cornbread Stuffing
Spicy Skillet Corn

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Nacho Scoop Appetizers
1 (12 oz) bag Tortilla Chip Scoops
1/2 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
1 medium Red Bell Pepper finely chopped
8 oz Pepper Jack Cheese, cubed
4 oz Process Cheese (Velveeta), cubed
48 Nacho Jalapeno Peppers
1/2 lb Lean Ground Beef
1/4 lb Chorizo
3 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1 (10 oz) can Rotel Tomatoes with Green Chilies
1 (4 oz) can Chopped Green Chiles
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened, cubed
2 cups Mexican Cheese Blend, shredded
1/2 cup Sour Cream

Heat oven to 375-degrees. Arrange 4 dozen tortilla scoops on an ungreased baking sheet. Set aside.

Cut onion in half from tip to root. Reserve half for the stuffing. Peel remaining half, finely dice and set aside. Stem bell pepper, remove seeds. Finely dice pepper, set aside. Cube Pepper Jack and Velveeta cheeses, set aside. Select 48 Nacho Jalapeno Peppers from a jar, pat dry with paper towels and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the beef, chorizo, onion and red pepper until meat is no longer pink; about 10 minutes. Drain well. Stir in the taco seasoning, diced tomatoes and chopped green chilies. Cook; stirring frequently, until thickened, about 6 minutes.

Reduce heat to low. Scatter the pepper jack and process cheese cubes over the skillet. Stir in the cream cheese; simmer until melted. Remove from heat. By the rounded teaspoon, fill each tortilla scoop with the filling mixture. Sprinkle with Mexican cheese blend.

Bake in heated oven for about 5 minutes. Garnish each with dollop of sour cream and a jalapeno pepper slice.

If necessary, make in batches. Serve warm or room temperature.

Three Chile Roasted Chicken
3 dried New Mexican Chiles
1 large Yellow Onion
6 Garlic Cloves
3-1/2 lb Chicken Roaster
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Butter
Cilantro to garnish
1 Lime for serving

Place dried chilies in a shallow casserole dish. Bring a cup of water to a boil. Pour boiling water over the dried chilies, set aside for 30 minutes to soften.

Heat oven to 425-degrees. Line a rimmed baking pan with foil for easy clean up, set aside.

Peel onion, roughly chop, scatter over the baking sheet. Peel and crush garlic, scatter over the onions.

Pat chicken dry. Butterfly (Spatchcock) chicken by removing the backbone and breast plate. Season chicken well with salt and pepper inside and out. Place chicken flat, breast side up, over the onion mixture. Set aside.

Remove the chiles from the water, cut and discard the stem along with most of the seeds Place chilies in a food processor or blender fitted with a blade. Process the chiles 2 tablespoons of olive oil to create a smooth paste. If needed, add more oil or a little water. Season paste with pinch of salt. Rub the chile paste all over the chicken and under the skin. Tuck 1 tablespoon of butter under the skin covering each breast.

Place chicken in the heated oven, roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and let the chicken rest for 15 minutes. Move to a cutting board and carve the chicken into serving pieces, separating wings from breast and thighs from legs.

Arrange chicken on a serving platter. Snip cilantro, scatter over the chicken to garnish. Cut lime into wedges to use as desired.

Ancho Chile Cornbread Stuffing
1/2 cup Boiling Water
1 Dried Ancho Chile (see note)
Boiling Water
2 tablespoons Butter
1/2 White Onion
3/4 Red Bell Pepper
3 Cups Cornbread Stuffing Mix

Note: If you can’t find the Ancho Chili, use 2 teaspoons Ancho Chili powder and a pinch of red pepper flakes instead.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray, set aside.

Bring water to a boil. Remove stem and most of the seeds from chili. Place chili in a small bowl, add just enough boiling water to cover chili. Let stand 10 minutes or until chili is softened.

While chilies soften, finely dice the reserved half an onion, set aside. Stem, seed and finely dice pepper. Reserve a quarter of the bell pepper for the corn, set aside.

Remove chili from water, reserve water. Finely chop chili. Empty cornbread stuffing mix into a large bowl. Sprinkle minced ancho chilies over the stuffing mix and set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and red bell pepper, cook and stir 2 minutes.  Add sautéed vegetables to the stuffing mix.

To reserved chili water add enough chicken stock to make 1 cup of liquid. Add liquid to stuffing mixture; mix well. Spoon into prepared baking dish, cover with foil and set aside until ready to bake.

During the last 15 minutes of roasting the chicken, place stuffing in the oven. Once the chicken is removed, turn off heat and hold stuffing in the warm oven until ready to serve.

Spicy Skillet Corn
3 cups frozen Corn
1/4 Red Onion
2 Jalapeno Pepper
1/4 Red Bell Pepper
2 tablespoons Butter
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Place frozen corn in a colander under cold running water to thaw. Set aside to drain.

Cut a quarter section from a red onion. Peel, dice and set aside. Stem, seed and dice jalapeno pepper. Add reserved bell pepper from the stuffing to set aside for the corn.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Swirl pan to coat. Add onions and peppers, sauté until just beginning to soften, about 6 minutes.

Add corn, cover and simmer until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. For a rustic presentation, serve straight from the skillet.