this week, I have been mostly cooking with chiles

I've been feeling domestic lately, and also in a mood for chiles.

( Mexican-style roast pork )

I made green salsa to serve with the lovely pork tacos. This is Diana Kennedy's recipe from The Cuisines of Mexico.

( Cooked Tomatillo Salsa )

And finally, for my birthday I made Aztec Gold Brownies from the recipe at the Tigers and Strawberries blog. I pretty much followed it exactly, omitting the gold leaf, except that my vanilla wasn't as good quality as called for (I used Whole Foods' "365 Organic" store brand, the fair trade version). I think the difference was probably noticeable, and I'd have liked a bit more of a vanilla kick, but I can't afford Penzey's and anyway, the brownies were exceedingly delicious even without it. They keep well, too--I made them Thursday night and they still have excellent texture and flavor. In fact I think I'll have one now.

I'll definitely make this recipe again (for one thing, I still have most of a jar of espresso powder!), although I think I'll have to compromise a bit and use a cheaper chocolate than Scharffen Berger on non-birthday occasions.

more food with chiles

Tonight I used some of the Mexican-style roast pork from the other day to make chili. It was yummy.

( approximate recipe under the cut )

I recommend serving this chili with ( Cheddar Corn Bread )