Some Like it Hot!

Hot, hot, hot!! That is how I would describe the poblano pesto that I made for dinner tonight. After watching an episode of 'Ten Dollar Dinners' this weekend with another one of my favorite Food Network Stars, Melissa D'Arabian, I decided to give the meal a try. On the menu: sliced sirloin steak topped with the poblano pesto and a sweet potato-beet hash on the side.

I started with the sweet potato-beet hash (click here for the full recipe) by peeling and dicing the veggies (I had 3 small ones of each). I coated them in some olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. I roasted them for 40 minutes (they took longer, I think, because they were diced a bit bigger than they should have been) in a 400-degree oven.

While the veggies were roasting, I fried up 5 slices of bacon (cut into 1-inch pieces) in a skillet (instead of the one slice the recipe calls for), then diced up a small onion and continued cooking everything until it was browned.

After the veggies were done, I tossed them into the pan with the bacon and onion and mixed it all up to coat everything. Unfortunately, as I was working on another part of the meal, the onions and bacon browned a bit more than they should have, but fortunately they were still salvageable. The hash was really good. What isn't good with bacon and onions?? I have never had beets and I didn't anticipate that I would like them, but roasted, they were actually pretty good. Not as good as the sweet potatoes, but not bad. :) They made for a pretty dish, but when I make this again, I may leave the beets out.

For the poblano pesto (click here for the full recipe), Josh charred the poblanos (I used 3 small ones) on the grill until blackened on all sides. Once they were done, I placed them in a bowl and covered it to allow them to steam, as instructed. Once they had set for about 5 minutes, I peeled off the blackened parts, removed the seeds and core, and chopped them roughly. Unfortunately, these particular poblanos were pretty hot ones because my poor fingers are still burning from touching them!! :( I put the poblanos in my food processor and added in the other ingredients: 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped roughly), 2 cloves garlic (chopped coarsely), 1 tsp chili powder (I used this instead of the 1 Tbsp the recipe called for after reading the reviews), 1/2 cup olive oil (I prefer olive oil to the vegetable oil the recipe called for), and a dash of salt.

I blended it all together and the finished product was INCREDIBLE! It definitely had a kick to it and I am glad I opted for just 1 tsp of the chili powder. It was so good that Josh and I have already been brainstorming other items we could top with it! :)

As I was finishing up the pesto, Josh grilled the sirloin steaks to perfection. After letting them rest for 5 minutes, he sliced them up and then we topped the slices with the pesto and enjoyed our dinner! Stay tuned, I am hoping to try out her other recipe from that episode for a fruity sangria tomorrow night! ;)