PRESENTS THIS WEEK’S RECIPES:
ALMENDRAS ENCHIPOTLADAS (CHIPOTLE-ROASTED ALMONDS)
ENSALADA DE BETABEL, CEBOLLA MORADA, POBLANO Y LIMÓN (ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH RED ONION, POBLANO AND LIME)
POLVORONES SEVILLANOS (SEVILLE-STYLE “SANDY” SHORTBREAD COOKIES)

Working Ahead: The cooled nuts can be stored in an air-tight container for 4 or 5 days. If we need to keep them longer, we avoid them becoming sticky by storing them in a sealed container with moisture-absorbing limestone (available from companies that supply equipment and ingredients for candy and pastry making).

INGREDIENTS

• 2 canned chipotle chiles
• 2 tablespoons adobo (tomatoey sauce in the can of chiles)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups (1-1/4 pounds) toasted blanched almonds

PROCEDURE

1. Heat the oven to 350°F degrees.
2. Scoop the chipotle chiles, adobo, lime juice, ketchup, sugar, and salt into a blender and process to a smooth purée.
3. Pour into a large bowl along with the almonds and toss until the nuts are evenly coated.
4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly spread the nuts on it. Bake until they are fragrant and no longer moist, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Cool the almonds on the sheet pan, then scoop into a serving bowl and set out for all to enjoy.

Working Ahead: The vegetables can be roasted several hours ahead (even the day before in a pinch); just cover and refrigerate. Finish the salad within a couple of hours of serving, leaving it at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/2 pounds small beets (about 1-1/2 inches in diameter), well-scrubbed, stem- and root-ends trimmed, quartered (you’ll have about 4 loosely packed cups)
• 1 large red onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 2 fresh poblano chiles
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

PROCEDURE

Roast the Vegetables:
1. Heat the oven to 425°F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the beets, onion and poblanos.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Drizzle mixture over the beets and toss (I like to use my hands here) to coat everything evenly and break the onion apart.
4. Scoop onto a rimmed baking sheet, slide in the oven and roast, stirring carefully every 10 minutes, until the poblano is blistered and soft, about 20 minutes.
5. Remove the chiles, then continue roasting, stirring every 10 minutes, until the beets are tender, 20 to 30 minutes more. Cool.
6. When the chiles are cool enough to handle, peel off the blistered skin, pull out the stems and seed pods, then quickly rinse to remove any stray seeds and bits of skin. Cut into 1/4-inch slices about 2 inches long.

Finish the salad:
1. In a wide shallow serving bowl, combine the beets, onion and poblanos.
2. Drizzle with the lime juice, sprinkle with the cilantro and toss to combine.
3. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if you think necessary. Your roasted beet salad is ready to serve.

Working Ahead: Polvorones can be made a couple of weeks ahead. Store them in air-tight containers.

INGREDIENTS

• 3-1/2 cups (1 pound) all-purpose flour (divided use)
• 2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar, plus a cup or more for coating the finished cookies
• 3 scant tablespoons cinnamon, preferably fresh ground Mexican canela
• 1 cup fresh pork lard, at cool room temperature

PROCEDURE

1. Toast Flour: Heat the oven to 350°F degrees. Measure 1-3/4 cups flour into a large skillet, set over medium-high heat and stir regularly until the color is uniformly creamy-beige and the flour smells toasty, about 8 minutes. Cool, then sift through a medium-mesh strainer onto your work surface.
2. Make Dough: Sift the remaining flour, the powdered sugar and the cinnamon on top of the toasted flour. Using your fingers, mix the dry ingredients until the mixture has a uniform color. Make a well in the middle, then scoop in the lard. Use your fingers to work the flour mixture into the lard, creating a uniform—but somewhat crumbly—dough. Work quickly so as not to melt the lard.
3. Cut and Bake Cookies: Press half of the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick round. (The dough will crack a little around the edges.) Use a 1-1/2-inch cutter or Mexican shot glass (caballito) to cut out cookies, transferring them to an ungreased cookie sheet as you go. Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake for about 14 minutes to set the cookies (they will not brown, but will develop a slight skin of tiny bubbles on top that will stick to your fingertip when touched.) When you think the cookies are done, break one open and (carefully) taste it: they shouldn’t have baked so long that they developed a crisp crust (they should melt in your mouth), the texture should be noticeably less pasty than the raw dough, and the flavor more integrated. Cool for an hour or more, to ensure that the cookies are completely set.
4. Sugar the Cookies: Spread powdered sugar into a pie pan or small baking dish. One by one, turn the cookies in the sugar, coating them completely. Set them on a serving dish or wrap each one in tissue paper a la mexicana.