First: I’m not taking credit for developing this recipe.
Homesick Texan claims it’s spun off of Barb’s BQ. Lisa Fain is a James Beard award winning writer of several cookbooks, and counts Chuck Charnichart (owner of Barb’s) as a friend, and first tasted green spaghetti when Chuck brought it to a home barbeque, then developed it from that. Follow the link for the back story, which is a good read, not “my grandmother blah blah blah.”
This recipe works as a guideline, and I treated it as such. I’ll note my own changes, based on “taste and adjust seasonings”, at the end.
Green Spaghetti
Cook Time: 45 minutes | Servings: Servings 8
Ingredients:
2 poblano chiles
1 or 2 jalapeños
6 cloves garlic
¼ cup cilantro
2 green onions, green part only, chopped
½ cup (4 ounces) sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch allspice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Cotija cheese, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
16 ounces dried spaghetti
Directions:
To make the green spaghetti sauce, turn on the broiler and place a rack 5 inches away from the heating element. Line a cast-iron skillet or baking sheet with foil and place the poblano chiles, jalapeño, and garlic on the skillet. Cook under the broiler for 7 minutes, and then remove the skillet from the oven. Remove both the garlic and the jalapeños from the skillet. Turn over the poblano chiles and return the skillet to the oven.
Continue to broil the chiles for 7 to 8 more minutes or until nicely charred. After this time, remove the skillet from the oven. Wrap the poblano chiles in the foil and let them steam for 20 minutes.
Place the garlic in a blender. Peel the skin from the jalapeños (it’s okay if not all of it comes off the pepper), then cut in half and remove the seeds. Place the jalapeños in the blender. After 20 minutes, peel and seed the poblanos and add them to the blender, too.
Also add to the blender the cilantro, green onions, sour cream, cumin, kosher salt, nutmeg, allspice, Parmesan cheese, and lime juice. Blend until smooth, then taste and adjust seasonings.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt, then cook the spaghetti according to the package directions until done.
When the spaghetti is ready, drain and rinse, then return to the pot. Toss with the sauce, then serve warm with Parmesan cheese.
I didn’t take photos during the process. It went together really fast. I have to assume folks know how to roast stuff under the broiler, and how to use a blender. In some recipes you can sub a food processor for a blender, but this one needs a full-on blender.
First: I used Mexican crema instead of sour cream. Either will work; the difference in taste is about the same as that of different sour cream brands. But crema is thinner, it pours. I don’t think it will make a difference.
Second: Poblanos can be HUGE. Mine weren’t. I prepared 3 medium poblanos, started with 2, added half of the 3rd, then the last half.
Third: Yes, 6 cloves of garlic. And mine were pretty big. But they mellow when you roast them.
Fourth: I used 2 serranos. I like it spicy. 2 serranos works for me, but you can start with 1 jalapeño and work up from there. A single jalapeño won’t be that hot, with all that dairy in there.
Fifth: I was tossed on the nutmeg and allspice. Generally I’m not a fan of nutmeg in savory dishes. But they are fine here. But don’t go out and get them if you don’t have them.
Sixth: I doubled up on the Parmesan. It adds a lot of toothsomeness!
Seventh: “Blend until smooth” means exactly that. Let it spin for as long as it takes to look smooth and creamy. I blended it for several minutes.
Eighth: This is the first recipe that took LESS time than it stated! I probably had half an hour invested, from opening the fridge to putting the blender in the dishwasher!
My memory of Barb’s green spaghetti is mostly of the balance. This recipe is nicely balanced among the poblano, garlic, lime, Parmesan, and cilantro, with the onion, cumin, salt, and pinches all supporting and adding complexity. This is the one that I’m going to accept. Note that the recipe calls for additional Parmesan (or cotija) at time of serving. I’d say queso fresco or queso blanco would also be great!
It makes this much sauce, which would easily season 8 side dishes of green spaghetti:
Homesick Texan claims it’s spun off of Barb’s BQ. Lisa Fain is a James Beard award winning writer of several cookbooks, and counts Chuck Charnichart (owner of Barb’s) as a friend, and first tasted green spaghetti when Chuck brought it to a home barbeque, then developed it from that. Follow the link for the back story, which is a good read, not “my grandmother blah blah blah.”
This recipe works as a guideline, and I treated it as such. I’ll note my own changes, based on “taste and adjust seasonings”, at the end.
Green Spaghetti
Cook Time: 45 minutes | Servings: Servings 8
Ingredients:
2 poblano chiles
1 or 2 jalapeños
6 cloves garlic
¼ cup cilantro
2 green onions, green part only, chopped
½ cup (4 ounces) sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch allspice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Cotija cheese, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
16 ounces dried spaghetti
Directions:
To make the green spaghetti sauce, turn on the broiler and place a rack 5 inches away from the heating element. Line a cast-iron skillet or baking sheet with foil and place the poblano chiles, jalapeño, and garlic on the skillet. Cook under the broiler for 7 minutes, and then remove the skillet from the oven. Remove both the garlic and the jalapeños from the skillet. Turn over the poblano chiles and return the skillet to the oven.
Continue to broil the chiles for 7 to 8 more minutes or until nicely charred. After this time, remove the skillet from the oven. Wrap the poblano chiles in the foil and let them steam for 20 minutes.
Place the garlic in a blender. Peel the skin from the jalapeños (it’s okay if not all of it comes off the pepper), then cut in half and remove the seeds. Place the jalapeños in the blender. After 20 minutes, peel and seed the poblanos and add them to the blender, too.
Also add to the blender the cilantro, green onions, sour cream, cumin, kosher salt, nutmeg, allspice, Parmesan cheese, and lime juice. Blend until smooth, then taste and adjust seasonings.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt, then cook the spaghetti according to the package directions until done.
When the spaghetti is ready, drain and rinse, then return to the pot. Toss with the sauce, then serve warm with Parmesan cheese.
I didn’t take photos during the process. It went together really fast. I have to assume folks know how to roast stuff under the broiler, and how to use a blender. In some recipes you can sub a food processor for a blender, but this one needs a full-on blender.
First: I used Mexican crema instead of sour cream. Either will work; the difference in taste is about the same as that of different sour cream brands. But crema is thinner, it pours. I don’t think it will make a difference.
Second: Poblanos can be HUGE. Mine weren’t. I prepared 3 medium poblanos, started with 2, added half of the 3rd, then the last half.
Third: Yes, 6 cloves of garlic. And mine were pretty big. But they mellow when you roast them.
Fourth: I used 2 serranos. I like it spicy. 2 serranos works for me, but you can start with 1 jalapeño and work up from there. A single jalapeño won’t be that hot, with all that dairy in there.
Fifth: I was tossed on the nutmeg and allspice. Generally I’m not a fan of nutmeg in savory dishes. But they are fine here. But don’t go out and get them if you don’t have them.
Sixth: I doubled up on the Parmesan. It adds a lot of toothsomeness!
Seventh: “Blend until smooth” means exactly that. Let it spin for as long as it takes to look smooth and creamy. I blended it for several minutes.
Eighth: This is the first recipe that took LESS time than it stated! I probably had half an hour invested, from opening the fridge to putting the blender in the dishwasher!
My memory of Barb’s green spaghetti is mostly of the balance. This recipe is nicely balanced among the poblano, garlic, lime, Parmesan, and cilantro, with the onion, cumin, salt, and pinches all supporting and adding complexity. This is the one that I’m going to accept. Note that the recipe calls for additional Parmesan (or cotija) at time of serving. I’d say queso fresco or queso blanco would also be great!
It makes this much sauce, which would easily season 8 side dishes of green spaghetti:
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