¡Salpicón! Spicy Mexican Shredded Beef Salad

                                                                       Salpicón de Res (Beef Salpicon)                    Photograph by Zachary Popovsky

¡Salpicón!  Spicy Mexican Shredded Beef Salad

by Victoria Challancin

Some of you may know salpicon as a French dish of cold chopped cooked ingredients bound by some sort of vinaigrette.  And it certainly is.  In France it is often used as a stuffing to fill canapés, roulades, rissoles, croquettes, tartlets, timbales, and even in omelettes. Usually, the dish is savory, being made of meats, poultry, seafood, or vegetables, but also it can be a sweet dish of chopped fruits and nuts.  The key to understanding the term, though, is that it generally refers to a dish of cooked, chopped ingredients bound by a sauce.

But where I live, in Mexico, the dish takes on a new life.  With that dash of Latin flair, a salpicón becomes something truly special, rich with chiles, avocado, tomato, and onions, spiked with lemon or vinegar.  I have heard the word salpicón translated as a "hodgepodge" or "jumble," which makes sense.  Most recipes are a jumble of freshly prepared ingredients with bright, refreshing flavors.

Throughout Central and South America countless versions of salpicón can be found. Fish (smoked or not), crab, beef, venison, fruit, octopus, and more star in the Latino recipes.  Served either on a tostada, a toasted corn tortilla, as in the above photo, or on a platter, perhaps on a bed of pretty lettuces as a salad, any way you eat it, salpicón, is interesting and fun.

Cook's Notes:  I actually tested this recipe for a Food Network episode.  I chose to use quite a bit less oregano than the original recipe, but that, of course, is up to you.  I also only could find at the time a beef  brisket intended for making corned beef (it came with the "corning" spices in a pouch).  For this reason, I think the meat is a bit pinker than is usual; nevertheless, it tasted absolutely delicious.  Serve it on tostados or not--it is a beautiful salad, when nicely garnished, for the table or a buffet spread.  You could also serve it with a homemade hot sauce, which would be even better.  I also have added a couple of minced chiles chipotles in adobo sauce for a little kick.

Tip:  To shred, use two forks.  Also, if letting the meat cool in the cooking liquid makes you nervous, as it does me, simply chill it quickly by first filling plastic bottles with water and freezing them.  Just drop the bottle or bottles into the hot liquid for a rapid cooling.  Letting the meat rest in the cooled liquid keeps it really moist, but you can also accomplish this in the refrigerator once the liquid is cool enough to put there.

Recipe:  Salpicón

Spicy Mexican Shredded Beef Salad

(Recipe by Marcela Valladolid, from her book Fresh Mexico)

Yield:  12 servings

Meat:
2 pounds boneless beef brisket
1 large onion, quartered
1 tablespoon salt

Vinaigrette:
3/4 cup olive oil
6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons crumbled dried oregano (I only used 1 teaspoon)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
1 cup chopped, seeded, and peeled cucumber
1/2 cup capers, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 radishes, finely chopped
24 tostadas
3 avocados, halved, petted, peeled and sliced
Bottled hot sauce (recommedned:  Huichol)

Put the brisket in a large pot and add enough water to cover the meat by 2 inches.  Add the onion pieces and 1 tablespoon salt.  Bring to a boil.  Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, for 2 1/2 hours, or until the brisket is very tender adding more water if needed to keep the meat covered.

Remove the pot from the heat and let the brisket cool to room temperature in the cooking liquid (see the tip on rapid cooling above).  Drain the brisket, discard the water, and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate the brisket.  This can be made one day ahead.

Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, red onion, and oregano in a medium bowl.  Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper, to taste.

Shred the cooled brisket into a large bowl.  Add the tomato, cucumber, capers, cilantro, and radishes.  Toss to combine.  Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat.  Season the salad with additional salt and pepper, if needed.  Spoon enough beef salad on a tostada to cover and then garnish with avocado slices.  Serve with hot sauce.

                         Ways to Use Salpicón:

• Serve it in a chilled martini glass, sprinkled with chopped radishes, avocado, and cilantro
• Serve on a bed of pretty lettuce or a mixture of lettuces--add some sprightly watercress to the mix
• Serve in a shallow pasta plate over a puddle of spicy, tomatoey chilled gazpacho
• Serve in avocado halves
• Serve as a dip (mince the meat instead of shredding it) with totopos, or corn chips
• Use it as a stuffing for gorditas or tiny prepared phyllo cups (or other cups made of mini tortillas or puff pastry
• Top guacamole with some salpicón
• Make wraps using either tortillas or lettuce (or kale) leaves
• Serve it on rounds of thinly sliced, well-chilled jícama
• On crostini, as a lively bruschetta?  You bet!
• Use it as a filling for belle peppers or roasted, peeled poblano peppers
• A bit of crumbled queso fresco or feta or cotija would be nice on top as well
• Missing garlic?  Me too.  I would add a bit to the vinaigrette.
• Make a timbal using ramekins.  Layer with different colored tomato slices and the salpicón mixture
• Use your imagination--this is such a cool, refreshing summertime dish

Parting Shot:

 A touch of color and fun, at the ranch of friends

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.

Remember that like life, recipes are meant to be shared, but please ask permission before using text and photos.  Thanks!

Mexican-Style Summer Olive Salad

 Photo by my son, Zachary Popovsky

Mexican-Style Summer Olive Salad

by Victoria Challancin

I seem to store up recipes that I eventually want to write about.  Sometimes for years.  This Mexican Olive Salad is a perfect example.  I actually tested it for Marcela Valladolid for her Food Network's Mexican Made Easy when I worked on pre-production for the show.  I tucked the recipe away and remembered it today while scrolling through photos, this one taken by my son.

This easy recipe is a perfect example of Mexican-Mediterranean fusion food, which is so popular in Baja, Mexico.  You could riff on this endlessly.  Add some boiled egg, cucumber, or cubed avocado.  What about tuna?  Or serve it as is over grilled fish or chicken.  Jícama would work here as well, as would cooked cubes of potato.  Serve it on endive leaves or with homemade tortilla chips.  Or perhaps make a "taco" out of jícama sliced thin on a mandoline and use that as a base, a practice that is becoming popular here in San Miguel in upscale restaurants.

Light, fresh, easy to put together, this is summer in a bowl.  (Can you tell our weather is heating up?).

Recipe:  Mexican-Style Summer Olive Salad

(Recipe by Marcela Valladolid of Food Network)

Cook's Notes:  This version has an additional 3/4 cup of red cherry tomatoes.  You can either tear the dried red chile into small pieces or use scissors to cut it into thin rings.  Other hot dried chiles could be substituted.  To read about Mexican cheese such as cotija, check out this post I wrote on Mexican Cheeses.

Dressing:

2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds

2 teawspoons whole coriander seeds

1 chile de árbol with seeds, torn into very small pieces or 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

3/4 cup pitted and halved Kalamata olives

3/4 cup pitted and halved green olives

3/4 cup assorted colored cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup red cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

8 ounces Mexican cotija or feta cheese, cubed

In a small, dry skillet, toast cumin seeds, coriander seeds, chile, and pine nuts over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to a serving bowl and whisk in olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper, keeping in mind that the olives are salty.

Add tomatoes, olives, cilantro, and cheese.  Toss gently to combine.

Enjoy!

California Green

©Victoria Challancin.  Please ask for permission before using  photos.  Thanks!

Chiles and Fruit--an Easy Snack

Photo by Zachary Popovsky

Chiles and Fruit--an Easy Snack!

by Victoria Challancin

In Mexico just about everything you can imagine is served with chile.  In addition to the savory dishes you might assume would contain chile, even candy and fruit benefit from a sprinkle--as any self-respecting school child knows.  On a recent trip to Los Angeles to visit my 21-year-old son, in fact, the one think he asked me to bring from Mexico was some tamarind and chile candy!

One of the recipes I tested for Marcela Valladolid in Season Two of Mexican Made Easy for Food Network was fruit popsicles to be served at her young son's birthday party episode.  To some of you it might seem strange that children would so love such a snack, but trust me, this is a beloved treat all over  Mexico.  And in these last days of summer, it seems to me a perfect offering on a hot day!

Galaxy Fruit Pops

(Recipe by Marcela Valladolid)

1 small seedless watermelon, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cut into 1/2 -inch thick slices

Chile powder or chile powder with lime, for sprinkling

Lime wedges, for serving

Using cookie cutters or a paring knife, cut the fruit into desired shapes.

Insert wooden sticks into the pieces of fruit.

To serve:  Sprinkle the ends of the fruit with chile powder.  Put the popos on a plate, with the wooden sticks facing up for handles or stick the pops into a halved watermelon.  Serve with lime wedges.

Enjoy!

Serrano Chiles

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.

Raspado: An Easy Mexican Dessert

Photo by Zack Popovsky   

Raspado:  An Easy Mexican Dessert

by Victoria Challancin

The word raspado comes from the Spanish verb raspar, which means to scrape.  This makes sense once you have seen the snow cones of Mexico, sold from carts on the streets all over the country, of scraped ice flavored with a variety of syrups.  This particular raspado is similar to an Italian granita--and it is easy to prepare, easy to vary (try using only strawberries, as in the photo above, or pure mangoes for a special touch--or pineapple!), and soooooo easy to consume.  Makes a great palate cleanser as well!  The touch of chile isn't overpowering, rather, it makes an interesting background note that compliments the flavor of the strawberry.  Garnis with mint or additional orange peel if desired for a pretty presentation.

Here is a version by Marcela Valladolid that I tested for her as a part of her second season of Mexican Made Easy for Food Network.  She rightly calls it "no fuss," as it is truly simple to prepare.

No Fuss Mexican Ice 

Raspado

(Recipe by Marcela Valladolid)

Yield: 8 servings

Prep         10 min                  Inactive   8 hr 0 min                  Cook         3 min

Ingredients

Syrup:

1/4 water

1/4 sugar

Raspado:

3 cups roughly chopped fresh strawberries

2 mangos, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 serrano chiles, seeds and veins removed, diced

Directions

Syrup: In a small pot, bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

Raspado: Add the strawberries, mango, orange zest, chiles, and simple syrup to a blender and blend until smooth. Cool completely. Pour the mixture into a 9 by 13-inch pan. Freeze until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.

Scrape with a fork and spoon into small glasses or cups and serve immediately.


Enjoy!

Victoria Challancin

Flavors of the Sun

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.

Please share the recipes, but not my photos!  Thank you!

Red, Green, and Perfect for a Christmas Party!

Photograph by Zachary Popovsky

Red, Green, and Perfect for Christmas!
by Victoria Challancin

Here is another easy and oh-so-tasty recipe from Chef Marcela Valladolid.  Or should I say "here are two recipes..." as I am providing you with two versions.  The first, pictured above in a lovely photo by my son (yes, the Proud Mother again...) is the version in the following recipe.  Taken from Marcela's book, which is also available in Spanish.  As Culinary Producer for Season Two of Marcela's Food Network Mexican Made Easy show, one of the things I did was to test the recipes--a necessary step to ensure that viewers get workable recipes with no glitches!  This recipe, so easy and so very pretty, was a joy to prepare--a simple recipe that came together quickly and resulted in a sophisticated, beautiful dish.

  

Before you make this recipe, note that the second version, which actually appeared on the show Mexican Made Easy:  Cocktail Party, uses less chicken broth and fewer garlic cloves.  Take your pick.  I can't vouch for the second version, but the first is lovely just as it is written here and in the book!

Cook's Note:  If you can't find fresh raspberries, use all frozen--or even a mix of frozen berries would be nice.

Goat Cheese Squares with Chipotle-Raspberry Chutney

Recipe courtesy Marcela Valladolid

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 ½ cups chopped onion

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 ½ cups chicken broth

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup honey

1 tablespoon minced, peeled fresh ginger

5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

¼ cup canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, left whole

1 (10-ounce) package frozen raspberries, thawed and drained

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 (6-ounce) container fresh raspberries

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of a 17.3-ounce package), thawed*

All-purpose flour, for rolling

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 (5.5-ounce) log soft fresh goat cheese, at room temperature

Chipotle-Raspberry Chutney:

Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for 3 more minutes.  Add the chicken broth, bell pepper, honey, ginger, vinegar, and chipotle chiles with sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2½ hours, or until the sauce thickens.

Add the thawed frozen raspberries and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and let the chutney cool slightly.  Then stir in the cilantro and the fresh raspberries.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.**

Goat Cheese Tart:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly flowered surface to form a 12- x 12-inch square.  Cut the pastry into 9 (4-inch) squares.  Place the squares on the prepared baking sheet. Score a 1/2-inch border around the edge of each square.  Pierce the bottom of the squares all over with a fork. Bake the squares until golden, about 12 minutes.  Keep the oven turned on.

Spread the goat cheese evenly over the hot pastry squares, and return them to the oven.  Bake for 5 minutes, or until the cheese begins to melt. Serve with a generous dollop of the chipotle-raspberry chutney, and serve.

*Cook’s Note:  Always use an all-butter puff pastry for the best flavor and results.

**Cook’s Note:  Chutney can be prepared 3 days ahead.  Cool, then cover and refrigerate.

Yield: 9 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours 17 minutes

Ease of Preparation: Easy

Enjoy!

The recipe as it appears in the book...

The television version:

Goat Cheese Squares with Raspberry Chile Chutney

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, left whole
• 1 (6-ounce) container fresh raspberries or 1 cup frozen (thawed)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of a 17.3-ounce package), thawed
• Flour, for dusting
• 1 (5.5-ounce) log goat cheese, at room temperature

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add the chicken broth, bell pepper, honey, ginger, vinegar, and chipotle chile, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low andsimmer until the sauce thickens, about 2 1/2 hours. Add the raspberries and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the chutney cool slightly. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. (Chutneycan be prepared 3 days in advance. Cool and store in the refrigerator).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 12-inch square. Cut the pastry into 2 to 3-inch squares. Put the squares on the prepared baking sheet. Using a small cookie cutter score a circle in the center of each square or using a paring knife, score a 1/2-inch border around the edge of each square. Bake the squares until puffed and golden, about 12 minutes.

Remove the scored, top section of the cooked pastry and fill with some of the goat cheese. Spoon a generous dollop of the chipotle-raspberry chutney on top of the goat cheese. Arrange on a serving platter and serve.

Marcela Valladolid's cookbook can be found here.

Note:  I am sending this post to Haalo of Cook Almost Anything as an entry for the Weekend Herb Blogging Event, begun by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen.

If you enjoyed this recipe, check out other recipes by Marcela Valladolid that I have tested:


Chocoflan


Baked Cod with Olives and Lime


Jalapeño-Roasted Chicken


Caramelized Avocado

(My Font colors have gone astray!!!!)

Victoria Challancin

Flavors of the Sun International Cooking School

San Miguel de Allende, México

©Victoria Challancin   All Rights Reserved.

Recipe: Caramelized Avocado

Caramelized Avocado

by Victoria Challancin

on

At first the idea of caramelizing an unctuous avocado might seem like gilding the lily, but who am I to shy away from such an appealing flavor boost, gilded lily or not?  When I first encountered the idea of caramelizing avocado in a newsletter from the California Avocado Board, I knew I had struck gold. The recipe was for Baby Head Lettuce Salad with Caramelized California Avocados with Roquefort-Herb Vinaigrette and Bacon Confit.  Whew!  The name alone is a real mouthful.  Yet when I mulled over this recipe in my mind, I could see where this mouthful was headed--right into my own!

As Culinary Producer on Food Network's Season II of Mexican Made Easy, one of the recipes that the chef, Marcela Valladolid, made included Caramelized Avocados, an idea whose time has truly come.  You can watch Marcela caramelize avocados on this video.

For this recipe it is best to use a firm, barely ripe avocado. The one I had on hand today was a little too ripe--perfect for guacamole, but fragile for cooking.  The resulting look is a bit ragged when compared to when using a firmer piece of fruit.  Note that you really only want to coat the pan with oil--you aren't frying the avocados, just providing enough heat to caramelize the sugar.  A nice variation to this recipe would be to add chile powder to the sugar before caramelizing.  Now that I think of it, why not try a bit of Ras el Hanout or Dukkah?  I definitely will and will let you know how they turn out!

Caramelized Avocados

(Adapted ever so slightly from a California Avocado Board recipe)

1 Haas avocado, peeled, seeded, and sliced into 12 thick slices or halves, depending on use

1 Tablespoons sugar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil for greasing pan

Grease a small non-stick frying pan lightly, with only enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan.  Heat over medium heat. 

For Avocado Halves:

Sprinkle one side of avocado halves with sugar, salt, and pepper.  Add avocado halves to the heated pan. Cook until sugar has caramelized to a golden color, about 2 minutes.  Turn gently with a spatula and cook for about 30 seconds more, just enough to heat through.  Remove to a plate and set aside.


For Avocado Slices:
Sprinkle one side of the avocado slices with sugar, salt, and pepper.  Add the slices to the heated pan.  Cook until sugar has caramelized to a golden color, 1 to 2 minutes.  Gently turn the slices with a spatula, sprinkle the second side with sugar, salt, and pepper.  Cook for about 1 minute or until sugar has caramelized (this step is optional--you can simply turn and heat for 30 seconds if you prefer not to caramelize the second side).  Remove to a plate and set aside.

Enjoy!

Victoria Challancin

Flavors of the Sun International Cooking School

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved

Marcela Valladolid's Baked Cod with Olives and Limes

Photograph by Zachary Popovsky

A Recipe:  Marcela Valladolid's Baked Cod with Olives and Limes

by Victoria Challancin

In March of 2010 I worked in Los Angeles as Culinary Producer for Marcela Valladolid's Season II of the Mexican Made Easy show for Food Network.  One of the things I did was to test recipes for the show.  Marcela's recipes are usually as lively and fun as she is and this baked cod recipe is no exception.

You might wonder that this obviously Mediterranean-inspired recipe would appear on a Mexican cooking show, but remember that in Baja, where Marcela grew up, Mediterranea ingredients frequently appear in modern interpretations of traditional Mexican food on menus throughout Baja.

A slightly different version appears on page 105 of Marcela's book Fresh Mexico. Here the chef adds thinly slices anchovies to the olives, uses fewer capers, and less oil.  Both versions work well and offer a quick, healthy, and easy to prepare dinner that can be put on the table in less than twenty minutes.

Marcela's unique take on Mexican cuisine shines in this book, which is available in both English and Spanish.  

Baked Cod with Olives and Limes

(Recipe by Marcela Valladolid, from Food Network:  Mexican Made Easy)

4 (6-ounce) cod fillets, pin bones removed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 thin lime slices

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped

1/4 cup capers, drained

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1/4 cup olive oil

Lime wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Put the cod in a ovenproof baking dish and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Top each fillet with 3 lime slices, the olives, capers, and rosemary.  Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Remove the fish from the oven and serve with lime wedges.

Enjoy!

Victoria Challancin

Flavors of the Sun International Cooking School

San Miguel de Allende, Gto, México

Recipe: Jalapeño Roast Chicken by Marcela Valladolid

Photo by Zack Popovsky

Recipe:  Jalapeño-Roasted Chicken 

by Victoria Challancin

Imagine my delight when friends Beatriz Aceveda and Doug Greiff of  HIP Group Entertainment contacted me earlier this year to be Culinary Producer for Season Two of Marcela Valladolid's Mexican Made Easy for Food Network television. Having first met them in 2003 on the Castaways San Miguel project for Fine Living Channel [you can watch the show here]  , I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them again.   Part of the job description included recipe testing, which is hardly like work to me!  I felt lucky to be able to play in the kitchen and recreate some of Marcela's oh-so-tasty dishes.  Some of the recipes were new, a few others came from Marcela's cookbook Fresh Mexico, including this gorgeous roast chicken.  

When I looked over the recipe, I was a bit alarmed at the amount of oregano it called for, knowing the potency of the herb.  I actually asked Marce if it was a typo!  How embarrassing--I should have known better.  I made the recipe exactly as given in her book, using 1/3 cup of dried oregano, and the result was simply dazzling.  This is a terrific recipe showcasing common Mexican ingredients to make an updated version of roast chicken.  And let's face it, you can NEVER have too many recipes for roast chicken!

Marcela's book is available in both English and Spanish versions here.

Jalapeño Roasted Chicken with Baby

Broccolini

Recipe courtesy Marcela Valladolid

Show: Mexican Made Easy  Episode: Mexican Family Style

Jalapeño paste:

·       1/2 cup packed fresh oregano leaves or 1/3 cup dried oregano

·       1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped

·       4 garlic cloves, peeled

·       4 tablespoons unsalted butter

·       2 tablespoons olive oil

·       1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded

·       1 teaspoon salt

·       1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Chicken:

·       1 (5 1/2-pound) roasting chicken

·       2 sprigs fresh rosemary

·       2 shallots, coarsely chopped

·       1 1/2 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed

·       3/4 cup dry white wine

·       2 pounds baby broccoli *see Cook's Note

·       1 tablespoon olive oil

·       Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

·       Special equipment: 1 roasting pan with rack.

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Jalapeno paste:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the oregano, shallot, garlic, butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the jalapeno, salt and pepper and process to form a coarse paste.

Chicken: Pat the chicken dry and then put it, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Using your fingers, loosen the skin from the chicken breast, legs, and thighs without detaching it. Spread half of the jalapeño paste under the skin. Put the rosemary and the shallots in the cavity of the chicken. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine. Spread the remaining jalapeño paste all over the exterior of the chicken. Pour the chicken broth and wine into the roasting pan.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting with the pan juices every 20 minutes, adding more broth to the pan if it begins to dry out.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Arrange the baby broccoli snugly around the chicken on the rack. Drizzle the olive oil over the florets and season them with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast the chicken with the baby broccoli, basting occasionally with the pan juices, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the innermost part of the chicken thigh, without touching the bone, registers 160 degrees F, about 30 minutes. Remove the roast chicken from the oven, tent it in foil and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Arrange the chicken on a platter, and surround it with the broccoli. Serve.

Notes

Baby broccoli is also known as broccolini. Dont confuse it with broccoli rabe. If you cant find baby broccoli, use 2 pounds of regular broccoli heads; quarter them by slicing through the stem and florets so that each piece has some stem attached.