Smoked Chicken and Rajas with Fresh San Marzano Tomatoes

What do you do when a fine neighbor brings an offering from his garden? Perhaps you combine it with an offering from your own for a simple yet satisfying meal.

We have been watching some fine Anaheim Chiles grow in our front yard, evidently a volunteer plant from last year's Chile Ristras that decorated our porch from the holidays. When the tomatoes arrived I decided dinner had to be something that could highlight both.

Hickory and apple wood smoked chicken breasts with New Mexican spices, Rajas and Spanish Rice with refried beans complimented the fresh tomatoes. Rajas are a combination of sauteed onions, garlic, roasted chiles and spices combined with cream that create a rich and delicious dish that can stand alone or compliment Carne or Pollo Asada. I hope you enjoy the recipes below as much as we did.

Smoked Chicken Breast

The chicken breast was prepared with a spicy southwest rub and slow cooked with indirect heat on the grill with apple and hickory wood chips. It is finished by grilling on direct heat till desired appearance and color.

Anaheim Chile Rajas

You can use different peppers or seasonings but this is a good model recipe.

I N G R E D I E N T S
4 medium, fresh Anaheim chiles, roasted and peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2/3 cup crema or whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon - thyme, 1 tsp Mexican oregano
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt

I N S T R U C T I O N S
Chiles: Stem and seed the roasted chiles. You can remove the veins if you want a more mild rajas. Slice the chiles crosswise into 1/4" strips.

Heat the oil in a heavy sauté pan over medium heat and fry the onions until they brown, about 7 -8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and chile strips, cook 2 minutes.

Add the cream, herbs, and bay leaves and simmer until the liquid reduces enough to just coat the vegetables. Remove the bay leaves, taste and adjust salt as needed. 

 Rice: 

1 Cup rice
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 Cup diced white onion
1/4 Cup diced green onion
1 clove garlic, diced or minced
1 Tbsp spicy southwest rub or to taste


Coat bottom of skillet with Olive or vegetable oil. Add rice and stir fry for 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, diced white onions and diced green peppers and continue to stir until the onions are translucent and the rice may begin to brown. Add one can diced tomatoes (with juice) and lightly sprinkle with seasonings such as spicy southwest rub . Add water to cover rice and simmer with lid until rice is done.

To Finish:
Add refried beans, the fresh sliced San Marzano tomatoes, and sprinkle with grated or crumbled Cotija cheese.

Carne Asada Pizza

We had a family feast last night: Carne Asada, Pollo Asada, Hasson's famous Pineapple-Orange-Mango salsa and homemade Pico de Gallo and guacamole. There were lots of leftovers to play with, so I decided to experiment a little.

to make the pizza, you can go with your own homemade dough or make it easy on yourself and go with a store bought ready-to-go pizza crust.For this pizza I decided to go with a jalapeno-cilantro-lime and spice sour cream base. See the recipe below.

To prep your crust:
brush lightly with Olive oil
Rub jalepeno peppers and or crushed garlic into the olive oil.

For the base:
Mix together sour cream, fresh chopped cilantro to taste, a squeeze of about a quarter lime, and a prepared spice mix such as the New Mexico Style Rub. (Sorry, I did this by eye so I don't have exact amounts).

Toppings:
In this case, I topped the base with a simple combination of sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then topped that with Carne Asada , homemade Pico de Gallo, a few extra chopped tomatoes. A little extra pepper jack cheese went on top to help prevent overcooking the already cooked Carne Asada.

To  serve -
Grab some of that guacamole and a few slices of lime on top. Makes a great day after meal that still has a nice spice kick.

Carnitas con Rajas

I decided it was time to explore something I haven't cooked... carnitas. There are a few ways to cook this tasty dish, but basically all of them involve slow cooking a Pork Butt (shoulder) for about 3 hours. The yield from this patience is well worth it, especially if you have to "tend the stove" and there happens to be a football game on.


Carnitas are cooked traditionally in Michoacan by simmering cubes of pork shoulder in a copper pot filled with lard. Most people today a)don't have a bunch of lard lying around, and b) want to try to keep their cholesterol under 350. In this first go-round, I decided to try a semi-traditional method by simmering lightly seasoned meat on the stove and then reducing the liquids till done. To accompany the carnitas, I added Rajas and Avocado-tomatillo salsa.

I love Rajas, and the recipe got me of to a simple but pretty good start. It was fairly mild, and I might add a little more heat next time. The avocado tomatillo salsa is an excellent version, and I'll use it again.


Carnitas (adapted from DianaKennedy)

Ingredients:
3 pounds of pork butt
Orange juice and water in a 3 to 1 ratio, enough to cover the meat
2 teaspoons of salt

Method:
1. Cut pork into strips (three inches by one inch), add to a large pot or cast iron skillet with the liquids and salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered on low for 2 hours. Do not touch the meat.
2. After two hours, turn heat up to medium high, and continue to cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the pork fat has rendered (about 45 minutes). Stir a few times, to keep pork from sticking to bottom of pan.
3. When pork has browned on both sides, it’s ready (there will be liquid fat in the pan). Serve either cubed or shredded (pork will be tender enough that just touching it will cause it to fall apart).
 Serves 4-6

Notes: The key to this recipe is that the meat has fat, so don't trim it! If there's not enough fat on the meat the recipe will turn out too dry. The brilliance of this recipe lies in its simplicity. Add rubs or spices as desired, or simply season with salt.


Hasson's famous Avocado Tomatillo Salsa

1 ripe avocado

1 medium tomatillo

1 stemmed jalapeño pepper, quartered*

1 Cup water

1 Tablespoon white distilled vinegar

3/4 Teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

2 Tablespoons diced onion

Chef's note: 

For less heat, remove seeds from the jalepeños.

To make it hotter, substitute serrano peppers to the recipe.

In a blender or food processor puree all ingredients.  Add 1/4 to 1/2 lime to taste. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Makes 1-1/2 cups

Basic ChilePoblano Rajas

You can use different peppers or seasonings but this is a good basic recipe, by Rick Bayless.

I N G R E D I E N T S
4 medium, fresh chiles poblanos, roasted and peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2/3 cup crema or whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon mixed dried herbs (thyme, Mexican oregano, marjoram)
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt

I N S T R U C T I O N S
Chiles: Stem and seed the roasted chiles. You can remove the veins if you want a more mild rajas. Slice the chiles crosswise into 1/4" strips.

Heat the oil in a heavy sauté pan over medium heat and fry the onions until they brown, about 7 -8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and chile strips, cook 2 minutes.

Add the cream, herbs, and bay leaves and simmer until the liquid reduces enough to just coat the vegetables. Remove the bay leaves, taste and adjust salt as needed. 

Hasson's Famous New Years Day Bean dip

Okay, well maybe it's not famous yet... but it has potential!



20 min
10 min prep

SERVES 10

16 ounces refried beans
16 oz Ranch Style Beans

8 ounces pepper jack cheese
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 C milk or Half & Half

About 5 or so slices of american cheese
Grated Cotija Cheese (can be found in the mexican foods section of most groceries. This cheese has a nice bite to it and enhances Mexican recipes)


1 chopped jalapeno (more if you like the heat!)
1/3 C chopped Red onion
About 1/3 bunch fresh Cilantro, chopped fine
Juice of 1 lime
lime zest


Combine pepper jack, milk, and cream cheese over medium low heat and stir until smooth and creamy.

Add beans and jalepenos and stir until uniform consistency.

Add chopped cilantro and lime juice... grate some of the lime zest into the pan. Blend.

If the consistency appears too runny, add some of the american cheese and stir till blended so that sauce thickens. (Remember, the sauce will thicken up when off the heat)


Pour into a small bowl and top with grated cotija cheese. Serve with tortilla chips.


If you want to cut the recipe, just keep proportion of cheeses in equal thirds, and add beans to taste.

Carne Asada Tacos

One of my favorite things is "street tacos" from my days of traveling down to Baja.

Street tacos are simple, and delicious.

For my version of these tacos, I bought some nice looking Skirt Steak, and mixed up a marinade of the New Mexico Dry Rub added to about a quarter cup of olive oil and some red wine vinegar. I let this marinade soak for about 2 hours.

Heat the grill and add some hickory or mesquite wood chips, and grill until you have a decent char on the steak. Skirt steak is a thin, marbled cut of meat, so be careful not to let it go too hot, too long. Contrary to the way it "should" be done, I usually leave the lid on my Weber kettle grill with a lower temperature to allow the meat to take on more of a smoke flavor.

The meat is then simply chopped/diced and placed into corn tortillas warmed directly on the flame of a stove or on the grill. Add a chopped cilantro/onion garnish (with diced jalepenos added to this if you like more heat), diced tomatoes and some of the Gabriel's guacomole... delicious!

Gabriel's Guacamole

How do you like your guacamole? Here in Santa Fe, they like it pretty simple, and Gabriel's tableside guacamole is hard to beat anywhere in the world.

This is the base recipe from Gabriel's in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is intended only as a jumping-off point: Add more seasonings to your taste.  Prep Time: 10 minutes.

Yield: Makes 2 cups


Ingredients

2 medium Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeño
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon finely chopped onion
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro

Preparation

Coarsely mash avocados, garlic, and jalapeño with a wooden spoon until the avocados are creamy but still very chunky. Add the tomato, onion, and salt to taste, and stir together. Sprinkle with lime juice and cilantro, then stir and taste once more. Add more garlic, jalapeño, onion, salt, lime juice, or cilantro as desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

Smoked Shrimp Tacos and Smoked Chicken Tacos

Marinade for Shrimp:

About a pound of large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Olive oil, cumin, chipotle powder, garlic powder, coriander powder.

Dust all ingredients on shrimp and toss the shrimp with Olive oil to coat... set aside.

Marinade for chicken:

2 - 4 chicken breasts.

(Note: If they are large, flay each breast to make thinner pieces of meat so the coating will be on a greater surface area)

Olive oil, cumin, chipotle powder, Fresh Ground black pepper, sea salt, garlic powder, coriander powder, and red wine vinegar.

Dust all ingredients on chicken and toss with Olive oil to coat... set aside.

Over medium heat, Grill/smoke the chicken with mesquite wood. Add the shrimp when the Chicken is almost done, directly over the coals for about 2 minutes per side or until pink.

Cilantro Lime Crema

(goes well with the Shrimp tacos)
I started with Crema Mexicana from the store, and added a bit of sour cream (3 tbs), about 1/4 C fresh cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, and a clove of garlic. Put it in the food processor till smooth and set aside to blend flavors.

Avocado Tomatillo Salsa:

(Goes well with both the Shrimp and the chicken)
1/2 small onion, quartered
1/2 jalapeno, quartered, seeds optional
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and coarsely chopped
1 Hass avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Add all of the above to a food processor and blend to desired consistency... I made mine smooth.

Beans:

Mix one can refried beans with 1 can "Ranch Style" Pinto beans with Jalapeno peppers

Garnish all with grated Cotija cheese, fresh chopped cilantro, Chopped tomatoes... etc.

Fish Tacos with Smoked Salmon and Cilantro Lime Crema

Fish Tacos are great, but in my opinion it is the condiments that make them...

Wild Caught Salmon was smoked on the grill with mesquite for about 20 minutes.

Pico de Gallo with fresh chopped tomatoes, red onion, fresh cilantro, garlic, and anaheim chiles.

Cilantro Lime Crema;

I started with Crema Mexicana from the store, and added a bit of sour cream, fresh cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, garlic and anaheim chile. Put it in the food processor till smooth and set aside to blend flavors.

Top the corn tortillas with flaked salmon, add the crema, pico de gallo, red cabbage and grated Cotija cheese (this is a great cheese to add a bite to the tacos)

I am not a salmon fan, but these were good enough to make Valerie stop talking for the duration of the meal...