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.

Korean BBQ Beef - (Pulgogi)

Almost 30 years ago my wife and I visited Korea, and we still have the memories of two well known fares: Kimchi and Bulgogi. I had a Jones for pulgogi and decided to use the steak I had in the freezer to fulfill my craving. I found a few recipes that were very authentic, and combined the features into a marinade that made me very happy. I have reproduced my recipe below, along with a couple of the different background explanations from each recipe I used for inspiration. I have had this best served over simple and sticky white rice...

Korean barbecued beef (pulgogi) 

Next to kimchi, pulgogi may be Korea's best-known dish. Thin strips of spicy beef are cooked over a pulgogi, a dome-shaped charcoal grill. The beef is flavored with a complex, sweet and salty marinade - made with minced pear or kiwi, garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds and rice wine - which tenderizes and flavors the beef. Garlic is a key, and be sure to toast those sesame seeds!


Although it is often eaten during the summer as picnic fare, this dish is good any time. Thinly sliced pork loin or tofu can be substituted for the beef, and can be grilled with optional mushrooms and onions for an authentic Korean dish.


This version was cooked on a charcoal grill with hickory.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
• 5 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pear - peeled, cored, and minced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

Chefs note (optional): for a little extra spice, I added a bit of Asian chili-garlic sauce, which added to the complexity with some heat at the back end; you could also simply add freshly ground black pepper to taste 

Directions to make korean barbecued beef (pulgogi)
In a large bowl or ziploc bag, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, black pepper, garlic, green onions, and sesame seeds.

· Slice beef thinly into 1/2 x 2-inch pieces. (It helps in the beef is partially frozen when you slice it) Add meat to soy sauce mixture in bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.

· Grill meat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until brown.

· Serve with vegetable side dishes, such as the onions and mushrooms, broccoli, or zucchini or spinach, and rice. (*)

(*) Barbecued beef or pork also works well as a finger food. Place several slices of beef on a leaf of romaine lettuce and top it with 2 teaspoons of hot cooked rice and a dash of cayenne pepper. Roll up the leaf and enjoy.

Preparation time: 25 to 25 minutes
(plus chilling time of 1 to 2 hours)
Cooking time: 4 to 6 minutes
Serves 6

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!

New Mexico-Style Rub

This is probably my favorite rub. I use it on my Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce, and also beef, like skirt steak for Carne Asada.

This recipe is from Karen Putman's "Championship BBQ Secrets for Real Smoked Food", and if you are someone who loves to Barbeque, I would highly recommend this for your library.

New Mexico-Style Rub
For an authentic Southwest flavor, add this mixture to barbequed beans, pork, lamb or beef.

Mix all the following together and store

1/4 Cup chili powder
1tbsp onion powder
1tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Irish Nachos for an American Thanksgiving?

So it is thankgiving day. I am sorta falling asleep and flipping channels when I stop on some channel (A&E?, Bravo?, Food Network?) when they are talking about "Bar Food". The restaurant they are talking about is J. Gilligans in Arlington, TX, and they are talking about this creation of "Irish Nachos"; Irish for the potatoes and topped like Nachos.

Now my wife likes nachos, and LOVES potato skins, so this looked like a great bet for her. She had told me earlier she didn't want a traditional Thanksgiving dinner...

My version goes like this:

the potatoes are cut into thick "cottage style" slices (about four times as thick as a potato chip) and then double deep fried till the consistency of crisp French Fries.

They are then layered in a single layer in an oven safe pan or skillet, and topped with pepper jack cheese, diced red onion, diced jalepeno pepper (remove the seeds if you want it a bit more tame), and fresh chopped Cilantro... then further top with shredded cheddar, and fresh cooked chopped bacon.

Put in the oven at 450 till cheese is melted and bubbly, and plate with fresh sliced avocado and diced fresh tomato.

For the dipping sauce, mix sour cream with some spicy mix found in your cupboard; I used a Cajun spice, but any spicy mix will work.

You'll need a fork for this one...

Oh, and Valerie? She said this was one of her absolute favorites...

Smoked Baby Backs, Apricot Chicken, and Marinated Artichoke with Cauliflower Gratin and Southwestern Slaw

Sometimes you practice and practice and then it is Showtime! With friends in town, it was time to cook all day and see what happened.

For the ribs, a spicy New Mexico style rub, 6 hours of smoking and a finishing Cherry-Chipotle Barbeque sauce (both recipes from Karen Putman's "Championship BBQ Secrets for Real Smoked Food") ... and as long as I had room on the smoker I might as well smoke a pastrami for sandwiches later... right?!

Pictured above:

Smoked Baby backs with a Cherry Chipotle bbq sauce, Chicken Skewers with an Apricot glaze, Southwestern Slaw, Cauliflower Goat Cheese Gratin, and Smoked marinated Artichoke

For the baby backs: Cooking method is avg 230 degrees on a smoker. 2 1/2 to three hours smoking with a mixture of charcoal, oak and hickory or fruit wood such as cherry. Spray with apple juice every half hour or so. At the end of that time, wrap the ribs in foil (adding about a 1/4 cup of apple juice) and place back on the smoker for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Un wrap and place back on the grill for about 1/2 hour while glazing with sauce. (Rub and Sauce recipes courtesy Karen Putman's book "Championship Barbeque Secrets for Real Smoked Food")
Note: This cooking method is to produce ribs that are firm and pull cleanly off the bone; for "fall off the bone" ribs leave them in the foil a little longer.

Cherry Chipotle Barbeque Sauce
2 cups Ketchup
1 cup Cherry Preserves
1/2 cup Cherry Juice
1/2 packed brown suger
3 tsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp chipotle pepper sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp onion powder

Blend and simmer for about 10 minutes for flavors to blend

For the Chicken Skewers: Four or so chicken breasts sliced into thin strips and threaded onto pre-soaked bamboo skewers. Place on grill... when you flip them over glaze the cooked side, and when you take them off glaze the other side.

Apricot Glaze: (Adapted from Karen Putman's book above)

1 C Apricot preserves; 1/4 C maple syrup, 1/4 C packed brown Sugar, 3 tbsp Cider Vinegar, 1 tsp grated or minced fresh ginger, fresh ground black pepper

For the Marinated Artichoke: (recipe courtesy Artichokes.org)

(Recipe for 4 artichokes, 8 servings ½ artichoke each)
This recipe is perfect for the lazy cook, since all preparation can be done the previous day. The slightly smoky taste compliments the nuttiness of the artichoke and no dip is necessary, although some might want to use additional marinade for dipping.

Ingredients: 4 large artichokes, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, ¼ cup water, ¼ cup soy sauce, 1 T minced ginger, ¼ cup olive oil

Method:
Slice artichoke tops off, crosswise. Trim Stems.
Boil or steam artichokes until bottoms pierce easily, or a petal pulls off easily.
Drain artichokes. Cool. Cut each artichoke in half lengthwise and scrape out fuzzy center and any purple tipped petals.
Mix remaining ingredients in a large plastic bag. Place artichokes in the bag and coat all sides of the artichokes. For best flavor marinate in the mixture overnight in the refrigerator but should marinate at least one hour.
Drain artichokes. Place cut side down on a grill over a solid bed of medium coals or gas grill on medium. Grill until lightly browned on the cut side, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn artichokes over and drizzle some of the remaining marinade over the artichokes. Grill until petal tips are lightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes more.
Serve hot or room temperature

For the Cauliflower-Goat Cheese Gratin: (Recipe Courtesy Bobby Flay)

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated (cooks note: I used Pepper Jack)
2 cups grated Parmesan
6 ounces goat cheese, cut into small pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Layer the cauliflower, heavy cream, and the 3 cheeses in a medium casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft and the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Cook's Note: Recipe can be doubled and made in a roasting pan.

For the Southwestern Slaw: (recipe Courtesy Ellie Krieger)

Ingredients
1 medium jicama, sliced into thin strips (about 3 cups)
1/4 head red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
1 red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt and pepper

Directions
In a large bowl, toss together the jicama, cabbage, onion, and cilantro. In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to combine.

Jamaican Jerk Ribeye (HOT)

I got this from Bobby Flay's show "throwdown"... he challenged chef Nigel and his restaurant called "Ripe" who was then gracious enough to post the recipe below for the Ribeye Steak.

-- I found the actual recipe on Norm Schoen's "Eat or Die" blog

RECIPE FOR RIPE RESTAURANT'S "BIG ASS" JERK RUBBED RIBEYE STEAK

At the restaurant, we use the "Choice" Grade Cut.Feel free to use "Select" or "Prime" for this recipe,or any other cut from beef, pork or chicken. This Jerk Rub is very versatile.

1 16oz cut of boneless or bone-in Rib-Eye Steak.

Ingredients for Jerk Rub:

1tsp Nutmeg

2tsp White Pepper

¼ C Black Pepper

½ C Kosher salt

¾ C freshly ground Allspice

¾ C Brown Sugar

¾ C Orange Juice

1 whole Scotch Bonnet pepper

1 bunch Jamaican Thyme(about 10 stalks, picked from hard stems)

8 whole Garlic cloves

¾ C chopped Scallions (green onions)

2 cups whole Ajicito pepper (flavorful but not hot)

METHOD:Put ajicito peppers, scotch bonnet pepper, garlic cloves, thyme and scallions in food processor and pulse until it forms a paste. Then add the remaining ingredients except for the orange juice and blend. Slowly stream OJ into the processor until all is incorporated. You may adjust the amount of Orange Juice used depending on how dry or wet you prefer the rub to be. We like it be the consistency of a chutney.Smear paste over one side of steak and season the other side with salt and pepper. Marinate for 1 hour or up to 48 hours. Place steak on a hot grill and cook to just before desired doneness.Allow steak to rest (off the heat) for 10 minutes after cooking to redistribute juices and the carry-over cooking will bring it to your desired doneness. Then bite into that baby and lose your marbles!This Jerk Rub Recipe should make enough for at least 10 large Rib-Eye Steaks.The Rub can be stored in a tightly covered container in the refridgerator for up to 2 weeks.

NOTE:Ajicito peppers can be found in most Latin markets. It is also called "seasoning peppers" in Caribbean circles. It looks and smells just like a Scotch Bonnet pepper, but without the heat. It is used in the recipe to increase that scotch bonnet flavor, but can be substituted by adding a bit more green onions and scotch bonnet (if you can handle the additional heat). After letting this rub sit for a couple of days, the heat mellows out significantly anyway, so make a large batch by doubling or tripling the recipe. You won't be disappointed, and it lasts for weeks in the fridge.

Chadon Beni Sauce

(As Seen on "Throwdown" with Bobby Flay)

Chadon Beni (also called Shadow Benny in Trinidad & Culantro in Latin markets) has a broad, flat green leaf. Its a cousin of Cilantrowhich can be used as a substitute in the recipe.

1 cup densely packed Chandon Beni leaves.
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat italian parsley leaves
1 cup lime juice (fresh squeezed if available)

1/2 fresh scotch bonnet pepper (or habanero)

1/4 cup chopped scallions

6 whole peeled garlic cloves

1 tablespoon salt

Put all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth-add a little extra lime juice if puree is too thick

Culantro is VERY similar to cilantro in flavor, just a bit more powerful. Cilantro is a great substitute.The Jerk rub/marinade was EXTREMELY flavorful and even with only an hour of marinade time the flavors were jumping in my mouth. The Chadon Beni Sauce is well worth the effort too. It is a Chimichurri, but with a serious Island attitude.

Randy's notes: This recipe was HOT. I had Habanero peppers so I substituted those for the Scotch Bonnet peppers, and Anaheim Chiles for the Ajicito Peppers. The flavor is fantastic, but if you only like mild spice then cut the peppers and chiles...maybe even in half. The sauce to top this is imperative... that lime tang with the spice combinations is out of this world!

I served this with a Tomato Cucumber Red onion salad with balsamic vinagairette topped with goat cheese which helped counteract the heat.

Pineapple Orange Mango Salsa

A number of years ago in the summer I was looking for something refreshing... I looked at what I had in the house and came up with this which has been very popular from the start... I don't really measure stuff on this so sorry the proportions are approximate and can be adjusted to your taste...

1 pineapple

2 navel oranges

1 to 2 mangoes

about 1/4 red onion (or half if it is small)

1/4 to 1/2 bunch Cilantro
about 1 jalepeno
Minced garlic to taste

ground Cumin, Salt, and Cayenne pepper

Dice the fruit and onion up to salsa sized bits and throw it in a bowl, then add the finely chopped cilantro. Add some sea salt, and lightly dust the top with cumin. add a couple of very light shakes of the cayenne... be careful here not too much you can add more later.

The result should be a refreshing salsa that gets your attention with that little cayenne kick about 5 seconds after you take a bite...

If you want to add extra color to the dish (because you are, like, an artist or something), then try a bit of sweet red pepper and/or green onion or chopped red grapes...