Category: Complete Meals

Green Chile Bacon Cheeseburgers

To my great happiness, it is once again Hatch Chile Season!  The Hatch Chile hails from the small town of Hatch, NM – arguably the pepper capital of North America.  Hatch Chiles are exactly the same pepper as the well-known Anaheim Pepper, but because they are grown in the rocky soil of arid Southern New Mexico the plants have to work hard to survive.  This results in an intensely spicy-sweet flavor like nothing else in the world.  Due to the short growing season, Hatch Chiles are usually only available in August and September so make the most of them while they’re available!  This recipe is for the Green Chile Cheeseburger.  You can use frozen or canned chiles if need be, but there is nothing like fresh green Hatch Chiles roasted over mesquite.

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Frenched Rack of Lamb

This method will rival the best French Restaurants, yet is simple and easy enough for any home cook.

The hardest part is finding a Frenched rack of lamb. Ask your butcher to do it for you, or keep in mind that lamb chops and lamb loin chops, or even a boneless leg of lamb will all work just as well. This technique utilizes sous vide but remember: You can get nearly the same results going low-and-slow. The simple marinade is really the key to this dish.

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Grilled Fish Tacos

These Fish Tacos are as simple as they are delicious.  The thing that really, really makes them is the toppings – Fresh Homemade Guacamole, Homemade Pico De Gallo, Chipotle Mayo –  and Cotija cheese.  The perfect treat for a summer evening.

Ingredients

  1. 2-3 lbs Mahi Mahi (figure 8-12 oz per person)
  2. Medium sized corn tortillas
  3. 3 tomatoes, diced
  4. 1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
  5. 4-5 jalapeño peppers, finely diced
  6. 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  7. 4 ripe avocados
  8. Hatch green chiles (optional)
  9. 8-10 limes
  10. 1/2 cup mayo (homemade is best)
  11. 2 Tablespoons sour cream
  12. 2 chipotle chiles from a can of chipotles in adobo, seeded and finely minced
  13. 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the same can in (12)
  14. Juice and zest of one lime.
  15. Cotija cheese

Instructions

For the Pico de Gallo

  1. Begin by dicing up the tomatoes.  Transfer diced tomatoes to a colander, season very generously with Kosher salt, toss, and transfer to the sink to drain.  Doing this first while prepping the other ingredients will allow time for the salt to pull the moisture out of the tomatoes, which will ensure that you don’t have a watery salsa at the end.
  2. Dice jalapeños (reserving half for the guacamole)
  3. Dice onion
  4. Chop cilantro (use 1/3 for the Pico, 1/3 for the guacamole, and 1/3)
  5. Retrieve tomatoes from colander.  Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over mixture.  Toss, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Guacamole

  1. Peel and pit avocados.  Place in a medium bowl.
  2. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over avocado flesh and season with Kosher salt
  3. Add the remaining jalapeños and 1/3 of the cilantro and mash together until smooth, using two forks or a potato masher

For the Chipotle Mayo

  1. Combine Mayo, sour cream, chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, lime juice and lime zest together in a blender or food processor
  2. Process until smooth.
  3. Transfer to a squeeze bottle for easy use.  Will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

For the Mahi Mahi

  1. Brush mahi-mahi steaks lightly with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper (or whatever other seasoning you feel like).  Grill fish over medium-high heat until center registers 145°F on an instant read thermometer.
  2. Cut mahi-mahi steaks in half lengthwise

For the Tortillas

  1. Sprinkle tortillas with cotija cheese.
  2. Warm tortillas on a hot griddle or frying pan until cheese is melted.

Final Assembly

Place 1-2 fish strips on each tortilla.  Top with Pico de Gallo, guacamole, chipotle mayo, extra cotija cheese, and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Rice Pilaf and Summer Greens

Other than salmon, Mahi Mahi is my favorite fish to cook with.  It is firm, but not too firm, flaky, but not too flaky.  Meaty like swordfish but tender like cod.  Really, it’s the perfect fish.  Perhaps most important, it is currently not over-fished and is therefore a sustainable option.  It works well pan fried, crusted – however you want it; it work’s so well it really deserves a blog post all of its own.  But this post is on grilling – in and out in 30 minutes or less, the perfect dinner for a summer evening.  The main point of this post?  This is a hard one to screw up, so exercise those creative genes and do what makes you happy.

Ingredients

For the Pilaf

  1. 2 cups white rice
  2. 1/2 cup orzo (it’s pasta, technically, but it looks like rice – you’ll find it with pasta in the grocery store)
  3. 1-2 tablespoons butter or oil
  4. 1 small shallot, minced
  5. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  6. 1 tsp turmeric (or whatever other combination of herbs and spices make you happy).
  7. 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  8. 5 cups liquid (water, chicken stock, whatever)

For the Summer Greens

I like a mixture of whatever mixed greens look good at the store – baby spinach, arugala, kale… whatever works.  To these I would add something on the order of 1/4 cup of dried cranberries, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, perhaps some sliced oranges and this chili-lime and mango dressing – whatever makes you happy.

For the Mahi Mahi

  1. Mahi Mahi steaks (figure on 1-2 per person, depending on their appetites)
  2. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  3. You favorite fish seasoning (the poultry rub found in this post works surprisingly well on a lot of things, including fish.  Or you could use your favorite cajun seasoning for a blackened version.  Point is – do whatever makes you happy.  You’re getting this gist of this post now =D).

Method

For the Pilaf

  1. Heat oil and butter in whatever saucepan you’re going to use to make the rice.  Once butter is melted but still foamy, add shallots.
  2. Add garlic and sauté, 30 seconds
  3. Add orzo and, stirring constantly, toast until aroma is lightly nutty, 30 seconds to 1 minute
  4. Add liquid
  5. Add salt
  6. Add Turmeric, or whatever other herbs you’re using
  7. Add rice, cover and bring to a boil.
  8. Reduce to a simmer and simmer, covered, until all the liquid is absorbed, approximately 25 minutes

For the Summer Greens

Mix all dry ingredients together.  Dress salad right before serving.

For the Mahi Mahi

  1. Preheat grill to high heat.  Make sure the grill grates are clean.  Fish is notorious for sticking to the grill.
  2. Lightly brush mahi mahi steaks on both sides with olive oil
  3. Season steaks with seasoning of choice on both sides
  4. Lay steaks on hot grill, presentation side down, and grill for 3-5 minutes.  Using a metal spatula (use a fish spatula if you have one), turn the steaks over and grill for another 2-3 minutes, or until internal temperature reads 140°F.  Do not overcook.
  5. Remove from grill and place on platter; tent loosely with foil and allow to rest, not more than 5 minutes.