Category: Latin

Killer Garlic Bread with Roasted Garlic

This garlic bread is so good that it’s easy to eat it in place of eating dinner by mistake; for whatever reason, it is highly addictive. 

Also, it’s guaranteed to keep the vampires away but won’t leave you feeling like a giant bulb of garlic due to the fact that its primary garlicky-ness comes from roasted, not raw, garlic.

Continue reading “Killer Garlic Bread with Roasted Garlic” →

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.

Chili-Lime Mango Dressing

Sweet, Spicy, Tangy, Creamy – this dressing is a sure fire way to liven up any medley of mixed greens.  Add sliced oranges, dried cranberries, an avocado, some walnuts – whatever suits your fancy – and you’ve got yourself a unique and amazing salad.

Ingredients

  1.  5oz full fat plain Greek yogurt (2% will work fine also, just not “low fat”)
  2.  1 Egg
  3.  2 limes – zested and juiced
  4.  1 medium orange, zested (save the flesh for your salad)
  5.  1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  6.  1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or to taste)
  7.  Pinch of Kosher Salt
  8. 1 Mango, peeled and finely chopped and divided into two piles
  9.  Approximately 1 cup vegetable oil.

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients 1-7, plus one of the mango piles, into a food processor or cup that fits an immersion blender. Pulse everything a few times to combine.
  2. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil, starting with a few drops at a time, until a thick emulsion begins to form.  Alternatively, use the immersion blender dressing trick:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7kYiEB4ogYThis trick is really worth learning because in addition to making mayo, you can make aolis, dressings, spreads – whatever your imagination conjures up.
  3. Add the other mango pile to your dressing and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow to thicken up.  Dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Jalapeño Cheddar Soup

Ah, fall.  Labor Day festivities over, it’s finally time to embrace the fact that summer has finally drawn to a close.  Now is the time to embrace leaves turning color, a crispness to the air, a change in the light.  Fall is a time for flannel shirts, cooler days – and of course soup.

Of course here in SoCal that’s all mostly a fantasy; it’ll be triple digits – or at least mid-90s – most days here through at least Halloween, if not Thanksgiving.

But that isn’t going to stop me from making soup.

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time in a town called Big Bear up in the mountains of the San Bernardino National Forest, where autumn came early up at elevation and you could almost forget that you were only a couple hours away from the screaming urban sprawl that is Los Angeles.  My wife and I frequented a restaurant up there called Madlon’s (now closed) which was run by a couple of Cordon Bleu trained chefs.  Their food was amazing.  One of the best things on the menu was their Jalapeño Cheddar Soup.  The chef-owners of the restaurant, Rob and Chelsea, became friends and they were generous enough to share their recipe with me.

The recipe that they gave me was designed to make about 5 gallons of the stuff, so I’ve adapted it here for the home kitchen.  I share it here with their permission and with gratitude for their generosity.

Time:  90 minutes
Cost:  About $15 (for the whole pot)
Difficulty:  Easy

Ingredients:

  1.  2 tablespoons bacon fat, clarified butter, or regular unsalted butter
  2.  2 tablespoons olive oil
  3. 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  4. 3 ribs celery, diced
  5. 3 jalapeño peppers, minced, seeds and ribs removed
  6.  2 cloves garlic, minced
  7.  2 8oz cans tomato sauce
  8.  1.5 cups dry white wine
  9.  16oz grated cheddar cheese
  10.  2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water
  11.  Approximately 1 pint heavy cream (to taste preference)
  12. 1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

Instructions

  1.  In a heavy-bottomed sauté pan or large skillet, melt fat and oil over medium high heat.  Add onion, celery and jalapeños and sweat until onions are translucent and celery and jalapeños are soft, 3-5 minutes.  Add garlic and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant, 1-2 minutes more.
  2.  Add white wine and deglaze the pan
  3.  Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Cover (or mostly cover) and allow soup to simmer 30 minutes until vegetables are very tender and flavors have developed.
  4.  Using an immersion blender, purée the contents of the pot until very smooth
    1.   NOTE:  Make sure the head of the immersion blender is fully submerged before turning it on, unless you like hot soup explosions.
    2.   NOTE:  You can purée the soup in batches in a regular blender, but be careful.  Make sure that (1) you don’t fill the blender more than half way and (2) make sure that you leave adequate venting at the top of the blender.  If you don’t the steam will create a pressure monster and hot soup will be all over your kitchen in a hurry.  Most blenders have a removable stopper in the lid.  I recommend removing this and covering the hole with a kitchen towel.
  5. Once the soup is puréed, transfer soup to a small stock-pot or large saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and stir in cheese.  Allow cheese to fully melt, stirring occasionally.
  6.  Stir in heavy cream, a little at a time, until desired texture and color is achieved.  Return to a simmer.
  7. If the soup still isn’t thick enough (which it probably won’t be), add a slurry consisting of 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water.  Add and stir to thicken.
  8. Remove soup from heat and stir in vinegar.
  9. Serve with grilled cheese, crusty bread, or enjoy on its own.

 

Steak Fajitas

Steak soaked in a zesty citrus marinade and then grilled to perfection; serve with pico de gallo, homemade gaucamole, sour cream, roasted peppers and onions and Mexican cheese.  Easy, cheap and delicious.

Ingredients:

For the Steak

  1. 2.5lb London Broil or Tri-Tip Roast
  2. 1/2 cup orange juice
  3. 1/2 cup lime juice (approximately 6 limes)
  4. Zest of 1 lime
  5. 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  6. 2 tsp chile powder
  7. 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  8. 1 TBSP kosher salt
  9. 1 TBSP coarsely ground black pepper.
  10. 1 cup mesquite wood chips (optional)

For the Pico de Gallo

  1. 1 Large yellow onion, finely diced
  2. 2-3 Roma tomatoes, finely diced
  3. Large pinch Kosher salt
  4. 2 jalapeño peppers, minced
  5. juice of one lime
  6. 2-3 TBSP cilantro, finely chopped

For the Guacamole

  1. 3-4 large, ripe Haas avocados (or 6-7 little organic ones)
  2. 1 jalapeño pepper, minced
  3. 1 3.5oz can hatch green chiles (optional)
  4. 4 TBSP pico de gallo (above)

For the Fajita Mix (peppers and onions)

  1. 2 TBSP olive oil
  2. 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  3. 1 each: Red bell pepper, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper
  4. 1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced into half-rings

For Serving

  1. Medium size yellow corn tortillas, 3-4 per person
  2. Freshly grated Cotijá cheese
  3. Shredded Mexican Cheese
  4. Sour Cream

Prep:

For the Steak

  1.  Whisk ingredients 2-9 together in a medium size mixing bowl.
  2. Transfer steak to large 1-2 gallon ziplock bag.  Add marinade to bag with steak and massage to incorporate well.  Refrigerate for 2-4 hours, or up to 8 hours.  Flip bag over half way through marinating process if possible.

For the Pico de Gallo

  1. Dice tomatoes first.  Add to colander and sprinkle with Kosher salt.  Toss gently to season and allow to sit in the sink 20 minutes.  Tomatoes will give up much of their moisture making your pico less watery.
  2. Prepare onions, jalapeños, lime and cilantro.  Stir to combine.
  3. Add tomatoes to mixture and stir to combine again.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the Guacamole

  1.  Halve avocados and remove pits.  Spoon avocado out of shells into a medium to large mixing bowl.
  2. Add ingredients 2-4 and mash well using a potato masher.  (Note:  Guacomole is best served right away.  If left in contact with air too long it will oxidize and turn brown.  If preparing a couple hours in advance, smooth guacomole in bowl, drizzle with lime juice, and cover with plastic wrap with the plastic wrap in full contact with the guacamole).

For the Fajita Mix (peppers and onions)

  1. Prepare all ingredients as directed
  2. Add to a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet and stir (or toss if you’re strong enough; cast iron is heavy) to combine.

Cook

  1. Light 1 or 2 burners if using gas; if using charcoal light 1 chimney starter full of lump charcoal and set grill up for 2-zone cooking.  Make sure the grill is good and hot.  Just prior to grilling steak, add 1 cup mesquite wood chips, if using.  Click HERE for more information on grilling and smoking.
  2. Remove steak from marinade and pat dry.  Discard leftover marinade.
  3. Place steak down on hot side of grill and sear, approximately 5 minutes per side, until nicely browned.  Transfer to cool side of grill.
  4. Add cast iron skillet to hot side of grill and close the lid.  Sauté fajita mixture in cast iron until nicely caramelized and soft, 15 – 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Steak and vegetables should finish at roughly the same time, but if they don’t just remove the one that is done and tent with aluminum foil.
  5. Once steak and Fajita mixture are done, remove and allow to rest for a few minutes
  6. Warm tortillas on a griddle or in a frying pan.  Sprinkle with cotijá cheese and continue to toast until cheese is melted.
  7. Slice steak thinly across the grain on the bias using a sharp knife

Serve

Plate Steak, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Fajita mixture, shredded Mexican cheese and sour cream together.  Have eaters assemble fajitas at table as desired.