Salsa de Congrejo

I love to eat crawfish; and, in my cooking, I have made a few etoufees and gumbos that feature the freshwater crustaceans.  A while back, I bought a bag of frozen crawfish, hoping to make a nice meal with it. (I don't have a good reliable source for fresh crawfish.) When I got around to deciding to make that meal, I found myself wanting something more than a bowl of gumbo. I wanted to try something different.

It got me thinking to another dish that I love to eat ... chapulines. There is something about grasshoppers marinated in a variety of spices, chiles and herbs that is very appetizing. The best chapulines recipes come, of course, from the Mexican State of Oaxaca. So, I decided that I would pursue the pages of Oaxacan recipes looking for a recipe that could serve as a starting point a crawfish dish. 

To be sure, there were a few recipes that caught my attention. The one that I decided to make was a Salsa de Chapulines. Perhaps it has been my recent craze in making Sambols - like Lunu Miris or Dried Shrimp Sambol - that got me thinking this salsa could have a variety of uses in other dishes. All I needed to do was to substitute the grasshoppers with crawfish. I would then have Salsa de Congrejo. 

This salsa is very easy to make as long as you have access to some good tomatillos, which you can find at most Latin American markets and even in some big name grocery stores. I did not have any morita chiles on hand, so I bought a can of chipotles and just made sure that I rinsed the adobo off of them. One could use dried or reconstituted chipotles if you have them, but the store-bought ones were more convenient to use. 

Now, I just need a good source for chapulines (spoiler -- I found one, check back for that post).

SALSA DE CONGREJO

Recipe adapted from Oaxaca, by Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral

Serves a few

Ingredients:

• Generous one pound of tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion 
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 morita chiles (substitute chipotle chiles), stems removed
• 1/4 cup cooked and rinsed crawfish tails
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions:

1. Boil the tomatillos. In a 2-quart saucepan over medium high heat, combine the tomatillos and 1/2 cup water and heat to boiling. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. until the tomatillos have changed color from a dark to a light green color. Set aside. 

2. Prepare the salsa. Heat the oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the onion and garlic, reduce the heat and mix well. Sauté until the garlic and onion are golden brown, then remove from the pan and reserve. Add the chiles to the pan and toast them for about 1 minute or until the color changes to a bright red. Remove from the pan and reserve. Add the crawfish tails and fry for about 3-4 minutes, until they are heated through. 

3. Finish the dish. In a blender, pure the tomatillos, chiles and garlic and onion mixture, 3/4 cup water and the salt. Stir in the lime juice. Pour into a bowl and add the crawfish tails. 

PEACE.

Blackened Wahoo

As the story goes, European explorers who reached the Hawaiian islands noted the abundance of a steel blue, slender fish whose quick speed allowed it to chase down fish and squid.  Once the explorers reached the island, they asked the natives for the name.  "Oahu."  The European explorers replied, "wahoo?"  Needless to say, the island retained its name of Oahu, while the "wahoo" moniker was saved for that abundant fish that swam the nearby waters.

The story is probably just fiction.  Let's turn to a few facts.  First, the wahoo is a member of the scombridae, a family of fish that include mackerels, tunas and bonito.  Of all of those fish, the wahoo is probably the closest relative to the king mackerel.  Second, the wahoo is caught using longline and handlines, as well as hook and line, methods.  These are the methods typically used to catch tuna, marlin and swordfish. Once caught, the average wahoo weighs between 8 to 30 pounds, although some could be as large as 100 pounds.  

I have never had the opportunity to fish for wahoo, as I have not yet had the opportunity to fish out on the ocean.  Nevertheless, I have been able to "hunt" for the fish at the counter of the local seafood market.  I found some fresh wahoo fillets at the local market during our vacation.  I was eager to get the fish and cook with it, because it is extremely difficult to find it where I live.  So, I bought a couple of fillets to make a dish for my beautiful Angel and my inlaws. The only question was what recipe to make with those fillets.  

As one would expect, wahoo can be cooked much in the way one would cook tuna or swordfish.  The fillets have a mild texture, with large, circular flakes, and much less of a blood line than their other relatives.  Wahoo can be cooked using any of the typical methods: baking, broiling, frying, grilling, poaching or sauteing.  I decided to make a blackened wahoo.  I separated out the large round flakes so that everyone had one large round of blackened fish and then blackened the remaining pieces to served along the round.  The blackening spice is one of my traditional go-to mixes, which worked very well with this fish.  The texture of the fish stood up to the high heat of the pan and kept its form for service.  Overall, this was a great first recipe with wahoo.  

BLACKENED WAHOO

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 4

1 pound of wahoo steaks (2 steaks, bloodline removed)
1 tablespoon ground garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground onion powder
1 tablespoon ground paprika powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon dried chipotle chile powder
Few dashes of ground cumin powder
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1.  Prepare the blackened spice mix.  Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika powder, smoked paprika powder, thyme, chile powders, cumin powder and salt.

2. Prepare the wahoo steaks.  Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to a bowl.  Add the wahoo and toss gently to coat.  Add the blacked spice mix until all sides of the steaks are coated.

3.  Cook the wahoo steaks.  Heat a pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat until the oil is almost smoking.  Add the wahoo steaks and sear the steaks on every side, about 2 minutes per side.

ENJOY!

Carne Adovada

Several years ago, I had to make a few trips to the State of New Mexico for work. That work took me to Santa Fe, which is about an hour's drive from Albuquerque. Those trips introduced me to the Hatch chile, as well as the wonderful cuisine made from the chiles.  Each work trip involved at least one stop to The Chile Shop.  At the end of each trip, I usually came home with a pound of ground chiles, both red and green.  Over time, those ground chiles have made it into a lot of the food I prepare, including eleven dishes that have made it onto this blog. 

For New Mexicans, the ground chiles are the foundation of dishes such as Carne Adovada.  Originally, cooks would marinate cubes or strip of pork in a crock or pot with chiles and bacterial cultures used in yogurt.  This marination/fermentation process imparted a slightly sour taste to the meat, which would then be stewed with onions, garlic and, of course, more chiles.  The result is a very rich dish of fork-tender pork nestled, if not swimming, in a red chile sauce that has just a hint of sourness. The recipe provided a very tasty and needed way to preserve the various cuts of a pig after being slaughtered. 

Cooks do not need to go through the marination process anymore, because refrigeration made fermentation unnecessary.  The rest of the cooking process remains relatively unchanged and the finished dish continues to be just as delicious.  

I found a very easy recipe for making Carne Adovada in Cooks Country Eats Local.  First, the recipe allows for the use of "chile powder" or "chili powder," rather than specifying a specific type of ground chiles, such as Hatch chiles or Guajillo chiles.  While the Hatch chile would provide the best result, a small bottle of standard store-bought chile works just fine.  The recipe also provided several steps -- browning the pork, sauteeing the onions, adding flour, raisins plumped with coffee and some lime juice -- that helps to develop the flavor of the chile sauce.  

The finished dish is amazing, and brought back the memories of my trip to Santa Fe.  If only the dish did not require a couple of hours to make, I'd add this to the rotation of dishes that I could make during the week. 

CARNE ADOVADA

Recipe from Cooks Country Eats Local, pp. 260-261

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup brewed coffee

1 (4 to 5 pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed of excess fat

     and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon grated lime zest plus 1 tablespoon juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1.  Prepare raisin mixture.  Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine raisins and coffee in small bowl.  Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and microwave until liquid begins to boil, 1 to 3 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes until raisins are plump.

2.  Prepare pork.  Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat until just smoking.  Brown half of pork, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining pork.  

3.  Prepare sauce.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from Dutch oven.  Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add flour, chili powder, oregano, chipotle and garlic raisin mixture, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil.  Working in 2 batches, transfer mixture to blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Return sauce to pot.

4.  Finish the dish.  Add browned pork to sauce in pot and transfer ot oven.  Cook, covered, until pork is fork tender, about 2 hours.  Skim fat from sauce, then stir in lime zest, lime juice and pepper to taste.  Serve.  Pork can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

ENJOY!

Chipotle-Garlic Roasted Turkey Thighs with Roasted Potatoes and Turkey Crackling

It has been a while since I tried to create my own recipes, or a recipe that I would deem worthy of being published on this blog. To be sure, I am not a professional chef.  I cannot expect that I will create dishes at a level of many of the chefs that I follow through social media.   That is not really the objective of this blog.  Instead, this blog is about my journey through food.  It is about learning new things about ingredients, cooking techniques, cuisines and much, much more.  

Yet, there are times when I return to things I know and love.  I know how to roast a turkey thigh.  I love the combination of Mexican inspired ingredients, such as chipotle peppers, garlic, cumin, and adobo, in a rub.   That is how this recipe for Chipotle-Garlic Roasted Turkey Thighs developed.  I purchased a couple of bone-in, skin-on turkey thighs and returned home to rifle through my spice drawer to get together all of ingredients for the rub.   

Once I gathered all of the ingredients, I stopped and looked at the thighs, focusing upon the skin.  I could prepare these thighs with the skin, hoping that the skin would crisp up by the time the thighs themselves were cooked.  That had not always happened in the past.  Or, I should say, the skin has not always been as crisp as I would have liked it.    I was halted, at least for the moment.  The question was what to do with the skin.

The answer came in one word.  Crackling.  I have passed bags of pork crackling on the shelves of my local grocery store.  I thought to myself, "why can't I make turkey crackling."  Apparently, that thought had crossed the minds of many others.  There are many different recipes for turkey crackling.  However, they all say the same thing -- stretch the skin out on a non-stick pan or baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and bake until brown and crispy at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven.

As one question was answered, another arose.  What to do with the crackling?  One obvious answer was simply to eat it.  I decided that I would break it up and add it to the potatoes that would be roasted with the turkey thighs.   Once that decision was made, the recipe was set and the cooking commenced ....

CHIPOTLE-GARLIC TURKEY THIGHS WITH 

ROASTED POTATOES AND TURKEY CRACKLING
A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
2 turkey thighs, with skin and bones
2-3 large garlic cloves, diced finely
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon toasted, granulated onion
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon adobo powder
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 pound of red skinned potatoes
1 onion, peeled and quartered

Directions:

1.  Make crackling.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Remove turkey skin from thighs.  Spread skin on baking sheet and salt generously.  Bake the skin for 30 minutes until brown and crispy.  Remove from the oven and place turkey skin on a plate.  Set aside.

2.  Prepare marinade.  De-bone thighs.  Combine garlic, chipotle powder, granulated onion, Kosher salt, dried oregano and adobo powder.  Apply marinade to turkey thighs.  Place thighs in the refrigerator to marinate for 1 to 2 hours.

3.  Boil the potatoes.   Clean the potatoes. Slice the potatoes in half.  Bring a pot of water to boiling.  Add the potatoes and boil until almost tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside for the moment.

4.  Roast the turkey thighs.  Increase the temperature of the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place the turkey thighs in a roasting pan with the onions and potatoes.  Roast for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 375 degrees.  Continue roasting until the temperature of the turkey is 165 degrees Fahrenheit, about 35 to 40 minutes.   

Pike's Place Salmon Burgers

The Pike's Place Market is one the most well known symbols of the city of Seattle.   It opened on August 17, 1907, the result of a proposal by Seattle City Councilman Thomas Revelle, who proposed the idea of a public market where both farmers could sell their goods directly to the city's residents.  According to the market's website, Councilman Revelle proclaimed, "the Market is yours. I dedicate it to you and may it prove of benefit to you and your children. It is for you to protect, defend, and uphold and it is for you to see that those who occupy it treat you fairly. … This is one of the greatest days in the history of Seattle."  For more than 100 years, I think the citizens of Seattle have upheld their responsibilities to protect, defend and uphold that market and, during that time, the market and its vendors have provided a lot to the citizens, including this one particular recipe for Pike's Place Salmon Burgers.

I happened to find this recipe when I was preparing for our annual Super Bowl Party.  With each game, the challenge is to make sandwiches or snacks that are representative of the city or state whose teams are playing in the game.  Super Bowl XLVIII featured the Denver Broncos vs. the Seattle Seahawks.  As the conference championships came to a close, I immediately knew that I would be making a salmon burger to represent the city of Seattle.  I just needed a recipe.

I found that recipe on the NBC Today website.  The recipe comes from the Pike's Place Fish Guys, Justin Hall and Anders Miller, and can be found in their cookbook, In the Kitchen with the Pike's Place Fish Guys.  The  Fish Guys give a relatively straightforward introduction to the dish: These are the very same patties that seem to fly out of the case at Pike Place Fish. They are great served on their own or with your favorite sauce, such as tartar or dill sauce. We think the best way to serve them is on a brioche bun, with a little arugula, tomato, and a slice of Walla Walla sweet onion on top. This might be the best salmon burger ever. 

The "best salmon burger ever"?  That is a pretty bold claim. I will say that this recipe produces a great salmon burger.  It is definitely better with the tomato, sweet onion and arugula.  While it is a great burger, and perhaps the best Northwestern-style salmon burger, I personally think my beautiful Angel's Salmon Burgers are the best salmon burgers ever, especially smoked on a cedar plank and served with ancho guacamole. 

 

PIKE'S PLACE SALMON BURGERS

Recipe from NBC Today 

Serves 4

Ingredients (for the burgers):

1 pound boneless, skinless, wild salmon, finely chopped
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon rub (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon Northwest Seafood Seasoning (see recipe below)
1 cup panko crumbs

Ingredients (for the rub):
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup dried cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons fennel seed
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic pepper seasoning
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon ground celery seed
1/4 cup dried granulated onion
1 1/2 tablespoons of ground chipotle chile

Ingredients (for the Northwest Seafood Seasoning):
1/3 cup dried minced garlic
1/3 cup dried granulated onion
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
4 teaspoons granulated lemon peel
1/3 cup dried dill
1/3 cup paprika
2 tablespoons celery seed
1/2 cup dried parsley
1/4 cup medium grind black pepper

Directions:

1.  Prepare the rub: Combine all of the ingredients (brown sugar, paprika, cilantro, fennel seed, garlic pepper, salt, celery seed, onion, and chipotle) in a bowl and mix well. Store in a covered container for at least 6 months.

2.  Prepare the Northwest Seafood Seasoning: Combine all of the ingredients (garlic, onion, salt, lemon peel, dill, paprika, celery seed, parsley, and pepper) in a bowl and mix well. Store in a covered container for at least 6 months.

3.  Prepare the burgers. Place the chopped salmon in a large bowl and add 2 teaspoons of the oil, the rub, and the seafood seasoning. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Add the panko crumbs and mix to combine.  Form the mixture evenly into 4 patties, packing them firmly around the edges so they don't fall apart. Each patty should be between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick.

4.  Cook the burgers.  Preheat a skillet (cast iron works well) over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is nearly smoking, add the patties and cook for 3 minutes. Turn carefully with a spatula and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. The patties may also be grilled over medium-high heat for the same amount of time.

5.  Plate the dish.  Toast the ciabatta buns or sandwich buns for a couple of minutes.  Place a burger on the bottom half of the bun and top with a slice of tomato, some thin slices of onion and some arugula.

ENJOY!

Beer Braised Turkey Tacos with Chipotle Guacamole

Deborah Schneider, the author of Amor y Tacos, once said, "The immediacy of a taco, handed to you hot from grill and comal, can’t be equaled. You can stand there and eat yourself silly with one taco after another, each made fresh for you and consumed within seconds."  She added, " a great taco rocks with distinct tastes that roll on and on, like a little party on your tongue, with layers of flavor and textures: juicy, delicious fillings, perfectly seasoned; the taste of the soft corn tortilla; a morsel of salty cheese and finally, best of all, the bright explosion of a freshly-made salsa that suddenly ignites and unites everything on your palate."  Those words provide a much better advertisement for tacos than any thirty second advertisement from the chain with the bell.  And, dare I say Schneider's words also trump the smell of chicken cooking on the flat top of another chain ... the one takes its name from a pepper and who makes far better tacos that that bell place.

Although I usually eat tacos once a week (from that place with the pepper name), I recently had the urge to make some tacos at home.  When I make tacos at home, I usually make fish tacos, like Tacos de Pescado, so I can eat with my beautiful, pescatarian wife.  This time, however, I wanted to make something different.  And, I mean truly different.  I did not just want to make chicken tacos or steak tacos.  For once, I did not even want to make carnitas tacos.  I really wanted to try new flavors and textures.

I did some research and came across a recipe for beer-braised turkey tacos.  The recipe came from Deborah Schneider.  Her recipe sounded delicious, but I had to make a few alterations and substitutions.  First, her recipe calls for a Mexican dark lager, like Negro Modelo.  I bought most of the ingredients at a grocery store that did not have Negro Modelo, so, I had to improvise.  I bought a dark lager from ... Utah.  It was Unita Brewing's Baba lager. The other alteration was that I decided to leave off the garnish of cilantro and sesame seeds.  First, the store was surprisingly out of fresh cilantro.  Second, I had other designs for the taco that would preclude sesame seeds.

As I thought about how beer-braising the turkey would introduce a lot of distinct tastes, I wanted to add additional flavors that went beyond mere sesame seeds.  My beautiful wife has made me a fan of guacamole, so I decided that I would add a spicy, chipotle guacamole to add to the tacos. This recipe for guacamole is very simple and it packs a good kick from the chipotle and adobo.  More importantly, I thought the smoky and earthy flavors from the chipotle and adobo would reinforce the malty and roasted flavors of the dark beer used to braise the turkey.  In the end, the flavor combinations worked perfectly.  I had made myself some substantial, richly flavored tacos. 

BEER BRAISED TURKEY TACOS WITH CHIPOTLE GUACAMOLE

Taco recipe adapted from one by Deborah Schneider

available at Food and Wine

Makes 12 Servings

Ingredients (for the tacos):

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds of turkey thighs, skin and fat removed

4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 medium white onion, cut into 1-inch dice, 

     plus minced white onion, for serving

1 large oregano sprig

1 chipotle pepper with 1 teaspoon of adobo

1/2 of an ancho or poblano pepper, diced finely,

1 2-inch cinnamon stick

1 cup of water

1 12-ounce bottle of dark beer, such as Modelo Negro

Ingredients (for the guacamole):

2 avocados
1 chipotle, diced with 1 teaspoon of adobo
1/2 red onion, diced finely
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon of sea salt

Directions:

1.  Brown the turkey.  In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season the turkey with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until richly browned all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer the turkey to a plate. 

2.  Saute the base ingredients.  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the casserole along with the garlic, diced onion, oregano and chipotle and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato, ancho or poblano pepper (reserve some for a topping on the tacos) and cinnamon stick and cook, stirring, until the tomato releases its juices. 

3.  Braise the turkey.  Return the turkey to the casserole, add the beer and water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat, turning once, until the turkey thighs are tender, about 1 hour. Transfer the turkey to a plate and let cool. Discard the oregano sprig and cinnamon stick and boil the sauce over high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 12 minutes. 

4.  Prepare the guacamole.  Add the avocados, chipotle with adobo, red onion, lime and sea salt in a bowl.  Mash and mix all of the ingredients together until you achieve the desired consistency.

5.  Finish the dish.  Preheat the oven to 350°. Wrap the tortillas in foil and bake for about 8 minutes, until softened and heated through. Remove the turkey meat and shred it. Transfer the sauce to a food processor and puree. Return the sauce to the pot and stir in the shredded turkey. Season with salt and pepper.

6.  Plate the tacos.  Spoon the turkey onto the tortillas. Top with minced onion and minced pepper. Serve immediately.

That quote from Deborah Schneider at the beginning of this post ends as follows: "At the end of our two or three-bite taco you just want to repeat the experience until you are sated."  I can truly say that, at the end of eating one of these beer-braised turkey tacos, with the chipotle guacamole, I truly wanted to eat another ... and another ... and another....

ENJOY!

Lahore-Style Lamb Curry

One of the things that I love most about cooking is the ability to transport someone to places that he or she has not been and may not visit.  It starts with a recipe for a dish from a particular country, region, city or even neighborhood.  After gathering all of the ingredients, the prep work gives hints of far away places.  The smells and tastes begin to carry you to the place.  As the ingredients cook, those smells and tastes intensify, and the travels begin to pick up pace.  Finally, as the food is served and enjoyed, the person can find himself or herself at that place.

Maybe I have watched one too many episodes of No Reservations or Bizarre Foods.  Perhaps it is also my love of food-based tours, such as the one I took in Italy.  The one thing that I am certain of is that there is a level of creativity and imagination with cooking that goes far beyond the plating of a dish. 

For this recipe, I find myself in the capital of Pakistan's Punjab province, Lahore.  The recipe is for a Lahore-style lamb curry.  The ingredients that go into this curry are fairly familiar to someone who loves and strives to make curries ... turmeric, coriander, chilies, cloves.  The one thing that I did not expect was the rather thin consistency of the curry.  This was due to the large amount of water used in the recipe.   At least for me, it seems that curries from the subcontinent -- whether Pakistani or Indian (including regional dishes) -- seem to be a little thicker, like a sauce.  The liquid from this lamb curry was more soup-like than sauce-like.  

In the end, I liked this recipe and I would make it again.  I will experiment with this dish to see what I can do to thicken the sauce.  There are a couple of options, such as letting the sauce cook down after the allotted time for cooking the lamb.  Another option may be to cut the amount of diced tomatoes in half and use tomato puree or tomato paste, both of which would thicken the resulting sauce.  I will definitely provide an update to this post (or perhaps write an entirely new post) with the result. 

LAHORE-STYLE LAMB CURRY

Recipe from Fearless Kitchen

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoons of olive oil

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1 onion sliced thin

4 garlic cloves, sliced

5 green chiles, sliced

1 pound of boneless leg of lamb, cubed

1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric

1/ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon of chipotle chile powder

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt

6 1/4 cups of water

2 ounces of red lentils

14 ounces diced San Marzano tomatoes

Chopped fresh cilantro to taste

Directions:

1.  Prepare the lentils.  Combine the lentils with 2 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Boil 12-15 minutes or until the water is evaporated.  The lentils should just fall apart for the most part.  Set aside.

2.  Saute the vegetables.  Heat the oil in a medium saute pan.  Add the onion, bay leaf, cloves and pepper, saute until the onion is golden.  Add the garlic and chiles.  Saute for about a minute. 

3.  Saute the lamb.  Add the lamb, turmeric, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, chipotle powder, ground coriander, cinnamon and salt.  Saute for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

4.  Add the water and simmer.  Add 3 3/4 cups of water to the pan.  Cover with a lid, reduce heat adn simmer until the lamb is tender, about 35-40 minutes. 

5.  Finish the dish.    Add the lentils and tomatoes.  Stir well and make sure the curry is warm throughout.  Transfer to a serving vessel and garnish with cilantro.

ENJOY!

Southwestern Bean Burgers with Jalapeno Guacamole and Chipotle Fries

Recently, I wanted to make black bean burgers for my beautiful Angel.  I soon learned that there are a seemingly endless number of black bean burger recipes on the Internet.  I reviewed several of those recipes, but none of them really stood out to me.  As I began to wonder what to do, I came across a recipe for Southwestern Black Bean Burgers for Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries, which was provided by Katherine Martinelli on her website.  The recipe incorporated chipotle peppers and adobo into the burgers.  I have previously professed my love for chipotle peppers in connection with The Inferno Steak recipe.  So, with the opportunity to use chipotle chiles, I chose Martinelli's black bean burger recipe.  

As I got ready to make the dish, I made a couple of changes to the recipe.  The biggest change was the substitution of sweet potatoes with regular potatoes.  I am not a big fan of sweet potatoes and so I decided that I would use Russet potatoes in their place.  The other major change is that I decided that I would make a guacamole to serve with the bean burgers.  I found a fairly basic recipe for guacamole on the Internet, which was posted by Bargain Briana, and I was ready to make the meal.

There was one curveball.  I bought all of the ingredients that I needed for the black bean burgers, fries and guacamole, except one ... the buns.   Unwilling to head back out to the grocery store, I decided to improvise and used slices of a beefsteak tomato for the "buns."  The tomato slices actually were much better than a bun, the substitution reduced the amount of carbohydrates and lightened the dish. 

SOUTHWESTERN BLACK BEAN BURGERS WITH 

JALAPENO GUACAMOLE AND CHIPOTLE FRIES 

Recipe for the burgers and fries adapted from Katherine Martelli

Recipe for the guacamole adapted from Bargain Briana

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients (for the burgers):

1 (14 ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup of corn kernels (defrosted, if frozen)

1 chipotle in adobo (from can, reserve the rest for later)

1/2 teaspoon adobo liquid

1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped

1 egg

1 cup of bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 very large beefs steak tomato

Salt

Ground pepper

Ingredients (for the Chipotle Fries):

2 Russet potatoes, cut into thick matchsticks

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder

Ingredients (for the Jalapeno Guacamole):

2 avocados, ripe

1 red onion, diced

1 lime

1/2 bunch of cilantro

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

1.  Prepare the chipotle fries. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Toss the fries with the olive oil, chipotle powder and salt.  Lay the fries on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender and starting to get crispy.   Shake the fries halfway through the baking.  

2.  Prepare the bean burgers.  Put the black beans, corn, chipotle, adobo liquid and cilantro in a food processor.  Transfer to a bowl, add the egg, bread crumbs and garlic powder.  Mix all of the ingredients together.  Season with salt and pepper.  Form into two large or four small even patties.  Place the patties on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.  

3.  Prepare the jalapeno guacamole.  Add the avocados, red onion, lime juice, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Mash the avocados and all of the other ingredients until the desired consistency is reached.  

4.  Cook the burgers.  Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the black bean burgers and cook until browned on both sides, flipping once, about 8 minutes total. 

Overall, this dish impressed me.  I am not a big fan of black bean burgers, but the use of chipotle peppers in the mix really provided the burger with a spicy, smoky kick.  Clare really liked this dish as well, which means that I'll be making it again. 

ENJOY!

The Inferno Steak

This recipe is a story about how a Chef Bolek Original recipe is created.  In advance of an upcoming steak night, I decided to see if I could find an interesting steak recipe to make.  I start by looking at those chefs and cooks who I admire and trust, like Michael Symon, Bobby Flay and Steven Raichlen.  On this particular occasion, I was looking at Steve Raichlen's recipes when I came across two recipes, one for Hellfire Steaks and another for Steak from Hell.  I am someone who loves spicy food, so these recipes caught my attention.  Both recipes looked great, but, for me, they did not conjure the "fire" that I wanted.

I decided to create my own hellish steak recipe.  I immediately drew inspiration from outside of the culinary world: the first part of the 14th century poem, Divine Comedy.  Also known as Inferno, this part was written by Dante Alighieri to document the descent into hell.  That descent began at the gates of hell, which bore an inscription that ended with the words: "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate", or "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."  That sounded like a fitting beginning for a hellish steak recipe.  After passing through the gates, Dante made his way through nine circles of suffering -- Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery -- with each circle representing a gradual increase in wickedness.

The nine circles got me to thinking.  Many people think of eating chiles as a kind of suffering ... with the heat and piquancy causing sweating and discomfort.  I decided to use nine different chiles to represent the nine circles of suffering, with each subsequent chile being more "wicked" (or spicier) than the last.   After a lot of thought, I selected the following chiles or peppers:

1.  Limbo: Paprika.  In Dante's Inferno, the first circle was "Limbo," which had been populated by people who, although not sinful, had not accepted God. This got me to thinking, although paprika is made from ground bell peppers or chiles, it is not "hot" or "spicy."  Indeed, paprika -- a ground spice used in many cuisines around the world -- seems to be the best spice to represent limbo.  There are two versions of paprika: hot and sweet.  I decided to use the sweet version of paprika, because this would serve as one of the bases for the rub.

2.  Lust: Hatch Chile.  The second circle was "Lust," populated by those who had been overcome by lust.  Followers of this blog know that I have often been overcome by my love of the Hatch chile. For that reason, it seemed appropriate to select that chile to for the "Lust" circle.  Hatch chiles are grown in New Mexico and are a key component to Southwestern cuisine.  They are also relatively modest when it comes to heat or spice, with only 3,500 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Units.  (Scoville Heat Units measure the capsaicin, which is the chemical compound in chiles and peppers that provides the heat or spiciness.)   In addition to the heat, the Hatch chile also provides a little earthiness to the spice mix.

3.  Gluttony: Chipotle Chile. The third circle was "Gluttony," populated by individuals who overindulged in food and drink.  For me, the one chile that I would often overindulge in is the chipotle pepper.  Derived from the Nahuatl word, chilpoctli, which means smoked chili pepper, the chipotle is a smoke-dried jalapeno chile principally grown in the northern Mexican State of Chihuahua.  The chipotle chile is similar to the Hatch Chile in that it has anywhere from 3,500 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Units.  Also, like the Hatch Chile, the chipotle pepper serves two purposes in the rub:  to provide some heat and some smoke flavor. 

4.  Greed: Aleppo Pepper.  The fourth circle was "Greed," which is where people would find themselves if their greed for material things that deviated from the norm.  When it came to selecting the fourth pepper, I chose the Aleppo pepper.  The reason is simple: whenever I use Aleppo Pepper, in cooking, I always want more. Also known as the Halaby pepper, the Aleppo pepper is primarily cultivated in Turkey.  The pepper adds a little more smokiness, like an ancho or chipotle pepper, to the rub.  The Aleppo pepper also contributes a certain tartness, which adds a little complexity to the rub.  Finally, this pepper represents a slight increase in heat from the prior chiles, with about 10,000 Scoville Heat Units. 

5.  Anger: Sanaam Chile.  The fifth circle is "Anger."  This is where the rationale for choices become a little more pragmatic.  I chose the Sanaam chile, which is cultivated in India and used in Indian cuisine, for "Anger."  The reason is simple: its piquancy represents a four-fold increase in Scoville Heat Units over the Aleppo pepper.  The Sanaam chiles pack a weighty 40,000 Scoville Heat Units, as compared to the 10,000 units of the Aleppo Pepper.  This increase is also felt in the heat of the rub.

6.  Heresy: Aji Limo Rojo. The sixth circle is "Heresy."  This is one of the most difficult choices for chiles.  I selected the Aji Limo Rojo for this circle, although there is nothing heretical about the chile at all.  The Aji Limo is a chile grown throughout Central and South America, and it figures into cuisines from Panama to Peru.  These chiles come from the same family as the habanero, although they lack the intense heat of a habanero (or a scotch bonnet pepper).  The Aji Limo pepper can have anywhere from 50,000 to 60,000 Scoville Heat Units.

7.  Violence: Dundicut Pepper.  The seventh circle is "Violence."  Once again, I had some difficulty in selecting the pepper.  Many peppers do "violence" to the stomachs of some people.  I ultimately chose the Dundicut chile, which is grown in Pakistan and widely used in Pakistani dishes.  This chile is very similar to a scotch bonnet pepper, but with a little less heat.  Nevertheless, the Dundicut represents a slight increase in Scoville Heat Units over the Aji Limo Rojo chile.  A Dundicut can have anywhere between 55,000 to 65,000 Scoville Heat Units. However, at least for me, both the look and taste of the Dundicut seem hotter and spicier than the Aji Limo Rojo.

8.   Fraud: Chile Pequin.  The eighth circle is "Fraud," where people who engage in conscious treachery or deception are punished.  The selection of the pepper was a little easier this time.  I chose the Chile Pequin.  This chile is very small, which deceptively suggests that it is not very hot or spicy.  However, the Chile Pequin can be anywhere from thirteen to forty times hotter than a jalapeno, with 70,000 Scoville Heat Units.   At this level, the primary purpose of the Chile Pequin is to provide heat to the spice rub. 

9.  Treachery: Piri-Piri.  The ninth and final circle is "Treachery."  As with the sixth and seventh circles, it was hard to rationalize a choice for this chile.  I ultimately decided to use the chile that was the most potent of all the chiles and peppers in our kitchen ... the Piri-Piri pepper.  Also known as the African bird's eye pepper, the Piri Piri pepper is grown and cultivated in many areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. The Piri-Piri pepper can have as much as 100,000 Scoville Heat Units, providing the highest amount of heat and spice of any of the peppers in the mix. 

While I am using nine different peppers and chiles, I still wanted to make a rub that is edible for many people.  For that reason, I steered clear of the extremely hot chiles, like Trinity Moruga Scorpion, Naga Viper and Bhut Jolokia peppers.  I also added some other spices to complement the heat of the peppers.  These spices include allspice, clove, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and kosher salt.  Finally, I added a teaspoon of sugar.  The sweetness of the sugar helps to tamper the spice of the chiles.

THE INFERNO STEAK

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2-4

The Inferno Rub

Ingredients:

2 marrow bones

2 bone-in ribeyes, cowboy style

1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon of onion powder

1/2 tablespoon of paprika powder

1/2 teaspoon of Hatch chile powder

1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder

1/4 teaspoon of Aleppo powder

1 dried Sanaam chile, ground

1 dried Dundicut chile, ground

1 dried Aji Limo Rojo, ground

1 dried Chile Pequin, ground

1/4 teaspoon of Piri Piri powder

1/4 teaspoon of allspice

1/4 teaspoon of cloves

1/4 teaspoon of ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric

1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

Directions:

1.  Roast the marrow bones.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cover one end of the marrow bones with foil and stand them up foil side down.  Roast the marrow bones for forty-five minutes.  Remove the marrow and the oils into a small bowl.

2.  Prepare the steaks.  Combine all of the chile and peppers in a bowl, along with the allspice, cloves, coriander, turmeric, salt and sugar.  Mix well. Using a brush, baste the steaks with the oil and marrow from the bones.  Season the steaks with the rub, applying the rub to all sides of the steaks.  Set aside for a few minutes.

3.  Grill the steaks.  Heat a grill on medium high heat.  Place the steaks on the grill.  Grill for five minutes and rotate ninety degrees.  Grill for five more minutes.  Flip the steaks and grill for five minutes.  Rotate the steak ninety degrees.  Grill for five minutes more and remove the steak.  Let the steak rest for a few minutes.  Slice the steak and serve immediately. 

ENJOY!

Atun Mojo y Poblanos que Estella con el Camaron y el Arroz

I was staring at the seafood counter at my local Whole Foods and I saw something I had not seen before ... fresh albacore tuna.  And that got me to thinking about how I could prepare this fish.  Personally, I like to use marinades or rubs, and a mojo was on my mind.  Mojo is a Cuban marinade usually made with sour orange juice, garlic, black peppercorns, and salt.  Some recipes add other ingredients.  If you don't have sour orange juice, most recipes suggest 2 parts orange juice, 1 part lemon juice and 1 part lime juice.  Lacking sour orange juice, I used the combo of orange, lemon and lime juice, buying fresh fruit and juicing them myself.

As I was walking through the produce section, I came across a pepper that I like but usually don't cook with ... poblanos.  Chile rellenos immediately came to mind, but you typically deep fry chile rellenos and I did not want to do that.  Instead, I decided that I would roast the peppers and saute the stuffing,  I would then create the effect of a burst chile relleno by having the stuffing of rice and shrimp coming out of the poblano. 

In the end, I have a dish that draws its inspiration from Cuban cuisine with the mojo and Mexican cuisine with the poblano rellenos.  And, although the tuna ended up being a little overcooked (I turned away while making the poblanos), the poblanos were excellent. 

ATUN MOJO (Tuna with a Mojo Marinade)
A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 2

Ingredients:
3/4 pound of tuna
2 tablespoons of canola oil
2 parts orange juice
1 part lemon juice
1 part lime juice
6-8 black peppercorns
1 cup of diced onion
3 cloves of garlic, diced
Salt, to taste

Directions:

 1.  Combine all of the ingredients in a zip lock bag or bowl.  Add the tuna and let marinate for one or two hours.  Make sure to check the tuna every once in a while to ensure that all sides are covered by the mojo.

2. Heat the oil on medium-high heat.  Add the tuna and saute for 3-4 minutes or until the tuna turns opaque.  Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and plate.

POBLANOS QUE ESTELLA CON EL CAMARON Y EL ARROZ
(Poblanos Bursting with Shrimp and Rice)
A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 poblano peppers
1/2 pound of shrimp, shelled and de-veined
2 chipotle peppers, diced with adobo sauce
2 cups of diced onion
2 cloves of garlic, diced
6 cherry or plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 handful of cilantro, diced
3 cups of jasmine rice
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons of canola oil

Directions:

1.  Roast the peppers over a flame until the skin blackens on all sides.  Remove and let cool.  Under running water, remove the black skin from the peppers.  Cut the bottom part off of the pepper and remove the seeds.

2.  Make the jasmine rice according to the instructions.  When I made it, I added cilantro to the boiling water before adding the rice.  I also finished the rice by mixing in a tablespoon or two of butter.

3.  Cut the shrimp into even sized pieces.  

4. Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and let saute for five minutes.  Add the tomato, chipotle peppers with adobo, garlic and cilantro.  Saute for five to eight minutes more.  Add the shrimp and continue to saute until the shrimp is opaque, which should only take a couple of minutes.

5.  Plate by stuffing the poblano peppers about half way with rice and let the rice flow onto the plate.  Stuff the peppers with the shrimp mixture with more over the rice on the plate.

ENJOY!