Friday, December 28, 2007

Habenero Madness


A friend of ours in Cloverdale who grows Chilies for the local farmers market gave me about 5 pounds of Habenero Chilies on Christmas day. Now what to do with all of them? I usually use about 1-2 in my Salsa and I've tried a Habenero Salsa which is actually pretty mild. But after all of that I still have a mountain of Chilies...If you have any good ideas, please send them my way!
Thanks.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Grilled Portebelo Mushrooms with Asiago & Basil


An easy side dish with whatever else your grilling is a Portebelo. Marinate your mushrooms with Soy Sauce or even Italian Dressing for at least one hour. Grill the open side first until tender. For the last couple of minutes grill the top of the mushroom. During this time place grated or sliced Asiago or Blue Cheese on mushroom until melted. Once plated add 2-3 sprigs of Fresh Basil. Slice into strips or serve whole.

Pork Tenderloin with a Coffee encrusted dry rub...




A delicious meat which is easy to BBQ is Pork Tenderloin which can be found at your local meat counter for under $10. The secret to a good, flavorful Tenderloin is to marinate the meat for at least 4 hours and if you have time overnight. What I like to do is add just a little marinade and then apply a healthy amount of dry rub in the A.M. and then stash it in the refrigerator until Dinner. The rub consists of one part salt, one part Cajun Spice, one part chili powder, Spanish Oregano, Rosemary and two parts ground coffee beans. Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. For the Wet Marinade I like to use Worchester Sauce and/or Soy Sauce, a tablespoon of butter and about 3 cloves minced Garlic. After you marinate the meat the rub should stick to the outside which ends up encrusting your Pork Loins with a nice shell. Once thats been done you're ready to go. I usually wrap the Pork in aluminum foil and then remove it for the last couple of minutes so that you get a nice even grill on the outside which isn't burnt. NEXT ISSUE: Bleu Cheese Portabello Mushrooms and Roasted Zuchinni.

...Some Like It Hot!




One of the first things I learned to make was a basic Salsa used to top Carne asada wrapped in warm tortillas. The great thing about salsa is that you can play around with the basic recipe and each time you get something new and exciting. Due to my propensity for spicy foods I usually get accused of making my salsa too hot, which is a nice problem to have because then there's more for you. However you can always add Cilantro or an Avacado if things really get out of control. Here's the basic recipe for what I like to call Habenero Salsa.
2-3 Large Tomatoes
8-10 Tomatillos
3 cloves of Garlic
6-7 Dried Chili de Arbol
1 Habenero Chili
2 Cerrano Peppers
3 Tablespoons Salt
Cajun Spice
1 Tablespoon Tequila
A splash of Lime

Boil:
Tomatillos and Tomatoes until soft.

Roast:
Chilis and Garlic in a pan.

Combine ingredients in a blender (or if your Old School in a mortar and pestle) and blend together.