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ARROZ VERDE (spicy green rice)
2 cups long grain white rice (jasmine or other)
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup verde salsa or sauce (Herdez)
1/4 cup cilantro
4 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
1/4 of a white or yellow onion
1 package of cotija cheese, crumbled
1 cup of cheddar, grated


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cilantro, garlic, onion & jalapeno in a food processor, pulse until chopped. Bring broth & verde salsa to a boil and stir in rice and cilantro/onion/garlic/jalapeno mixture. Cover and reduce heat to low, cook for 20-30 minutes or until rice is done.  Stir in cotija and 1/2 cup of cheddar until just mixed. Transfer to a baking dish and cover with the remaining cheddar. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

lard guy

i'm pretty into anything spicy, tangy & salty, and the absolute best is when the three flavors combine.  larb gai is quick to whip up and can be served hot in the winter or cold in the summer, or medium temperature any time of year.

LARB GAI

2 tablespoons roasted rice powder (available at Asian markets in the spice aisle)

16 ounces ground chicken breast (you can also use dark meat, pork or beef)

1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder, preferably Thai or Lao

8 teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla)

2 limes, juiced

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup slivered red onions

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

10 whole mint leaves

Iceberg lettuce leaves for serving

4 cups cooked sticky or jasmine rice, for serving.

Mix lime juice, fish sauce and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. In an oiled wok on medium heat, cook the ground chicken, stirring to break up any chunks.  Remove from heat and place chicken in a mixing bowl, add the rice powder and chili powder and stir. Add in the onions, cilantro, green onion and mint.  Pour the lime, sugar and fish sauce mixture over the ingredients and stir to combine.  Spoon onto a plate and surround with mint and lettuce leaves. Serve with rice or scoop larb into lettuce leaves.

holy posole

in honor of a new year filled with spice, magic and luck, I made an extra large batch of my favorite: posole. hominy is good luck and quite possibly magic, which is why this soup represents more than just spicy. plus, it's perfect for winter eats. this might knock your socks off and burn the insides of your mouth (in a good way), but rest assured you can always cut back on the chipotle for a milder version. this recipe varies slightly from the other posole recipe that I shared previously, and is the one that i make most often.

POSOLE 2012

2 lbs pork shoulder (cut into 1-2 inch cubes)

2 bulbs garlic, peeled, smashed & diced

1 large yellow onion chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

2-3 tbsp chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (chop or blend)

1-2 tbsp chipotle chile powder

4 14 oz cans of Rotel tomatoes (blended)

8 cups chicken broth

1-2 mexican beers (tecate or corona)

2 limes (juiced)

1 30 oz can of white hominy (rinsed and drained)

Garnishes

Cabbage, sliced

Yellow onion, chopped

Cilantro, chopped

Red Radishes, sliced

Lime wedges

In large soup pot sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil.  Add in pork and chipotle chile powder, brown the pork and cook about 10 minutes.  Add in beer, chicken broth, blended Rotel tomatoes, juice of two limes and chipotle chiles in adobo. Cook for 2-3 hours, until pork is tender and broth has reduced a bit. Add in drained hominy. Serve garnished with cilantro, radishes, cabbage, onions and a generous lime wedge for added tang.   

this corn is like candy

Just in time for Halloween, this is the perfect alternative to candy corn.  It's the infamous New York corn on the cob from La Palapa.  Or at least my replication of it.  I tracked down a copy of Barbara Sibley's Antojitos cookbook, and quickly made the recipe that night. And then the next night.  And then the next night.  I mean, if you have a whole package of cotija, are you just going to stop making delicious corn treats?  I think not. I also tried this recipe without the cotija, with just lime, mayonnaise, cayenne, paprika and cilantro, and it was equally delicious. Enjoy!

ELOTE DEL MERCADO

Ingredients:
6 ears of corn on the cob, husked
3 quart water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoon salt
2 limes cut in half
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated cotija
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:
In a shallow bowl mix the cotija, cayenne, paprika and cilantro. Remove the husks from each ear of corn, and bring 3 quarts of water to boil. Add the sugar and salt. Boil the corn in the water for approximately 8 minutes or cooked. Rub a lime over the kernels. Then using a pastry brush, brush the ears of corn with mayonnaise. Roll the ears of corn in the queso, pepper and cilantro mixture.

spicy citrus fish

as I have mentioned, Mark Bittman knows what is up. I was looking for new and exciting ways to prepare fish and this one really struck my fancy. I served it with halibut from the market cooked on the grill. This salsa is so refreshing and flavorful,it would be good with all types of fish or even atop grilled chicken, shrimp or pork tenderloin.


It's got a bit of a kick to it, even though I didn't use the full-strength habanero peppers Mark recommends, I tried it with one serrano pepper and one fresh jalapeño pepper, both chopped - ribs, seeds and all.  If I were to make it again, I would probably try to decrease the spice by either using just one jalapeño or just one serrano.  


This citrus-salsa comes for traditional Mayan cuisine and is known as xec 
(pronounced "shek"), it's traditionally made with bitter oranges, grapefruits and lemons.  I tried it with one orange, one grapefruit, a lemon and a lime.

Here's the recipe in it's full, shining glory:


Fish with Spicy Citrus Salsa
Mark Bittman, the Minimalist

1 small grapefruit

1 orange

1 lime

1 large lemon

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1/3 cup red onion, minced

1/2 habanero, jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded and minced

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons oil

1-2 halibut fillets, 4 to 6 ounces each, preferably skin on (and scaled).

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut orange and grapefruit in half horizontally and section it as you would a grapefruit; do this over a bowl to capture all its juice. Remove seeds and combine flesh and juice in bowl. Repeat with lime and lemon. Stir in cilantro, onion, pepper and salt. Set salsa mixture aside.

Put oil in a nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. A minute later, add fish, skin side down; season top with salt. Cook until skin begins to crisp, 3 or 4 minutes, then transfer to oven. Cook another 3 or 4 minutes, or until a thin-bladed knife meets little resistance when inserted into thickest part of fish. Serve fish with xec, immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.

Make a Run for the Border

These tacos make a perfect almost-summer meal, they're light, refreshing and just a little bit spicy. We used yellow fin tuna, although they would work well with any fish that's in season.

FISH TACOS WITH RADISH SLAW AND JALAPEÑO-CILANTRO SAUCE
For the slaw:
1 bunch of radishes, separate from stalks and slice thinly
2 cups cabbage, sliced thinly
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup apple cider or red wine vinegar
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until for an hour or until the rest of the meal is cooked.

For the Jalapeño-Cilantro Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 fresh jalapeño pepper
1/2 cup cilantro
1 lime, juiced
salt to taste
Mix all of the above ingredients in a blender or food processor, until cilantro and jalapeño are completely incorporated.

For the fish:
1/2-1 lb. fresh fish, cut into 1 inch cubes
Salt, pepper or Johnny's fish seasoning
lime juice
tequila or Mexican beer
Season the fish with your favorite fish seasoning, or salt, pepper and lime and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until fish begins to turn opaque.  Finish with a splash of tequila or beer, once the alcohol has cooked out, remove fish from the pan. Serve on warm tortillas (corn or flour), layer fish with radish slaw, jalapeno-cilantro sauce and some fresh tomatoes.