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.

the key to this pie is the lime

key lime is and will always be one of my favorite pies. it offers unparalleled sour flavors and refreshment in one chilled and delicious dessert, and it's so much different than your average fruit pie. it's a great summer treat, or after summer treat, if you need a pleasant reminder of the sun. It was not until two years ago that I first attempted making it at home, before then I'd always opted for the frozen Trader Joe's version, which is also good but it's just not the same as homemade. it's my brother Todd's favorite dessert, and so I made this recipe for his birthday a few years back.  I've made it many time since, it's the best recipe I've found for the job. It incorporates sweetened condensed milk, which I almost never cook with, to balance out the tangy lime in the filling, and instead of whipped cream it's topped with sour cream for a little extra zinger. The filling is fluffy and light, while still being creamy, and of course the lime does just what it's supposed to do by keeping the whole thing as sour and tangy as ever.  

the snail and his key lime pie.

Lime Pie

Recipe courtesy of Emeril 

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 tbsp. butter, melted

2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk

1 cup key lime or lime juice

2 whole eggs

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp. powdered sugar

1 tbsp. lime zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the pie using a spatula. Sprinkle the lime zest as a garnish on top of the sour cream and serve chilled.