Red Chili Pork Tamales in Banana Leaves

(about 16 tamales)

Top, Blue Corn Tamale with Vegetarian Filling.
Middle, Southern Mexican Chicken Tamale in Banana Leaf.
Bottom, Red Chili and Pork Tamale.

The pork tamales I made at the Santa Fe School of Cooking were even better than the one I sampled at the farmers market last Saturday. All three types of tamales we were taught to make were among the best I've ever tasted. The tamales in New Mexico strike me as much bolder in flavor than the ones I've tried in Texas. I'm not sure why that is because the ingredients appear to be similar. Perhaps it's those New Mexican chili pods.

We made Southern Mexican Style Chicken Tamales in Banana Leaves. These were made with rotisserie chicken smothered in a chili sauce. I loved the subtle taste the banana leaves imparted onto the masa. Blue Corn Tamales with Squash, Mushroom and Corn Filling. Blue cornmeal was added to the masa resulting in a very attractive color for these flavorful vegetarian tamales. And finally the Red Chile and Pork Tamales.

Nine of us were enrolled in the class. We formed three groups, each preparing one of the three types of tamales.

With Chef Alex Hadidi at the Santa Fe School of Cooking.

I have made a few small changes to the pork recipe because this is how I plan to make them the next time I get the chance. I really liked the "cooked" masa dough which was used for the chicken tamales and I loved the banana leaves.

Red Chili Pork Tamales
adapted from the Santa Fe School of Cooking

Pork
3 1/2 lbs pork shoulder (boneless)
2 tbsp chipotle seasoning
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cups water

Combine the chipotle seasoning, salt and pepper and rub the mixture over the entire piece of pork. Sear the pork in a heavy skillet until it's browned all over.

Place the meat into a pressure cooker and add the bay leaf and water. Cook for 50 minutes at 15 pounds pressure.

Cool the meat and reserve the liquid. Remove any large pieces of fat and discard. Shred the meat using two forks or your fingers.

Red Chili Sauce
1 tsp whole cumin seed
about 7-9 dried New Mexican red chili pods or 1/2 cup ground if you can find it fresh.
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, diced fine
2-3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
2 1/2 cups reserved pork liquid
2 tbsp masa harina
salt, to taste

Lightly toast the cumin seed in a heavy skillet over a medium flame. They will be ready when they change color and you can smell them. Grind them fine in a coffee grinder. Set aside.

Remove the stems from the chili pods as well as the seeds. Tear the pods into small pieces and place them into the grinder. You may have to do this in batches. Grind up enough to fill half a cup. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a pot over a medium flame. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook the mixture until the onions are translucent; about 3-5 minutes.

Stir in the reserved cumin, red chili powder and oregano. Add the pork liquid (add water to make up the difference if you don't have enough pork liquid). Give everything a good stir. Reduce the flame and simmer gently for about 20 minutes (no lid).

Slowly whisk in the masa harina and cook until the mixture has thickened. Taste and add salt if needed.

Keep the sauce warm.

Pork Filling
1 1/2 lbs shredded pork, see above
1 1/2 cups red chili sauce, see above
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Add the shredded pork to the red chili sauce. Leave the pot over a low flame for about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Stir in the cilantro and set aside.

Cooked Masa

4 cups water

3 cups masa harina
1/4 lb lard
1/4 lb butter
1 tsp recado rojo or achiote paste
1/2 tsp salt

Pour the water into a heavy pot and whisk in the masa harina. Gently heat this mixture over a medium flame until it comes to a boil.

Add the lard, butter, recado rojo and salt.  Cook this mixture, stirring often for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and smooth. You might have to adjust the flame.

The masa will be ready when you press a small amount onto a banana leaf and it pulls away cleanly. The consistency should be that of soft play dough.

To Assemble
1 pkg banana/plantain leaves

Defrost the package of banana leaves. Toast the individual leaves over an open flame or on a griddle until they turn shiny and become pliable.

Tear off a piece of the leaf about 1/4 inch wide for to secure the tamale package after it's been filled.

Lay the remaining leaf out flat. Place about 2-3 heaping tbsp of the cooked masa harina onto the middle of the leaf and flatten the mixture out into roughly a four inch square.

Top with about 2-3 tbsp of the shredded pork mixture. Pull together two sides of the banana leaf until the masa harina surrounds the pork filling. Fold the ends together until you have a long rectangle. Tuck in the remaining ends until you have a rectangular package. Tie the package together with the reserved piece.

Repeat until you have used up all of the filling and masa.

Place the tamales sideways into a steamer, taking care not to crowd them too much. Steam them for about 1 1/4 hours. They should come off the leaf easily when they are done.

Serve.

Chile con Queso, Made with Real Cheese (gluten free)

(about 6 servings)

If you are a huge fan of Velveeta, this recipe might not be for you. This Chili con Queso is different from the stuff you might find in a restaurant. I used a sharp cheddar cheese which I thought was quite good in this, however I did get one complaint, lol. Everyone else dug right in!

1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 a large yellow onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic pressed
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced (or something hotter, if you prefer)
2 tbsp rice flour
one 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup vegetable broth
3-4 cups shredded cheese, about 3/4-1 lb; use cheddar or a combination of cheddar and Monterey Jack
salt, to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium flame and add the onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

Sprinkle the rice flour evenly over the vegetables and then quickly stir in. Add the canned tomatoes and stir, then add the vegetable broth. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Lower the flame to medium-low and add the cheese by the handful, each time stirring until it's completely melted (you might not need to add all of the cheese; taste as you go along). Check and add salt, if needed.

Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve.

Sweet Potato Pie

(one 9 inch pie)

For quite some time I have been intrigued by the Cook's Illustrated "Foolproof" Pie Crust, however I have an aversion to making them, so I've been hitting the refrigerated section at the market and grabbing ready made pie crusts despite my better intentions. Today was different. I thought I had one in my refrigerator, but I was mistaken. It's unseasonably cold here in Dallas, and I was reluctant to leave my toasty home just for one item. I had everything I needed right here to make one, so I took the plunge. Hands down, this was the best pie crust I've ever had. It was buttery and flaky and easier (and quicker) to make than I had imagined.

I used regular flour (I was reluctant to experiment on a holiday), but I might try this pie crust recipe again using gluten free flour. I imagine it should work quite well as part of the premise that makes this particular crust successful is the addition of vodka which both inhibits the formation of gluten as well as produces a flakier crust because the alcohol evaporates during baking.

Sweet potato pie is a southern specialty, and in all honesty I prefer it to pumpkin pie. I like adding bourbon to mine, but you can leave that out if you prefer, either way, this pie is delicious!

Happy Thanksgiving!

1 unbaked pie crust, (Cook's Illustrated recipe using vodka)

2 large sweet potatoes, baked and cooled (about 2 1/2 lbs)
*2/3 cup sucanat or brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp bourbon (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2/3 cup heavy cream

Line a pie dish with the dough and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Scoop out the flesh from the sweet potatoes; you should have about 3 cups. Place into the bowl of a large food processor. Add the sucanat, eggs, bourbon, if using and spices. Pulse a few times until everything is combined. *Add an extra 1/3 cup of sucanat or brown sugar if you prefer your desserts on the sweet side. This is pretty subjective because personally I think 2/3 cup is perfect. :P

Leave the motor running and pour the cream down the chute. Stop when the cream is combined and you have a smooth thick mixture.

                                   Look at that beautiful flaky crust!

Spoon the filling into the refrigerated pie shell and bake at 400°F. for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350° F. and continue baking another 35-50 minutes or until the filling is firm and the pie crust is a golden brown. I use a small counter top convection type oven, you might have to adjust the baking times a bit as I imagine my oven might be faster.

Remove from oven and cool. The filling will have puffed up a bit during baking and will shrink back down as it cools.

Chili Casserole

(6 servings)

I have no idea why they call this casserole, "Tamale Pie". This dish doesn't taste like tamales at all, instead it's a very delicious and satisfying combination of chili and cornbread; perfect for a cool fall or winter evening.

A word of caution. I used dried New Mexico chili for this which generally is considered to be relatively mild. On occasion they seem hotter than usual, as was this batch. I used four pods and the finished dish was "medium-hot" with a slow burn on the back of my tongue. The cornbread topping and sour cream tamed the heat somewhat, and overall I found it "pleasant". You can decrease or increase the amount of chili pods as desired.

filling
2-6 dried New Mexico chili pods
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup boiling water
2 tsp oil
3/4 lb extra lean ground pork
3/4 lb extra lean ground beef
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
one 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup beef broth or tomato juice
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

topping

1 cup fine cornmeal

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 ear corn, shucked
1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg

garnish
sour cream
sliced green onion

Remove the stems from the chili pods and place into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until you  have very small pieces.  Place the chili into a small bowl and add the garlic. Pour the boiling water over the mixture and soak about 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet or pot with a lid. Fry the pork and beef until it is browned, then stir in the onions. Cook until they are translucent, then stir in the bell pepper. Cook another 5 minutes.

Stir in the reserved chili pod, garlic and water mixture, diced tomatoes, broth or juice, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer covered, over a low flame for about 30 minutes.

When the meat mixture is almost ready, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Combine the cornmeal, cheese (reserve a small amount of cheese to sprinkle on top), corn, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. In another bowl whisk together the milk and egg. Pour the milk mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until everything is well combined. Set aside.

When the meat mixture is ready, spoon it evenly into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Top with the cornmeal mixture and smooth that out as much as possible with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top.

Bake for 35-50 minutes or until the top has nicely browned and the chili is bubbling hot.

Garnish with sour cream and sliced green onions.

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

(about 6 servings)

A four pound pork shoulder roast might seem like a lot for six servings, but you'd be surprised how much of that ends up as rendered fat. I weighed the cooked meat after I removed the fat and bone. There were about two pounds of tender pork left.

This recipe becomes a two day process for me because I like to refrigerate everything overnight so I can remove as much of the cooled fat as possible.

Pulled pork is especially good served with corn salsa and cooked rice.

1 large onion, chopped, (about 1 lb)
1 bay leaf
4 lb pork shoulder or butt, with the bone
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne

Spread the chopped onion evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker and top with the bay leaf. Place the pork over the onions with the fat side facing up.

Place the remaining ingredients into the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until the mixture is completely smooth. Pour over the pork and cover the slow cooker with the lid.

Cook on low for about 8-10 hours or until the meat is fork tender. If you happen to be around, you can turn the meat over about half way through, but this isn't essential.

The tender meat will fall off the bone. Remove as much fat (and discard) from the meat as possible, then shred the meat with a fork. Place into a bowl and refrigerate overnight. Remove the bay leaf and place the sauce into the refrigerator overnight too.

The next day remove as much of the cooled fat (and discard) from the sauce as possible. Combine the sauce and pork and reheat everything.

This delicious pulled pork goes really well with corn salsa and rice.

Corn Salsa

(about 4 1/2 cups)

I used raw corn for this salsa. It was sweet and had a nice crunch to it. Cooked corn works too.

4 cups corn
1 large jalapeno pepper, diced fine (leave the seeds for more heat)
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
freshly squeezed lime juice from 1-2 limes

Combine the corn, jalapeno pepper, onion, cilantro and a small amount of salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss the mixture until well combined.

Sprinkle the juice from one lime over the salsa and toss again. Taste. Add more salt, pepper and lime juice as needed.

Blackened Shrimp Wraps & Mango Salsa

(2 servings)

This is another recipe I came across online I couldn't wait to try. There's something about a blackened dish that seems to hit the spot when it's incredibly hot outside. The spicy shrimp with the mango salsa were amazing!

This recipe called for large leaves of lettuce to use as wraps, but in all honesty I found them difficult to eat this way. The salsa kept falling out which was messy for sure. The next time I will simply spoon a mound of salsa over some torn up lettuce and place the shrimp on top of that. 

This shrimp dish is adapted from a recipe posted at The Charlotte Observer. 

mango salsa
1 roma tomato, finely diced
1 small mango, peeled, stone removed and finely diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper,  finely diced

1 green onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

salt, to taste

1 lime, juice half; other half cut into wedges

Combine the tomatoes, mango, jalapeno, green onions and cilantro in a small non-reactive bowl. Add a small amount of salt and gradually add the lime juice. Toss and taste, adding more salt and lime juice as needed. Set aside.

blackened shrimp
1 large clove garlic, pressed
1 tbsp butter, melted

8 large raw shrimp, cleaned (about 3/4 lb)
1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1  tsp cumin
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne, to taste

Combine the garlic and butter in a small bowl. Brush the mixture onto both sides of each shrimp.

Combine the paprika, cumin, black pepper, salt and cayenne until evenly mixed on a plate. Dredge both sides of the shrimp through the spice mixture.

Heat a non stick skillet over a medium-high flame. Fry the shrimp for about 2 minutes on each side or until fully cooked. Remove from heat.

to assemble

4 bib or red lettuce leaves, washed and dried or *see note below

Place about 2-3 tbsp salsa on each leaf and top with 2 cooked blackened shrimp.

*Note: My wraps weren't very easy to eat. The next time I will tear up the lettuce and split that between two plates, spoon the salsa over the lettuce in a small mound on each plate and divide the shrimp between the two plates. It will just be much easier to eat this way.

Garnish with the lime wedges. Serve.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01/27/2964134/blackened-shrimp-lettuce-wraps.html#storylink=cpy

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Sauce and Sauteed Apples

This year for Thanksgiving, I made a pumpkin cheesecake with a bourbon sauce and sauteed apples. I used a food processor and had great results. You'll need one with a large capacity. Mine is 11 cups, and the ingredients just barely fit as you can see from the photos below. I will definitely use a food processor for cheesecake again because this method allows very little air to get into the mixture which is important for minimizing a cracked surface.

I poured the mixture into an 8 inch springform resulting in a cheesecake which was about one and a half inches tall. A 7 inch springform would definitely give you a taller looking cheesecake, and that's the size I would probably use the next time I make this. I also baked the cheesecake at a slightly higher temperature than I usually do as I was in a bit of a hurry. The surface wasn't perfectly smooth, but all in all it turned out rather well.

pumpkin cheesecake
2 8oz pkgs neufchatel or cream cheese (not the whipped kind), room temperature
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar, to taste
3 tbs cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3 large eggs, room temperature

Prepare a 7 inch or 8 inch springform by lightly coating the inner bottom and sides with butter. Cut out a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of the pan. (You can easily make a circle by placing the paper over the outer bottom portion of the pan and lightly cutting it along the groove of the springform with a sharp knife.) Place the parchment circle over the greased (inner) bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 250°F.

Place the the neufchatel cheese, pumpkin, sour cream, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, into the bowl of a food processor with at least an 11 cup capacity. Pulse several times until everything is evenly combined.

Scrape down the sides and add all of the eggs. Pulse just enough until they are combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared spring-form. *Bake for 1 hr and 20 min. Turn off the heat and allow the cheesecake to cool completely in the oven; about 2 hours. Don't open the oven.

*I baked this is in a Breville counter-top convection oven. Using a conventional oven instead, might affect the baking and cooling times somewhat. After the baking time is up, I would probably prop the oven door open (on a conventional oven) a tiny bit with a wooden spoon while the cheesecake is cooling in the oven.

Cool the cheesecake further by refrigerating at least another 2 hours.

bourbon sauce, adapted from Simply Recipes/ makes about 1 cup
1/4 cup butter,(1/2 stick)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup *apple juice
1/4 cup *bourbon

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, then whisk in the sugar and egg. Continue cooking over low heat, whisking the mixture constantly until it thickens. Be careful not to allow the mixture to even simmer; you just want it hot enough to thicken. Whisk in the apple juice and bourbon and heat until bubbles begin forming around the sides. Do not bring to a simmer as it might curdle.

*The alcohol never really gets a chance to evaporate because the bourbon is added towards the end and just heated through. The resulting sauce is strongly bourbon flavoured using just 1/4 cup bourbon. Adjust the juice and bourbon ratio to your liking, if you prefer less or more bourbon. The sauce will be fine as long as you add 1/2 cup (total) liquid.

Remove from heat, strain through a sieve and cool. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.

sauteed apples
2 tbsp butter
3 firm organic apples, washed, cored and sliced into 1/2 inch wedges. Do not peel.

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and fry until they are golden brown.

Remove from heat. You can serve these either warm or at room temperature.

to serve

Serve each slice of cheesecake with a few apple slices and a tablespoon or two of bourbon sauce.

Wild Mexican Plum Jam

(about 1 1/2 pints)

I have two fairly large wild mexican plum trees (prunus mexicana) in front of my house, adjacent to the sidewalk. These drought tolerant trees are the first to bloom each spring with a showy display of white flowers. Towards the end of July the fruit begins to fall off the trees before it's fully ripe. The yellowish plums turn into a lovely reddish purple as they continue to ripen on the ground. This (mess) continues throughout September.

This year I picked about 2 pounds of plums and left them in a paper bag on my counter for a few days. At their ripest these small cherry-sized plums are still quite sour, but they make a wonderful tart jam.

2 lbs wild mexican plums 3 cups water 2-3 cups *sugar Wash the plums, pick them over and place them into a heavy pot. Add the water and bring them to a boil for about 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat. When the plums are cool enough to handle remove a cupful at a time and place into a sieve placed over a bowl. Don't discard any of the water in the pot.  Remove the seeds and press as much pulp though as you can. Continue until you have gone through all of the plums. Return the pulp mixture to the water in the pot. (I like to go through the discarded seed and skin mixture afterwards and pick out a few skins to return to the pot for their texture and colour, but this isn't necessary.) Place a small plate into your freezer. Add 2 cups of  sugar to the plums and stir until it has dissolved. Taste. Add more sugar if the mixture is too tart. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat a touch and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, skimming off any foam that forms. Remove the cold plate from the freezer and place a teaspoonful of jam onto the dish. If the jam is too runny then simmer it for a few more minutes and try again. If you like its consistency, then ladle into hot sterilized jars, cover, cool and keep refrigerated. If you plan on keeping the jam longer than 4-6 weeks, then ladle into hot sterilized jars leaving about a 1/2" head space. Cover with metal lids, and screw on the bands. Process in boiling water bath 8 minutes (extend this time to 15 minutes if your jars weren't hot and sterilized beforehand). Remove from the water and leave to cool.

Roasted Hatch Chile Corn Muffins; Daring Cooks Challenge, August 2012

(about 12 muffins)

Rachael of pizzarossa was our August 2012 Daring Cook hostess and she challenged us to broaden our knowledge of cornmeal! Rachael provided us with some amazing recipes and encouraged us to hunt down other cornmeal recipes that we’d never tried before – opening our eyes to literally 100s of cuisines and 1000s of new-to-us recipes!

Cornmeal is something I rarely cook with. The closest I've come to is masa harina I use to make tamales. What's interesting to me is the package of "cornmeal" I picked up looks very much like masa harina, except perhaps the texture is a touch coarser. I've always assumed cornmeal was rougher, more granular.

Although quite common, I made corn muffins because I've never made them before and they seemed easy enough. There was a recipe on the back of the package I used as a guide. I made a few adjustments and added leftover roasted hatch chile peppers, (there's a Hatch Chile Pepper Festival going on here at the moment). These muffins turned out great. They were still delicious a few days later when I split them, covered them with cheddar cheese and broiled them in the oven a few minutes.

adapted from recipe on the back of Pioneer Enriched Cornmeal
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg
3 tbsp agave nectar
3 tbsp olive oil
3/4 - 1 cup fresh shucked corn, about 1 ear
1/2 cup *roasted hatch chile peppers, chopped

Prepare a 12 standard size muffin tin by lining it with papers, then set set aside.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

Combine the milk, egg, agave nectar and olive oil in another bowl. Set aside.

Add the corn and roasted chili peppers to the cornmeal mixture, then pour the liquid mixture over those. Stir until everything is just combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 lined muffin tins. Bake for 15- 20 minutes or until the tops have browned and a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.

*If you can't find roasted hatch chile peppers, then you can roast them yourself. This recipe uses red bell peppers, but the method is the same. I usually remove the seeds when I roast peppers, but the prepared ones I purchased contained seeds and they were fine; it's up to you!

Roasted Hatch Chile Peppers & Shrimp

(4 servings)

Every year around this time, Central Market in Dallas puts on a Hatch Chile Festival. Aside from different types of fresh hatch chile peppers, they also offer a ton of prepared foods, all containing these tasty peppers in some form. I had picked out a bag of them in the produce section before coming across stacks of containers of their in-house roasted hatch chile peppers; mild or hot. My lazy side kicked in. I swapped out my bag of fresh peppers for a container of wonderful looking roasted peppers which ended up in the following dish.

1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup *roasted hatch chile peppers, mild or hot
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 lb raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1/4 cup heavy cream

4 servings cooked linguine or rice

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and fry for about 30-45 seconds or until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the onions and adjust the heat to prevent the onions from burning. Cook until they are translucent and beginning to brown slightly; about 6-10 minutes.

Stir in the wine, roasted hatch chile peppers and salt. Simmer the mixture until the wine has reduced by about half.

Add the shrimp and cook until they begin to lose their translucency and turn pink. Stir in the cream and simmer until it's heated through. **Shrimp cook very quickly. You want to just cook them long enough to be done, otherwise they might become rubbery.

Serve immediately with either the cooked linguine or cooked rice.

*If you can't find roasted hatch chile peppers, then you can roast them yourself. This recipe uses red bell peppers, but the method is the same. I usually remove the seeds when I roast peppers, but the prepared ones I purchased contained seeds and they were fine; it's up to you!

Blackened Catfish with Cantaloupe Salsa

(2-3 servings)

Catfish was on sale this week! I haven't had any in what seems like forever, and it's a fish I have always loved. I have no idea why some people frown at the mention of them. In my opinion, a catfish is much nicer looking than say, a monkfish. Mind you both are very tasty! :P

I still had a decent amount of cantaloupe leftover from yesterday. Sue, from The View from Great Island, recently made a delicious looking cantaloupe salsa which inspired me to give that a try. It went really well with the blackened catfish. I loved it's slight sweetness in contrast to the spicy catfish.

Often when fish is blackened, both sides are dipped in melted butter and dredged in the spice mixture. I prefer to brush garlic butter onto one side and season only that side. There's usually plenty of butter and spice mixture in the skillet for the other side. You can always double the amount of spices and butter if you prefer the more traditional method.

cantaloupe salsa
1 1/2 cups cantaloupe, small dice
1 green onion, sliced
1/2-1 jalapeno pepper (washed, seeded and finely chopped), to taste
small handful fresh cilantro, washed and chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
juice from 1/2-1 small lime, to taste

I made this a few hours ahead of time to give the flavours a chance to mingle. Combine the cantaloupe, green onion, jalapeno (these vary in size, so use an amount you are comfortable with) and cilantro in a small non-reactive bowl.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice from half a lime over the salsa and toss. Check and adjust the seasoning and lime juice, if needed.

Set aside for a few hours.

blackened catfish
1 large clove garlic
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne, to taste
1 lb catfish fillets, about 4 fillets
2 tsp fresh lemon thyme, minced
1/2 tsp olive oil


1 lime, sliced for garnish

Press the garlic clove through a garlic press, catching any juices into a small microwave safe bowl.

Add the butter and microwave until the butter has melted. Set aside.

Combine the paprika, cumin, pepper, salt and cayenne. Set aside.

Heat a large cast iron skillet (this is the preferred utensil, but I used a large non-stick skillet instead) over high heat. Coat the pan evenly with the olive oil. I do this with a paper towel, using only the tiniest amount.

Brush the garlic butter evenly over the tops of the catfish fillets. Use all of it, dividing it evenly between the top sides of all the fillets. Press the lemon thyme evenly over the fillets, then dredge them in the spice mixture.

Fry the fish, placing the fillets (buttered and seasoned side down) into the hot skillet. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until the edges become opaque. Turn the fillets over and cook for another minute or until the fish flakes easily and is done.

Serve immediately with the salsa and lime wedges.

Lemon Chess Tart

(9 inch tart)

This simple southern tart/pie is delicious. I have come across quite a few recipes for this and most combine brown and white sugars, use eggs and add one to two tablespoons of corn meal which I didn't have on hand today. I used a bit of cornstarch instead. I'm not certain if the addition of lemon is a less traditional version of this dessert which often contained buttermilk and sometimes a small amount of vinegar.

This lemon chess tart in some respects reminds me of a lemon meringue pie.

1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 tbsp cornstarch
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp minced lemon zest,from 1 large lemon
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup milk


Preheat oven to 375°F.

Press the pie crust into an ungreased 9 inch tart pan and set aside.

Beat together the butter and brown sugar.

Add the white sugar, eggs, cornstarch and salt and beat until the mixture is well combined; about 1.5 minutes.

Sir in the lemon zest, lemon juice and milk.

Pour into the prepared tart pan and bake for 5 minutes at 375°F, then lower the heat to 350°F. Bake for another 20-30 minutes or until the custard has set.

Allow the pie to cool completely before serving.

Sweet Potato & Pecan Pancakes

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(about 4 servings)

 

These pancakes have a lovely colour, are fluffy and very delicious! 

Tart Key Lime Squares

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(about 9 squares)

Two pound bags of key limes were on sale this week and I couldn't resist making these squares. They are very easy to make...  you just need a bit of patience to squeeze all of those tiny limes.. but the effort is well worth it.

I add a couple of pinches of ground ginger to the graham crust because I love how that plays off the lime. The squares were so good...  creamy, tangy and quite tart... I had to fight the urge for seconds.

Pimento Cheese Spread

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(about 2 cups)

I wasn't familiar with pimento cheese spread before I moved to Dallas. It appears to be one of those southern dishes people grew up with and love with good reason; it's delicious.

Be careful though of the ready made stuff from the grocery store, it can be awful. Fortunately it's easy to make at home.

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp prepared horseradish
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 lb smoked Gouda cheese, finely shredded
1/4 lb sharp cheddar, finely shredded
1/3 cup roasted piquillo peppers or pimentos, chopped
 freshly ground black pepper

Combine the mayonnaise, horseradish and mustard in a bowl. Add the cheeses, peppers and a few grinds of black pepper and toss to combine well.

Serve with crackers or use as a sandwich spread.