Mexican Roadside Chicken

Grilling: Mexican Roadside Chicken with Green Onions

I used my Weber grill and a Rick Bayless recipe.

Ingredients

For the rub:

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ancho chile powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

A big pinch of ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or crushed through a garlic press

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon salt, plus a little more for the onions

1 large chicken, about 3 lbs, butterflied

2 large bunches of green onions or knob onions

A little olive oil for brushing the onions

Grilled tomatillo salsa, for serving

Light a chimney 3/4 full of charcoal. While the charcoal is lighting, mix all the ingredients for the rub together in a small bowl.

When the charcoal is fully lit and covered in gray ash, pour coals out and arrange them on one side of the charcoal grate, keeping the other side empty. Place the chicken over the cool side of the grill, skin side down, and brush exposed side with the wet rub. Flip the chicken over and brush the other side with the rub. Cover the grill and cook, basting occasionally with any remaining rub, at 350 degrees until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the breast, about 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the grill and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Texas Style Chili

Texas-Style Chili 

• JULIA MOSKIN YIELD12 servings TIME2 hours

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds

• 1 ½ teaspoons whole coriander seeds

• 4 pounds beef chuck roast or steak

• 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra as needed

• 1 large yellow or white onion, chopped, plus extra chopped onion for serving

• 6 large garlic cloves, minced

• 4 to 7 large fresh green jalapeños (depending on how much heat you like), stemmed, seeded and chopped

• 3 tablespoons masa harina or 1 corn tortilla, torn into pieces (optional)

• 2 tablespoons ground pure chile powder, such as pasilla, Chimayo or ancho

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 1 (12-ounce) bottle Negra Modelo beer

• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, or 3 10-ounce cans Ro-Tel canned tomatoes with green chiles

• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate

• 3 whole dried large red chiles, such as New Mexico or guajillo

• Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

• Fritos or warmed flour tortillas, for serving

1 In a small heavy skillet, toast cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant. In a mortar and pestle, or in a coffee grinder, grind to a powder and set aside.

2 Meanwhile, roughly cut beef into 2-inch cubes, or slice it against the grain into pieces about 1/4-inch thick by 1 1/2 inches square. Sprinkle with salt.

3 In a large, heavy pot over high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, brown the meat, turning occasionally until crusty. Adjust heat to prevent scorching. As it is cooked, remove the meat to drain on paper towels. Add more oil as needed for browning, but do not clean out the pot.

4 To the empty but crusty pot, add onion, garlic, jalapeños, masa harina or tortilla (if using), chile powder, cumin-coriander powder and oregano. Cook, stirring, until onion has softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add meat, beer, tomatoes, chocolate, whole dried chiles and 1 quart water. Bring to a gentle simmer and simmer about 1 1/2 hours, or until meat is fork-tender. Remove the dried chiles. Taste and add salt if necessary.

5 Serve immediately or let cool and refrigerate. The chili tastes best one or two days after it is made.

6 Reheat over low heat if necessary and serve in bowls, sprinkled with chopped onion and cilantro. Add Fritos for crunch, or dip tortillas into the spicy gravy.

Pot Roast with Mushrooms, tomatoes and red wine.

Pot Roast with Mushrooms, Tomatoes & Red Wine

Prep time 20 mins Cook time 4 hours Total time4 hours 20 mins

A fabulous pot roast adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Author: Liz Berg               Serves: 6-8 servings

I made this in the Instant Pot. It took 35 minutes. I used beef broth and white wine instead of chicken broth and red wine because that is what I had and didn't want to the other.  This was our lunch and probably will be dinner too.  I didn't take a picture.

Ingredients

• 3-4 pound chuck roast, I recommend Certified Angus Beef brand

• Salt and pepper

• Olive oil

• Medium onion, chopped

• 2-4 carrots, chopped

• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into into chunks

• 1 stalk celery, chopped

• 8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and halved or quartered

• 2 cloves garlic, minced Coupons

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 cup chicken broth

• ½ cup dry red wine

• 1 sprig thyme

• 1 can (14½ ounces) diced tomatoes with juice

• 1½ cups water

• 1 sprig rosemary

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 300º.

2 Pat chuck roast dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil, and sear both sides. When browned, remove roast to a plate. Add a bit more oil if the pan is dry and saute onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms until soft. Add sugar and garlic and allow to cook about a minute.

3 Add the chicken broth, red wine, thyme, and tomatoes. Return roast to pan and add water. Allow liquid to come to a simmer, then cover the top of the pan with foil and top with the lid. Place in oven cook about 3½ to 4 hours, flipping meat every 30 minutes (as your schedule allows) until the roast is tender and falling apart.

4 Remove meat from pan and add rosemary to liquid in the pan. Reduce liquid to about 1½ cups, then discard thyme and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper if needed (I added almost a teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper). Cut meat into slices or shred into large pieces, removing fat as necessary. Add meat back to the sauce and stir to combine.

5 Serve over mashed potatoes or your favorite starch.

Peruvian Pork Stew With Chiles, Lime and Apples

I took the first picture without the broth because I thought it would make a better picture. Below is the leftovers with the broth.
apples float. Pork doesn't.  We added broth to the plate after the photo was taken.

Peruvian Pork Stew With Chiles, Lime and Apples

MARK BITTMAN YIELDat least 8 servings

Spicy and sweet, this Peruvian stew is rich with apples and onions and scented with chiles, lime and cloves. It’s not at all difficult to make, and it takes less time than you would think, about two hours from start to finish. As you brown the pork on all sides in a pot, sauté the onions and apples with the chiles, bay leaves and cloves in another. Combine everything and braise until the pork is very tender and falling apart. If you’d like to make it in a slow cooker, put everything into the crock after browning and sautéing and turn the cooker on high. It will be ready in four to six hours.

Featured in: Pork And Apples. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 to 4 pounds trimmed boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces

• 2 large white onions, chopped

• 4 large apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

• 3 snipped and seeded ancho or other mild dried chiles

• 3 bay leaves

• Pinch of ground cloves

• ¼ cup fresh lime juice

• 4 cups chicken stock

• Steamed rice for serving

• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

PREPARATION

1 Heat the olive oil in a skillet and brown the pork in it on all sides; you may have to do this in batches for the most efficient browning. Meanwhile, sauté the onions and apples in a pan with the chiles, bay leaves and cloves until the onions are tender, about 10 minutes.

2 Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, Dutch oven or slow cooker. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily but not vigorously. (If you’re using a slow cooker, turn it to high and walk away for 4 or 6 hours.)

3 Cook, stirring every 30 minutes or so, until the meat is very tender and just about falling apart, at least an hour. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then lower the heat (this will keep well for at least an hour before serving). Remove the meat, then reduce the broth as necessary; serve over steamed rice, garnished with cilantro.

These recipes were the main courses of dinner in the last two days.

Southwestern Oven Fried Chicken

READY IN: 3hrs 15mins

Ingredients

1 tablespoon garlic powder 

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1⁄2 teaspoon salt and pepper

3 lbs chicken pieces

1 1⁄2cups buttermilk

1 1⁄2cups plain breadcrumbs

1⁄2 cup yellow cornmeal

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl; blend well. Rub the chicken pieces with 3 tablespoons of the spice mix and set aside the remaining mix.

Place the chicken in a 9x 13 dish and let stand 10 minutes. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken, turning to coat. Cover and marinate 2 hours in the refrigerator, turning occasionally. Remove the chicken from the dish and discard the buttermilk.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the remaining spice mixture, breadcrumbs, and cornmeal in a a dish and stir well. Dredge each chicken piece in the cornmeal mixture. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake 20 minutes 40 minutes (do not turn) or until juices run clear.

Colorado Sauce Enchiladas

BY MEXICAN PLEASE Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Yields: 8-10 enchiladas

Ingredients

• 2 ANCHO DRIED CHILES

• 4 NEW MEXICAN DRIED CHILES

• 1/2 ONION

• 3 GARLIC CLOVES

• 1/2 TEASPOON OREGANO (USE MEXICAN IF YOU HAVE IT)

• 1/2 TEASPOON CUMIN

• 1/2 TEASPOON SALT

• FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER

• 1 TABLESPOON ADOBO SAUCE

• SLIVER OF DARK CHOCOLATE

• 1 CHICKEN BREAST

• 3-4 CUPS WATER

• 8-10 CORN TORTILLAS

• MONTEREY JACK CHEESE

• 3-4 TABLESPOONS FINELY CHOPPED ONION

• MEXICAN CREMA OR CREAM (OPTIONAL)

• COTIJA CHEESE (OPTIONAL)

Difficulty: Showing Off

Ancho and New Mexican dried chiles combine with adobo sauce and a sliver of chocolate to create an unbelievably satisfying Colorado sauce. Serve it up in classic enchilada style with a side of Arroz Rojo and you've got a dish you can't get anywhere else in town.

Directions

1 Roughly chop ½ an onion and peel 3 garlic cloves.

2 Add the onion and garlic to a dollop of oil in a saucepan and saute on medium heat for 5-8 minutes.

3 Remove the stems and de-seed the dried chiles. Tear the chiles into smaller pieces and wipe off any dusty crevasses. Add the chiles to the onion mixture along with 3 cups of water, ½ teaspoon oregano (use Mexican if you have it), ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and freshly ground pepper. Bring mixture to a boil.

4 Slice a chicken breast in half lengthwise and add to the mixture. If the chicken isn't fully submerged, add a bit more water. Reduce heat to a simmer and partially cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

5 Set chicken aside, covering in foil to retain moisture. Add the remaining sauce mixture to a blender and combine well.

6 Take a taste! If it tastes bitter, you now know where you stand!

7 Strain the sauce, pushing the mixture through a sieve using a spoon. Return the strained sauce to the saucepan and simmer over medium heat.

8 Add 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce and a sliver of chocolate. Let simmer until reduced to a thicker consistency, approximately 15-30 minutes.

9 Take a final taste for salt.

10 Shred the chicken using two forks and combine in a bowl with a pinch of salt, some finely chopped onion, and a few spoonfuls of the sauce.

11 Warm up 8-10 corn tortillas in the oven for a couple minutes.

12 Add a few spoonfuls of the sauce to a plate.

13 Dredge a tortilla in the sauce. Flip and then fill with chicken, cheese and finely chopped onion. Roll tight and add to a baking dish. You can line the baking dish with sauce to prevent sticking. Continue until all the chicken is gone.

14 Add the remaining sauce to the top of the enchiladas.

15 Bake at 400ºF for 8-10 minutes.

16 Optional garnishes include Crema and Cotija cheese. Serve immediately.

New toy: Convection/steam toaster oven.

I have heard a lot of great things about this Cuisinart steam and convection oven.  This is the first thing I have tried - besides toast.  This isn't like the Breville toaster oven where you treat it like a regular oven, only smaller.  There is a learning curve needed to adapt recipes to this oven.  They say chicken should turn out crispy but it didn't.  It was still good and a lot easier than traditional  Korean chicken wings.  This is the first step on what may be a long journey with this new (to me) way to cook. 

 Korean-style Crispy Chicken Wings with Sweet Ginger Glaze

30 pieces of chicken wings, rinsed and patted dry
1 medium onion, finely minced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1″ piece of ginger, finely minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2  tsp.  salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. corn starch

Glaze
2″ peeled ginger, thinly sliced
3/4 C. water
3/4 C. packed dark brown sugar
1/2 C. vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1/2 C. corn syrup
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

oil for frying

Mahi Mahi and salad for lunch.

I cooked the fish sous vide then finished in a non stick skillet in butter and sifted Plowboy Yardbird (chicken) rub.  I topped it with melted salted butter heated with garlic, black pepper, lemon juice and basil.

PLOWBOY is a local bbq team that sold the rub to the public and then opened a restaurant. The rub has the American Royal BBQ seal on it. I don't know what that means. Ingredients are salt, sugar, chili pepper, paprika,  dehydrated garlic & onion, celery powder and mustard and other spices. I suppose a substitute could be seasoned salt and fresh ground black pepper.