Skewered Spiced Peruvian Beef and Chicken (Anticuchos)

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These are the famous Peruvian appetizers, sold by street vendors, and grilled to order. The customers just eat the beef right off the stick. Traditionally they are made with beef heart, but we like to use more tender and flavorful cuts of beef, plus chicken. With the highly acidic marinade, you can use tougher cuts if you marinate them longer. The chiles of choice here would be the native ají chiles, but virtually any small, hot fresh chiles can be used. Serve wrapped in a corn or flour tortilla. You can also serve the anticuchos as an entree with escalloped potatoes and green beans. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

Simmer the cumin seeds in the oil for 5 minutes. Strain the oil and discard the seeds.

Combine with all the remaining marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Toss the meat and chicken in the marinade, place in a nonreactive bowl, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, and longer for tougher cuts of meat.

Thread the meat on skewers and bring to room temperature. Simmer the marinade for 20 minutes over low heat. Grill the beef over medium-hot fire, basting frequently with the marinade for about 4 minutes a side, until the beef is done. Cut a sample to check for doneness. Serve over greens with your favorite dipping sauces.

Instructions

Cured and Pecan-Smoked King Salmon with Hot Sauce

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The key to preparing salmon this way is to make certain that your smoke is rather cool, about 100 degrees. If it is warmer, decrease the smoking time. This recipe takes a fair amount of time, but most of that is spent waiting rather than working. The selection of sauces served is up to the cook, so feel free to experiment. A horseradish sauce will work also. The salmon can also be served on bagels, as pictured here. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

For the Cure:

  • 2.5 cups kosher salt

  • 3/4 cup brown sugar

  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon ground oregano

  • 1 teaspoon crushed dill weed

For the Salmon:

  • 2 large salmon fillets, about 2 to 5 pounds each, or 5 small but thicker fillets

For the Sauce:

  • Commercial habanero hot sauce

  • Commercial sherry pepper hot sauce

  • Commercial spicy mustard

  • Commercial creamy horseradish sauce

Instructions

For the Cure:

Combine the ingredients for the cure in a bowl and mix well. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on an aluminum baking pan and spread about a 1/8-inch thick layer of the cure blend and place the fillets on the plastic wrap. Top the fillets with 1/8-inch of cure. Cover the fillets with plastic wrap and cure in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours; a 4-hour cure is preferable. Remove the fillets from the wrap and rinse the cure off each fillet. Allow the fillets to air dry for about 2 hours.

For the Salmon:

Prepare a fire in the smoker’s firebox with pecan wood or other fruit or nut hardwood of choice, such as apple, apricot, peach, or walnut. When the fire stabilizes and the smoke is no longer hot, place the fillets skin-side down on racks or on the aluminum baking pan.

Smoke the fillets for 4 to 5 hours, depending on their thickness. Regularly check the fire and fillets to make sure that the fish is smoking, not rapidly cooking.

Serve the salmon over crackers of choice topped with any of the three sauces as an appetizer. Refrigerate any leftovers, which will keep for weeks.

Noodle and Shrimp Salad with Oriental Cucumber Salsa

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This quick and easy basic salad can be changed by using a different salsa to dress the noodles. Try a commercial peanut-based salsa and if your salsa is too thick, thin with a little oil or vinegar.

Ingredients

For the Salad:

•    2 cups cooked vermicelli or Chinese noodles
•    ½ cup cooked shrimp or shredded cooked chicken
•    1 recipe Oriental Cucumber Relish (see recipe below)
•    1/4 cup chopped peanuts
•    Chopped fresh cilantro

For the Relish:

•    3 serrano or Thai green chiles, stems removed, minced
•    1 large cucumber, peeled and finely diced
•    1/4 cup shredded carrots
•    4 green onions, chopped, including the tops
•    2 tablespoons vinegar
•    1 tablespoon peanut oil
•    1 teaspoon soy sauce
•    1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
•    ½ teaspoon sesame oil
•    ½ teaspoon sugar
 

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients for the relish and allow to sit for at least an hour to blend the flavors.

Toss the noodles with the shrimp and cucumber relish. Garnish with the peanuts and cilantro and serve.

 

Mayan Achiote-Marinated Chicken Cooked in Banana Leaves

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Cooking meats in the pibil method dates back to Pre-Columbian times and variations of these dishes can be found in just every restaurant that features local cuisine throughout the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. This method of cooking is done in a pit lined with stones called a pibil which were the center of the Mayan community. This is a easier variation that can be done on the grill or in a smoker, and doesn’t require digging a pit in your back yard. Achiote paste is made with annatto seeds, which is used both a spice and an orange coloring agent. I prefer using the paste, rather that the seeds which are as easy to grind as steel ball bearings. Güero chiles are substituted for the usual xcatic chiles which are impossible to find outside of the area. Banana leaves can be found in Asian markets, but you can also use aluminum foil. Pibils are traditionally served with pickled red onions.

Ingredients

For the Achiote Marinade:

  • 10 whole black peppercorns

  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 2 habanero chiles, stem and seeds removed

  • 2 tablespoons achiote paste

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano, Mexican preferred

  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh preferred

  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar

For the Chicken:

  • 1 2 pound chicken, cut in serving size pieces or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

  • 3 fresh banana or güero chiles, stems and seeds removed, cut in strips

  • 1 small red onion, sliced and separated into rings

  • 4 sprigs fresh epazote or substitute 1 tablespoon dried (omit if not available)

  • 4 tablespoons margarine

  • Banana leaves

  • Cebollas Encuridas (Pickled Red Onions)

For the Cebollas:

  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

  • 5 black peppercorns

  • 3 allspice berries

  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, Mexican preferred

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/3 cup white vinegar

  • Salt

Instructions

For the Marinade:

Place the peppercorns and cumin seeds in a spice or coffee grinder and process to a fine powder. Combine the powder with the garlic and habanero chile and place in a blender or food processor and puree.

Combine the spice mixture, achiote, oregano, bay leaves, and lime juice. Put the chicken in a non-reactive pan and prick with a fork. Pour the marinade over the chicken and marinate overnight or for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

For the Chicken:

To make 4 packets, cut 8 pieces of string about 6 inches long. Lay the strings down on a flat surface, place 4 banana leaves on top of the strings. Place a chicken on each the leaves along with the marinade and top with the chiles and onions. Place a little epazote on each breast along with a tablespoon of margarine. Fold the banana leaves over the meat and tie with the strings.

Place on the grill over indirect heat and cook for 1 hours, or in a smoker on the grill with pan of water between the coals and the wrapped chicken to keep the chicken juicy.

Serve the chicken with warm corn tortillas, pickled onions, and black beans.

For the Cebollas:

Place the onions in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let them sit for 1 minute and then drain. Discard the water.

Coarsely grind the peppercorns, allspice, and cumin seeds in a spice or coffee grinder. Add to the onions.

Add the remaining ingredients, and enough water to barely cover. Allow the mixture to marinate for a couple hours to blend the flavors.

Cuban Habanero-Spiced Black Beans

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These beans are an excellent accompaniment to a tropical barbecue. There are many variations of preparing turtle, or black beans, throughout the Caribbean. This recipe uses a Cuban sofrito, which is sauted onions, tomatoes pepper garlic and herbs, as a flavor base for the dishes. Remember to always add and salt or an acid after the beans are done, adding them sooner will make the beans tough.

Ingredients

For the Beans:

  • 1 pound black beans, rinsed and picked over

  • 1 teaspoon dried epazote (omit if not available)

  • 1 tomato, skin removed and chopped

  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)

  • Salt to taste

For the Sofrito:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 small green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, chopped

  • 2 small onions, chopped

  • 4 large cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 habanero chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped or substitute 4 rocottilo chiles

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 bay leaf

 

Instructions

Place the beans in a pot and add cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and boil them uncovered for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and allow the beans to sit for 1 hour. Drain the beans and rinse them.

Return the beans to the pot, add the epazote and 2 quarts of water. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, and cook for a 1½ hours or until the beans are almost done.

In a heavy sauce pan add the olive oil and heat over a medium.. Add the green pepper, onions, garlic, and chiles and saute for a couple of minutes until softened. Add the oregano, cumin and bay leaf and saute for an additional minute. Add the sofrito to the to beans. Cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes

Add the tomato, vinegar, sherry, and season with salt to taste. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes.