Penne Pasta with Chipotle Salsa Vodka Cream Sauce

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This recipe is from John Hard of CaJohn’s Fiery Foods.

Ingredients

  • 2 (16 ounce) jars chipotle salsa

  • 1½ cups heavy whipping cream

  • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

  • ¼ teaspoon dried leaf basil

  • ¼ cup vodka

  • 1 (16 ounce) box mini penne pasta (prepared according to manufacturer’s directions)

  • Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Place 1½ jars of the salsa in a food processor, and blend until smooth. Pour into a high walled skillet and add the basil, oregano and remaining salsa. Bring to a simmer. Slowly whisk in the heavy whipping cream and bring back to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes whisking often. Turn off the heat and add the vodka, stirring well

Place the prepared pasta in a large bowl. Pour sauce over pasta and toss. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese and serve.

Ostrich Steaks with Fiery Bourbon-Teriyaki Marinade

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Ostrich is very lean and requires a minimum of marinating time. Place steaks on top of pasta, garnish and enjoy.

Ingredients

  • Ostrich Steaks

For the Marinade:

  • 1 cup teriyaki sauce

  • ¼ cup bourbon

  • 1 tablespoon habanero hot sauce

Instructions

Combine the three ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool. Cut the ostrich steaks into 1-inch strips and marinate in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1½ hours. (Ostrich is very lean and requires a minimum of marinating time).

Remove the ostrich and place on a hot grill. Cook until medium, basting with marinade. (Ostrich meat is best served medium-rare to medium-well—do not overcook)

Place ostrich steaks on top of pasta, garnish, and enjoy.

Southwestern Chile Marinated Grilled Quail

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This recipes is from Lois Ellen Frank, Walter Whitewater and Sam Etheridge, who presented it at the 2003 Fiery-Foods Show in Albuquerque.

Ingredients

6 quail, backbones removed

For the Marinade:

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

  • 2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder

  • 1 fresh serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped

  • ½ cup olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest

For the Glaze:

  • 4 dried red New Mexican or Anaheim chiles, stemmed and seeded

  • ½ cup water

  • ½ cup honey

For the Greens:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 2 bunches mustard greens, washed and stemmed

 

Instructions

Wash each quail under cold running water. Cut the wings of each quail at their joints and set aside.

To make the marinade, combine together all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the quail, making sure each quail is thoroughly coated. Cover, place in the refrigerator, and let marinate overnight.

To make the glaze, in a small saucepan heat together the dried red chiles and water over high heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat. Let stand for 10 minutes. Place the mixture into a blender, add the honey, and blend for 1 minute. Pour through a fine sieve to remove the chile skins and then discard them. Set aside.

Heat a grill or cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, and then place the marinated quail on it. Grill for about 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Reserve half of the glaze for serving. Brush the remaining glaze onto both sides of each grilled quail. Place the quail topside up in a shallow roasting pan and then place them in the oven, on broil. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes until they begin to brown, then remove from the oven.

To make the greens, heat a skillet over high heat. Add the oil, then the garlic, and stir for about 15 seconds. Add the mustard greens and cook for 2 minutes.

Serve each quail on a bed of sautéed greens with the reserved glaze.

Venison Steak with Juniper Berry and Red Chile Sauce

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This recipe is by Lois Ellen Frank, from her book Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations (Ten Speed Press, 2002). Both the venison and the juniper berries are available from mail-order sources. Of course, grape juice or wine would not have been available to the Maya, but Lois has adapted this recipe for the modern kitchen.

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon dried juniper berries

  • 3 cups unsweetened dark grape juice or wine

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme

  • 2 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped

  • 2 cups beef stock

For the Steaks:

  • 6 venison steaks, 8 to 10 ounces each

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 whole dried chiles de arbol, seeds and stems removed, crushed

Instructions

To make the sauce, wrap the juniper berries in a clean kitchen towel and crush them using a mallet. Remove them from the towel and place them in a saucepan with the grape juice or wine, bay leaves, thyme and shallots. Simmer over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the liquid has been reduced to 1 cup. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium and cook for another 15 minutes until the sauce has been reduced to 1 ½ cups. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and keep it warm.

Brush the steaks on both sides with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the steaks on the grill and grill for 3 minutes, until they have charred marks. Rotate the steaks a half turn and grill for another 3 minutes. Flip the steaks over and grill for another 5 minutes until done as desired.

Ladle the sauce onto each plate, top with the steaks, pattern-side up, and sprinkle the crushed chiles over them.

Pepita-Grilled Venison Chops

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Here is a tasty grilled dish featuring native New World game, chiles, and tomatoes, plus pepitas–toasted pumpkin or squash seeds. Garlic is not native to the New World, but is given here as a substitute for wild onions, which the people of Cerén would have known.

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons pepitas

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 1 tablespoon red chile powder

  • ½ cup tomato paste

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar

  • 4 thick-cut venison chops, or substitute thick lamb chops

Instructions

Puree all the ingredients, except the venison, in a blender. Paint the chops with this mixture and marinate at room temperature for an hour.

Grill the chops over a charcoal and piñon wood fire until done, basting with the remaining marinade.