pinwheels

Green Chile Tortilla Pinwheels

Mark Masker Cooking with Chiles at the Holidays, Recipes Leave a Comment

These are very popular appetizers New Mexico and are served at just about every holiday party. A number of fillings can be used, but green chile cream cheese is by far the most favored. This is an all-purpose filling that goes well on crackers, as a dip with chips or vegetable crudities, as well as on tortillas. For those watching their fat intake, substitute light cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese. It is important to tightly roll and refrigerate the rolls or they won’t stay together after they are sliced.

jicama

Chile de Arbol Salad

Mark Masker Cooking with Chiles at the Holidays, Recipes Leave a Comment

Jicamas are a bulbous root vegetable with thin brown skin and a crisp, crunchy, sweet flesh rather like a water chestnut. In Mexico, jicamas are a popular snack food sold by street vendors who cut them into sticks, douse them with lime juice, and sprinkle them with chile. Sometimes called a Mexican potato, it’s good both raw and cooked, although it is usually served raw as an appetizer or in salads such as this one. This spicy salad dressing goes well with a number of fruits and vegetables so experiment with your own combinations.

Khaz Bay Salmon with Soba Noodles and Ginger Sauce

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Developed by Tara Zuluaga, the Home Shore’s kayak charter chef, this recipe graces Alaska salmon, soba noodles, and sautéed vegetables with a creamy ginger-garlic sauce. Although this version of the recipe calls for grilled salmon, baking the fish also produces excellent results.

Ingredients

The Marinade:

  • 1/2 cup honey

  • 1/2 cup lime juice

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce

  • 3 teaspoons brown sugar

  • Salmon:

  • 2 pounds skin-on Alaska salmon fillets (chinook, coho, or king), about 1 inch thick

  • Vegetable oil

The Sauce:

  • 3/4 cup dry white wine

  • 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced

  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

  • 1/2 cup cream

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice

  • Vegetables and Noodles:

  • 1 8-ounce package of chucka soba or yaki soba noodles

  • 2 tablespoons hot sesame oil

  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced

  • 1 1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms

  • 1 1/2 cup sugar snap peas

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

The Garnish:

  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell peppers

Instructions

Whisk the marinade ingredients in small (1 quart) mixing bowl until well combined. Place the salmon in a casserole dish, coat it with the marinade, and refrigerate it for one hour.

Meanwhile, begin working on the sauce. In a medium (2- to 3-quart) saucepan, bring the wine to a boil over high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat medium-low and simmer the mixture until it is reduced by half. Add the cream and continue to simmer the mixture over medium-low heat (do not allow it to boil) until it is again reduced by half. Stir in the salt and pepper. Add the butter gradually, stirring in one piece at a time with a wooden spoon, until it is fully incorporated. Reduce the heat to low until the salmon is ready. Whisk in the lime juice just before serving the sauce.

After the salmon has marinated for one hour, pour off the marinade and set aside. Brush the meat side of the fillet with vegetable oil using a pastry brush, and grill it over hot coals, meat side down, until it is slightly browned about 3 to 4 minutes). Turn the fillet, skin side down, and brush it with the reserved marinade. Grill the fillet over low heat for 5 minutes. Check for doneness by gently breaking open the fillet its thickest part with a fork. If the meat is barely opaque, remove the fillet from the grill. If the fillet is still translucent in the center, grill it for 1 minute and re-check for doneness. Continue this process until the fillet is just opaque at its thickest part.

Meanwhile, soak the chucka soba or yaki soba noodles in a large (3- to 4- quart) saucepan filled with warm (not hot) water for 2 minutes. Drain the noodles and set aside. Preheat a wok or a medium (2- to 3-quart) skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil to the preheated wok or skillet and wait for 1 minute. Stir in the onion, mushrooms, and snap peas.

Sauté the vegetables over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are tender but still crisp. Set the vegetables aside. Add the drained soba noodles to the wok or skillet and coat them with the soy sauce and the remaining sesame oil. Add the vegetables to the wok or skillet and mix them into the noodles until they are well combined. Serve the salmon over the vegetable- noodle mixture and top the combination with warm ginger sauce.

Sprinkle the dish with the garnishes as desired.

 

Chicken with Basil

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

“Holy” basil is widely available in Thai stores. The stems are purple and the leaves are pointed, distinguishing it from regular sweet basil. I actually prefer the flavor to “regular” basil—it’s slightly more bitter and fragrant, with a unique aroma. The basil doesn’t require much cooking, as too much heat makes it bitter and destroys the delicate flavor.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons oil

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1/2 pound chicken breast, chopped coarsely

  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce

  • 4 fresh red chiles, sliced lengthwise

  • 1 large bunch of Thai “holy” basil

Instructions

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the chicken breast, and cook over high heat for a few minutes. Add fish sauce and chiles and cook for a few minutes more. Add the basil and toss together until cooked.

Plank-Roasted Potatoes

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Lightly coated with minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, these roasted potatoes complement any grilled or smoked seafood.

Ingredients

  • 4 medium Russet potatoes, cut lengthwise into quarters

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • Kosher salt to taste

  • Cracked black peppercorns to taste

  • 2 Northern White Cedar planks, soaked in water at least two hours

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, oil, salt, pepper and minced garlic; toss to coat.

Prepare the grill for indirect cooking. Brush planks with olive oil and place on heated side of the grill. Heat planks until smoking and reduce the heat to medium. Flip planks over and move them to the indirect heat side of the grill. Place potatoes, cut side down, on the planks. Close cover and cook 20 minutes. Flip potatoes onto other cut side and continue cooking 25 to 30 minutes or until well browned and fork-tender.