Spicy Rasta Pasta with Chicken and Hot Chiles

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Originally served at the restaurant Barbacoa in Newport Beach, California, this pasta has the flavors of the Caribbean.

Ingredients

For the Pasta:

  • 12 ounces assorted color peparodelle pasta (wide cut noodles)

  • 1 ½ pounds skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4 inch by 4 inch strips

  • 2 tablespoons jerk seasoning

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

  • 1 cup diced tomatoes

  • 1/2 pound zucchini and yellow squash (cut very thin lengthwise)

  • 2 cups Spicy Marinara Sauce 

  • 1 habanero chile, stem and seeds removed, minced

  • 1 cup chicken broth

  • ½ cup white wine

  • Chopped cilantro for garnish

 For the Sauce:

  • ½ teaspoon crushed hot dried red chile, such as piquin

  • 1 small white onion, diced

  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced

  • 1 tablespoon dried basil

  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 6 ounces tomato paste

  • 3/4 pound whole tomatoes, peeled and chopped

  • 1 teaspoon white pepper

  • Salt to taste

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

 

Instructions

For the Pasta:

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water with a little olive oil until cooked, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Dust the chicken with the jerk seasoning spice and saute in the olive oil in a large frying pan for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, squash and saute for an additional minute. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cilantro, and boil for 1 minute.

Mix the pasta with the chicken sauce, garnish with the cilantro and serve.

 For the Sauce:

In a pan, saute the chile, onion, garlic, basil, and oregano in the oil until soft. Add the tomato paste and whole tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.

Place the sauce in a blender and blend for 30 seconds. Add salt to taste.

Chill the sauce and add the fresh basil.

 

 

Mrs. Paletta’s Angry Rabbit

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This dish sounds like a belligerent and problematic pet but, in actual fact, it’s a traditional, delicious and spicy Italian dish from the Umbrian country-side.

Ingredients

  • Olive oil

  • 1 young rabbit (or substitute half a chicken)2 medium onions, peeled, chopped½ cup chopped mint

  • 2 medium carrots, peeled, and chopped2 tablespoons minced rosemary

  • 2 peperoncinos, seeds and stems removed, minced or substitute serrano chiles

  • 2 cups white wine

  • 1 cup tomato sauce, and more if necessary

  • Cooked pasta of choice

  • Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Coat a roasting pan with olive oil. Add the rabbit and all the other ingredients except the tomato sauce and the pasta. Make sure that the rabbit is covered by the liquid, adding more wine if necessary.. Roast at 275 degrees F. for 30 minutes, until browned. Add the tomato sauce and continue cooking for 1 hour. Remove the meat from the bones, return to the sauce, and heat the mixture in a pan. Serve over the pasta with lots of hand-torn peasant bread.

Brazilian Shrimp Empadinhas

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Brazil, the largest country in South America, was colonized by the Portuguese hence the spelling empadinhas or empadas. This Bahian-style empada filling can also be made with scallops or for a variation, used in puff pastry.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup chopped onion

  • 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper

  • 1 habanero chile, stem and seeds removed, minced or substitute 3 jalapeno chiles

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • Juice of 1 lime

  • ½ cup chopped palm hearts

  • 1 small tomato, chopped

  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1 egg yolk

  • ½ cup thick coconut milk

  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

  • 1 pound small or medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

  • Salt to taste

    • Instructions

    In a heavy skillet, heat the oil and saute the onion, bell pepper, and habanero until they are softened but not browned. Add the lime juice, palm hearts, tomato, cardamom, and cloves, and cook for a couple of minutes until the liquid has been reduced and the mixture thick. Salt to taste.

    Beat the egg together with the coconut milk in a bowl.

    Slowly stir the coconut milk into the palm hearts mixture, and cook over a low heat, stirring frequently until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of a medium white sauce. Stir in the cilantro and shrimp.

    Allow the mixture to cool slightly before filling the empadas.

     

    Empanada Pastry Recipe

    Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

    This recipe works well with all of the following fillings, and because it’s baked, the empanadas can be prepared in advance of serving. For more flavor and heat, add ground chile to the dough before rolling out and cutting the pastry.

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups all-purpose flour

    • 1 teaspoon salt

    • 2/3 cup vegetable shortening, lard or a combination of the two

    • 4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

    • 1 large egg beaten lightly with 1/4 teaspoon water (for glaze)

    Instructions

    Preheat the oven to 400°F.

    Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or two forks. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal.

    Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, and lightly toss with a fork to incorporate it. Add only enough water for the dough to hold together and be gathered into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Bring the dough back to room temperature before rolling.

    To make the crust, gently roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/4 inch and use a cutter to cut circles to the desired diameter. Place a couple of spoonfuls of the filling off-center on each circle. Brush the edges with water, fold in half and seal securely using either your finger or a fork.

    Brush the empanadas with the egg glaze, place on a lightly oiled baking pan, and bake them for 10 to 20 minutes, or until golden.

    Remove them from the pan and cool them on a rack before serving.

     

    Blue Corn Fettucine with Chorizo and Smoked Chicken

    Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

    This recipe was served at the Spoon River Charcuterie in Charlotte, North Carolina. At Spoon River, John Wysor, says, “We smoke our own bacon and chicken, and we make about five kinds of chorizo, including a chorizo borracho, made with Jose Cuervo Tequila, that we use in this dish. Any flavorful Mexican-style sausage will be wonderful, however, and smoked turkey can be used in place of the chicken.”

    Ingredients

    • 10 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed

    • 1/4 pound smoked slab bacon

    • 1 12-ounce package blue corn fettuccine

    • 1 1/2 cups chopped onions

    • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic

    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

    • 1/4 cup tequila

    • 3 cups chicken stock or water

    • 1 pound ripe tomatoes

    • 1/2 pound Mexican-style chorizo, in links

    • 1/2 pound smoked chicken meat, chopped or shredded

    • 1 or 2 cups grated queso blanco or Monterey Jack cheese

    Instructions

    Place the anchos on a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven for about five minutes until you can smell them roasting. Take care that they do not burn.

    Saute the bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until it renders some of its fat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are soft. Add the cumin and oregano and cook for three minutes, stirring. Add the tequila and the stock or water and bring to a simmer. Add the roasted ancho chiles, remove from the heat, and steep for five or ten minutes. Cut the tomatoes in half and roast them in a heavy skillet, cut side down, over medium heat, until blackened.

    Puree the ancho mixture with the tomatoes in a blender or food processor until quite smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender and adding more liquid as needed. Return to the sauce pan and simmer for about 1/2 hour. The sauce should be smooth but not too thick. Add more liquid as needed.

    Add the chorizo, taking care not to boil the sauce at this point, lest the sausage burst. Simmer about twelve to fifteen minutes, remove the sausage, slice it, and return it to the sauce, along with the smoked chicken, and simmer 5 to 10 minutes more.

    Cook the pasta according to the instructions, drain it, and divide it between four plates. Ladle the sauce on top and garnish with the grated cheese.