Southwestern Sangrita with Three Juices

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Serve this more northern version of the Mexican drink as a chaser to 
straight tequila in a glass rimmed with salt. Sip the tequila, then the 
sangrita, then suck on a lime slice. Repeat the procedure as often as 
you dare! Or, mix the tequila into the sangrita.

Ingredients

3 green New Mexican chiles, roasted, peeled, stems and seeds removed, 
chopped
3 cups tomato juice
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped onions
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste

Instructions

Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Chill 
before serving.

Another Chile-Flavored Vodka

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

When I write “flavored,” I mean it, as I have chosen the chiles that 
impart the most distinct flavors. The raisiny flavor of the pasilla 
melds with the apricot overtones of the habanero and the earthiness of 
the New Mexican chile to create a finely-tuned fiery sipping vodka. Of 
course, use an excellent vodka like Stolichnaya or Absolut. Note: This 
recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

1 liter vodka
1 pasilla chile, seeds and stems removed, cut into thin strips
1/2 dried red New Mexican chile pod, seeds and stems removed, cut in fourths
1/4 habanero chile, seeds and stems removed, left whole

Instructions

Open the bottle of vodka and drink some of it to make room in the 
bottle. Add the chiles and recap. Let sit for at least 3 days to 
generate some heat, and the vodka will get progressively hotter over the 
weeks. As you drink the vodka, replace it with more fresh vodka, and the 
process will go on for some time.

Jerk Chicken with Pineapple-Mango Salsa

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

This recipe for jerk sauce is fiery but not incendiary, full of flavor, and worth the effort to make it. There are as many Jamaican recipes for jerk as there are Jamaicans; I settled on this as one the best of the best. Serve with big iced bottles of Jamaican Red Stripe beer. Read more about Jamaica’s Jerk cuisine in the article“Cookin’ Jerk on de Barbacoa, Mon!” By Rick Browne

Ingredients

Chicken

















1/3 cup coarsely chopped shallot

4 green onions, green and white parts, chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup water

Juice of 2 limes

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 to 1 Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons allspice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon dried thyme

4-6 (4 to 6 oz.) skinless, bone-in chicken breasts

1 cup chopped fresh pineapple

1 cup chopped fresh mango

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced jalapeño

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a food processor or blender, combine the shallots, green onions, oil, water, lime juice, soy sauce, Scotch bonnet, garlic, ketchup, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and thyme and process until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.

Wash the chicken breasts and pat dry. Using rubber gloves, cover each breast with the jerk paste. Place the chicken in a re-sealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.

Prepare a charcoal or gas barbecue for indirect grilling, placing a drip pan under the cool side of the grill rack.  Preheat to 350 degrees F. Make sure the grill rack is clean, and oil it thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray.

Remove the chicken from the bag and transfer to the prepared grill rack over direct heat. Cook for 5 minutes per side, then move the chicken to the cool side of the grill and cook for 10 to 15 minutes longer per side, until the internal temperature reaches 160˚F. Remove the chicken from the grill and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the salsa by combining the pineapple, mango, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice in a food processor and pulsing 3 or4 times until the ingredients are chopped, but still chunky. Pour into a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Serve each breast topped with a generous portion of salsa.

Sangrita de Chapala (Chapala’s Little Bloody Drink)

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

This particular version of sangrita, or “little bloody drink,” comes
from Chapala, Mexico, where the bartenders have not succumbed to the
temptation of adding tomato juice to this concoction, as the
norteamericanos do. The bloody color comes from the grenadine, so this
is truly a sweet heat drink that is also salty. Some people take a sip
of tequila after each swallow of sangrita, while others mix one part
tequila to four parts sangrita to make a cocktail.

Ingredients

2 cups orange juice
3/4 cup grenadine syrup
2 teaspoons Mexican hot sauce of choice (or substitute any habanero hot
sauce)
1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a jar, shake well, and chill.

Jalapeño Margarita

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

This is certainly a unique capisicum cocktail. To make Hot and Sour Mix: 
to one quart of sour mix add 4 large jalapeños, stems and seeds removed, 
diced and let steep for at least 24 hours. Note: This recipe requires 
advance preparation.

Ingredients

1 1/4 ounces tequila
3/4 ounce Triple Sec
2 ounces hot and sour mix (see headnote)
1 1/2 ounces lime juice
Dash of Tabasco® Jalapeño Sauce
Lime slice and whole jalapeño for garnish

Instructions

Place all ingredients, except lime slice and whole jalapeño, in a 
blender and blend to mix. Pour over ice In a glass and garnish with the 
lime slice and whole jalapeño. If a frozen margarita is preferred, add 
one cup ice to blender with other ingredients.