Lamb Tenderloin with Serrano-Mint Glaze

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This is a great idea for a Skewer Party, when you want your guests to be able to wander around, stay clean and look cool. Burgers and tacos are a two-handed operation, but skewers can be eaten with one. You can put a cocktail glass in your guest’s other hand!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups red wine vinegar

  • 2 cups white wine vinegar

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 2 serrano chiles, chopped

  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves

  • 2 (1-pound) lamb tenderloins, or 2 pounds lamb loin cut into

  • 1-inch pieces

  • 6-inch wooden skewers, soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes

  • Olive oil

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine the vinegars and sugar in a medium saucepan (not aluminum or cast-iron) and bring to a boil. Boil until reduced to 1 cup. Let cool slightly, transfer to a blender, add the serrano chiles and mint, and process until smooth. Pour into a bowl.

Heat your grill to high. Set aside a few tablespoons of the glaze to use after cooking.

Spear 3 pieces of lamb onto each skewer, keeping them together at one end of the skewer (this will make them easier to hold). Brush

the lamb on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill the lamb, brushing with the glaze every minute or so, until medium-rare, 2 to 3 minutes on both sides.

Remove to a platter and brush with the reserved glaze. Let rest for 2 minutes before serving.

Avocado-Tomatillo Sauce

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Tart tomatillos, hot jalapeños, fresh lime, and sweet honey, all bound together with the creaminess of avocado, make this one a favorite sauce. Try it with any rich fish, like swordfish, salmon, mackerel, or bluefish.

Ingredients

  • 8 tomatillos, husked and rinsed

  • 2  jalapeño chiles

  • 1/2 cup mild vegetable oil, such as canola, plus extra for brushing

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 4 ripe Hass avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into

  • 1/2-inch dice

  • 1 small onion, chopped

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

Heat your grill to high.

Brush the tomatillos and chiles with oil and season all over with salt and pepper. Grill the tomatillos and chiles, turning, until blackened on all sides. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop the tomatillos. Stem, seed and chop the chiles.

Combine the tomatillos, chiles, lime juice, and honey in a blender

and blend until smooth. With the motor running, gradually pour in the oil and blend until emulsified. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the avocados, onion, and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grilled Shrimp with Orange-Cilantro Vinaigrette

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This recipe accompanies Grilled Swordfish with Lime-Basil-Jala-peño Vinaigrette (see above) and others in the chapter titled Fish Taco Party.

Ingredients

  • 24 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest

  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

  • 1 serrano chile, seeded and chopped

  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

  • 1/2 cup mild vegetable oil, such as canola

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 24 wooden skewers, soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes

Instructions

Arrange the shrimp in a single layer in a large dish. Combine the orange zest and juice, onion, chile, and cilantro in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil and blend until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper, pour over the shrimp, and marinate for 10 minutes.

Heat your grill to high.

Spear the shrimp by pushing the skewer through the head and the tail, then smoothing the shrimp along the skewer to help it lie flat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Grill the shrimp until pink, opaque, and just cooked through, 1 1/2 seconds to 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately with tortillas and garnishes listed above in the Grilled Swordfish with Lime-Basil-Jala-peño Vinaigrette recipe.

 

Grilled Swordfish with Lime-Basil-Jalapeño Vinaigrette

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Ever since I discovered the fish taco, a Cal-Mex specialty that originated around San Diego and Baja, it’s been one of my favorite summer dinners, especially for a crowd. The real thing is a soft tortilla wrapped around fried fish, but grilled fish is even better to my taste.

Ingredients

For the Fish:

  • 1 1/2 pounds swordfish steak,

  • 1 inch thick

  • Grated zest of 1 lime

  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

  • 2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and chopped

  • 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves

  • 1/2 cup mild vegetable oil, such as canola

For the Tacos:

  • Avocado-Tomatillo Sauce (see recipe below)

  • Iceberg lettuce, thinly shredded

  • Red cabbage, cored and thinly shredded

  • Red onions, thinly sliced

  • Scallions, thinly sliced

  • Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

  • Hot sauce

  • Mexican crema

  • 7-inch tortillas, flour and/or corn, grilled on high for 20 seconds
    on each side, just until warm and lightly charred

For the Tomatillo Sauce:

  • 8 tomatillos, husked and rinsed

  • 2 jalapeño chiles

  • 1/2 cup mild vegetable oil, such as canola, plus extra for brushing

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 4 ripe Hass avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into

  • 1/2-inch dice

  • 1 small onion, chopped

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

 

Instructions

Place the fish in a large dish. Combine the lime zest and juice, chiles, and basil in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil and blend until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper, pour over the fish, turn to coat, and marinate for 10 minutes.

Heat your grill to high.

Grill the fish until lightly browned and firm on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the dish over, reduce the heat to medium or move to a cooler part of the grill, and grill until just cooked all the way through, 3 to 4 minutes more. Remove the fish from the grill and slice 1/2 inch think. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately with tortillas and garnishes listed above.

 

For the Tomatillo Sauce:

Heat your grill to high.

Brush the tomatillos and chiles with oil and season all over with salt and pepper. Grill the tomatillos and chiles, turning, until blackened on all sides. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop the tomatillos. Stem, seed and chop the chiles.

Combine the tomatillos, chiles, lime juice, and honey in a blender

and blend until smooth. With the motor running, gradually pour in the oil and blend until emulsified. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the avocados, onion, and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Grilled Green Chile-Stuffed Steaks Wrapped in Bacon

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This is one of our favorite ways of grilling steaks and we find ourselves using the basic recipe and altering it again and again. The combination of the different peppers and the chiles provide different spice and heat sensations in the mouth, and the green chile pulls all the tastes together. Serve this with roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Leftover steak can be turned into a fabulous Southwest Steak Sandwich by thinly slicing it and adding it to sourdough bread with Muenster cheese and more chile.

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless ribeye steaks, or substitute filet mignon or sirloin steaks, 1 to 2 inches thick

  • 4 roasted and peeled hot green New Mexican chiles, stems and seeds removed

  • 4 strips raw bacon

  • 2 tablespoons each red, white, and black peppercorns

  • 2 tablespoons Caribbean habanero sauce

  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Slice the steaks horizontally to create a pocket. Do not cut all the way through the steak. Place a green chile in each of the pockets. Wrap a strip of bacon around each steak horizontally and secure with a toothpicks.

Place the peppercorns in a towel and pound with a hammer or mortar until roughly crushed. Press the pepper into each side of the steak.

Combine the habanero sauce, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic. Place the steaks in a non-metallic pan, pour the marinade over the meat, and marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Bring the steaks to room temperature before grilling.

Grill the steaks over a medium-hot fire for about 12 to 16 minutes, turning often, for rare, and 8 to 10 minutes for medium rare. For medium-rare steaks, the internal temperature should be 150 degrees F. Feel free to slice it to check on doneness.

Variation: For those not enamored of peppercorns, omit and wrap the steaks in peppered bacon.