Red Chile Pork Cutlets, Cervantes-Style

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Serve with your choice of calabacitas, papitas, pinto beans, Spanish rice, or posole. The meat can also be cut in strips after preparation, wrapped in warm flour tortilla and served as a burrito.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds pork loin, trimmed and cut in 1/2-inch cutlets

  • 1 pound sun-ripened New Mexico red chile pods (thoroughly dried)

  • 1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano

  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 16 ounces Cervantes Red Chile Sauce (Ready-to-Serve)

Instructions

For the Marinade:

Inspect the chile pods and remove the stems, seeds and white veins.* Rinse and place the cleaned pods in a large bowl or saucepan and add enough hot water to cover. Soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour. After pods are completely reconstituted (pods should appear bright red and plump), remove them with tongs and place in blender with chile water to cover the pods. Leave about one inch space or more in the blender container. Add oregano, garlic and salt. Blend for 2 minutes (puree setting). If sauce is too thick, add more water and blend until skins disappear completely.

* Be sure to use rubber or latex gloves when handling chile pods.

For the Pork:

In a shallow pan, place the pork cutlets in a single layer. Pour the blended marinade evenly over meat, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. For more intense chile flavor, marinate overnight.

Preheat the grill on high. Reduce the heat 375 degrees. Remove the meat from the marinade and place it on grill. Reserve marinade for basting. Cook each side 2 to 4 minutes, depending on thickness of the cutlet. Baste the meat with marinade on each side before turning. Watch the meat closely as it will cook quickly, don’t overcook. You will want to keep pork moist inside.

Ladle two ounces of Cervantes Red Chile Sauce (finishing sauce) on each plate. Place pork in center of plate. Drizzle additional Cervantes Red Chile Sauce (approx. 2 ounces) over the meat. Garnish with sprig of cilantro. Serve with your choice of calabacitas, papitas, pinto beans, Spanish rice, or posole. The meat can also be cut in strips after preparation, wrapped in warm flour tortilla and served as a burrito. Smother burrito with Cervantes Red Chile Sauce, add grated cheddar cheese. Melt the cheese and enjoy!

Tunisian Hot Vegetable Dip (Slata Mechouia)

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This recipe is based on the Tunisian grilled salads, as mechouia means roasted. This recipe is easily prepared on the grill and can be served as a relish, dip, or spread. As might be expected, it can also be served with a flat, unleavened bread such as pita. Use a mortar and pestle for a traditional method of grinding the grilled vegetables, or just mash and mix with a fork in a bowl. For a much hotter dip, substitute jalapeño chiles.

Ingredients

  • 1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut in half, seeds removed

  • 2 medium tomatoes

  • 1 small onion, cut in half

  • 4 green New Mexico or poblano chiles

  • 3 whole cloves garlic

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh preferred

  • 1 tablespoon caraway seeds or 1 tablespoon cumin seeds

  • 1 tablespoon chopped brine cured black olives

  • Chopped parsley for garnish

  • 1 small loaf French bread

Instructions

Place the bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, chiles, and garlic on medium-hot grill, and grill until the skins become charred and blistered. The onions will take longer to cook than the rest of the vegetables. Remove the vegetables from the grill, place in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth to loosen the skins. Remove the skins, but don’t worry–a few charred pieces will add an interesting flavor dimension. Mash the vegetables together and place the mixture in a bowl.

Mix the remaining ingredients, except for the bread, and pour over the vegetables and gently toss. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve the dip with the bread and encourage guests to tear the bread into chunks and dip in mixture.

New Mexican Three-Chile Wings of Fire

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These wings are not a traditional New Mexican dish, but since it’s one of our favorites, and we serve it in New Mexico, we have dared to adopt it as one of our hot and spicy favorites. Because of the high sugar content in the sauce, use it toward the end of grilling so it doesn’t burn.

Ingredients

Three-Chile Wings of Fire Sauce:

  • 3 chipotle chiles, stems removed

  • 2 dried red New Mexican chiles, stems and seeds removed

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 4 chiltepins, crushed (or substitute 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne chile)

  • 1/3 cup catsup

  • 3 tablespoons vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard

  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 2 cups water

  • Salt to taste

The Wings:

  • 2 pounds chicken wings

Instructions

New Mexican Three-Chile Wings of Fire

Cover the chipotles and New Mexican chiles with hot water in a bowl and allow to steep for 20 minutes to soften. Drain.

 

Saute the onion in the oil in a saucepan until soft. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, including the softened chiles, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes to thicken. Remove from the heat, place in a blender and food processor and puree until smooth. Strain if desired.

Grill the wings over a medium fire, turning often, for 10 minutes. Baste with the sauce frequently during the final 10 minutes of cooking, taking care not to burn the wings.

 

Margarita-Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Quesadilla

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This is one of those cross-over dishes that can be served whole as an entree or cut into wedges as an appetizer. Feel free to substitute chicken pieces for the shrimp if you like.

Ingredients

Tequila, Jalapeno Chiles, Shrimp, Tortillas, Guacamole, Cheese

Instructions

This is one of those cross-over dishes that can be served whole as an entree or cut into wedges as an appetizer. If ever there were such a thing as a “Grilled Shrimp Mexican-Style Pizza,” this would be it. Feel free to substitute chicken pieces for the shrimp if you like. Would you dare serve this with Tropical Rum Slush? Well, why not? We do.

Margarita Marinade

  • 1/4 cup tequila

  • 3 tablespoons triple sec

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion

  • 2 serrano or jalapeño chiles, seeds and stems removed, finely chopped

  • 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder

The Shrimp and Final Preparation

  • 1 pound small shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), peeled and deveined

  • 6 7-inch flour tortillas

  • Vegetable oil

  • Guacamole (two mashed or finely chopped avocados mixed with
    1/2 chopped onion, 1/2 chopped tomato, 1 minced serrano or jalapeño
    chile, and a little lime or lemon juice)

  • 1,5 cups shredded Monterey Jack or asadero cheese

  • Chopped fresh cilantro.

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a nonreactive bowl. Toss the shrimp in the mixture and marinate for one hour.

Place the shrimp in a grilling basket and place over the fire, shaking the basket often to make sure the shrimp is grilled on all sides. Grill for about 4 minutes over a medium fire, or until the shrimp just turn pink and are opaque. Remove from the fire.

Brush one side of 3 tortillas with the oil. Spread the guacamole over the other side of each oil-brushed tortilla, divide the shrimp among each, sprinkle with the cheese and cilantro, and press firmly together. Top with the remaining tortillas and brush with oil.

Grill the quesadillas over medium heat either by the indirect method for 5 minutes, or direct method for 3 to 4 minutes or until the tortillas start to brown and the cheese melts, turning once–carefully.

Cut the quesadillas into wedges, top with a dollop of guacamole if desired, and serve.

Yield: 16 to 24 wedges

Heat Scale: Mild

Grilled Shrimp Cocktail Mazatlan-Style

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A Mexican coctel de camarones tends to be a lot spicer than one traditionally served north of the border, and the shrimp is grilled rather than boiled, which adds a different flavor dimension. In a pinch, substitute a Mexican hot sauce like Cholula for the chile powder and the jalapeño chile, and the result will be equally good.

Ingredients

For the Shrimp:

  • 4 to 5 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil

  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 teaspoons ground guajillo chile or substitute chile de arbol chile powder

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh preferred

  • 1 pound medium-sized shrimp, shelled and deveined

For the Cocktail:

  • 1 small cucumber, diced

  • 1 small tomato, diced

  • 1 small avocado, cubed

  • 2 tablespoons chopped red onion

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

For the Sauce:

  • 2 tomatoes, peeled and deseeded

  • 1/4 cup orange juice

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice

  • 2 serrano chiles, seeds and stems removed, quartered, or substitute jalapeños

  • 1 tablespoon chopped red onion

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Instructions

To prepare the shrimp, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the garlic, chile, and lime juice. Simmer the mixture for a couple of minutes. Thread the shrimp on skewers. Baste the shrimp with the chile butter and grill over a medium heat, basting continually with the sauce, for 3 to 4 minutes or until the shrimp turns pink and opaque.

To make the cocktail, combine all the ingredients, except the shrimp and cilantro, in a bowl and gently mix. Divide the mixture into 4 large cups or glasses, such as parfait glasses.

Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pour over the cocktail mixture, arrange the shrimp around the rim of the glasses, garnish with the chopped cilantro, and serve.