Southwestern Chile Clam Chowder

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

I usually add chopped green New Mexican chile to this recipe but since the only fresh green chile I could find were Anaheims that were too mild, I decided to use the juice from the serranos since I knew it was hot.

Ingredients

  • 1 large potato, peeled and diced

  • 1/4 pound bacon, cut in ½-inch pieces

  • 1 cup diced onion

  • ½ cup diced celery

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 bottle clam juice

  • 1 10-ounce can clams, drained, liquid reserved

  • 1 6-ounce can minced clams, drained, liquid reserved

  • 1 cup whole kernel corn

  • 1 tablespoon serrano juice

  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme

  • 1 cup half and half

  • 1/4 cup dry sherry (optional)

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Pre-cook potatoes either in a saucepan or in the microwave almost soft. Drain.

In a large stock pot or saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until the fat is rendered, being careful the bacon doesn’t brown. Add the onion and celery and continue to saute until the vegetables are soft. If needed, add vegetable oil.

Stir the flour into the vegetable mixture and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly so that the roux doesn’t brown.

Slowly stir in the clam juice, both bottled and reserved. Stir constantly to eliminate any lumps. Add 3 to 4 cups water, the potatoes, corn, serrano juice and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat, add the clams, and stir in the half and half and sherry. Ladle the soup into individual bowls, garnish with freshly ground black pepper and serve.

 

Fiery Horseradish Cream

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

This creamy sauce delivers a double punch, from the horseradish and the chile. Serve it as an accompaniment to grilled salmon, poached fish, prime rib, or even corned beef. Horseradish is very volatile and loses its flavor and aroma quickly, so this sauce should be made just before serving.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sour cream

  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish

  • 2 teaspoons habanero pulp

Instructions

Combine the sour cream, vinegar, and sugar in a bowl and beat until stiff. The cream will become very thin just before it starts to peak.

Stir in horseradish and habanero pulp and serve.


Pico de Gallo

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

This salsa is so simple it really doesn’t need a recipe at all. It is also good made with serranos, in place of the jalapenos.

Ingredients

  • 1 tomato, finely chopped

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

  • 2 tablespoons jalapeño pulp

  • Lime juice to taste

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl. Allow the salsa to sit at room temperature for at least an hour before serving to combine the flavors.

Serve with chips as a dip, or as a topping for such items as tacos, burritos, and fajitas.

Belizean Habanero Hot Sauce

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

After cooking and pureeing the sauce, stir in the habanero juice. The sauce is very smooth, very hot, and has a strong habanero flavor.

Ingredients

Carrots, Lime Juice, Vinegar, Habanero Juice

Instructions

In this recipe I never cooked the habaneros in order to preserve their distinctive flavor, so it was a perfect choice for our readers’ first experiment with juicing chiles. After cooking and pureeing the sauce, stir in the habanero juice. The final consistency of the sauce was very smooth, very hot, and had a strong habanero flavor.

  • 1 small onion, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 1 cup chopped carrots

  • 1/4 cup lime juice, fresh preferred

  • 2 tablespoons distilled vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/3 to ½ cup habanero juice

In a saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in the oil until soft. Add the carrots and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots are soft.

Remove from the heat and transfer the mix to a blender or food processor. Add the lime juice, vinegar and salt, and puree until smooth. Add the habanero juice and mix well.

Store the hot sauce in a glass bottle.

Yield: 1½ cups

Heat Scale: Extremely Hot

Bloody Maria

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

This is a “south of the border” Bloody Mary substituting tequila for the vodka. But if you are a purist, use the vodka or leave out the alcohol altogether and have a great morning wake-up drink. Adding the rocotos, rather than Tabasco, added flavor as well as warming the drink nicely. The heat came on slowly and lingered. This is one of the best uses for chile juice.

Ingredients

 

  • 8 ounces tomato juice

  • 2 ounces tequila

  • 1 teaspoon rocoto juice

  • ½ teaspoon lime juice

  • Dash Worcestershire sauce

  • Dash celery salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • Salt to taste

  • Garnish: Lime wedge

    • Instructions

    Combine all the ingredients in a pitcher and mix well. Fill a tall glass with ice, pour the juice over the ice, garnish with a lime wedge and serve.