Grape-Grilled Quail w/ Goat Cheese Rounds

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Although many Southwest barbecues and grilled meats utilize mesquite, it is not the only aromatic wood to use–experiment with pecan, apple, peach, and grape clippings. If you use charcoal for the main fire, be sure to soak the wood for an hour in water before grilling. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

  • 12 quail

  • 2 ancho chiles, seeds and stems removed

  • 2/3 cup olive oil

  • 1/4 cup orange juice

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice

  • 1 clove garlic

  • 6 2-ounce goat cheese rounds

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1/4 cup dried corn bread crumbs

  • 6 6-inch pieces of thick grape vine clippings, soaked in water

  • Salsa of choice

Instructions

Cut the wing tips off the quail, then split the birds down the back and remove the backbone. With a knife tip, remove the rib bones from each quail, and then slice open the thigh bones to remove the bones and joint, taking care to keep the skin intact. Open up each quail and press the legs together, securing them with toothpicks.

Simmer the chiles in water for 15 minutes. Place the chiles in a blender along with the olive oil, orange and lime juices, and the garlic and puree. Pour this sauce over the quail and marinate for an hour.

While the quail are marinating, prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire and preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush each goat cheese round with olive oil, coat with corn bread crumbs, and bake for 5 minutes. If you start the baking just when the quail are being grilled, both should be done at the same time.

Add the grape clippings to the coals, arrange the quail skin side down on the rack and grill for 2 minutes, taking care not to burn them. Turn the quail and grill for an additional 2 minutes.

If the skin is not yet crisp, turn once more and grill for an additional minute.

Serve 2 quail on each plate with a goat cheese round and garnished with the salsa.

Mesquite-Grilled Snapper with Ancho Sauce

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Mesquite wood smoke is absorbed by the fish while it grills, imparting a distinctly Southwestern flavor. Care should be taken not to overcook–or burn–the fish.

Ingredients

  • 2 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped

  • 1 small onion, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 2 small tomatoes, peeled and chopped

  • 1/4 cup raisins

  • 2 cups chicken broth

  • Mesquite chips, soaked in water

  • 4 snapper fillets

  • Olive oil

Instructions

Saute the chile and onion in the vegetable oil until soft. Add the remaining ingredients, except the fish and olive oil, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Place the mixture in a blender and puree until smooth. Keep the sauce warm.

Prepare a fire of mesquite wood, or a charcoal fire with mesquite chips added. When the coals have burned down to a medium heat, rub the fillets with olive oil and grill for four or five minutes per side, turning once. Turning more often could cause the fillets to fall apart.

Place the fish on individual plates, pour the sauce over the top and serve.

Grilled Tomatillo Shrimp

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The heat of this spicy kebab is controlled by the number of jalapeño strips used. Milder fresh chiles can also be substituted to tame down this dish. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

  • 2 tomatillos

  • 2 tablespoons minced onion

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1/4 cup lime juice, fresh preferred

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

  • 1 pound shelled shrimp, tails left on

  • 4 to 6 jalapeños, stems and seeds removed, cut in strips

Instructions

Place the tomatillos on a hot skillet and roast for a couple of minutes or until blackened on all sides.

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until soft.

Place the tomatillos, onion mixture, lime juice, and black pepper in a blender and puree until smooth. Stir in the cilantro.

Marinate the shrimp in the mixture for an hour. Remove and thread on skewers along with the chile strips. Place the marinade in a pan and heat.

Grill until just done (a few minutes on each side) and serve with the sauce on the side.

Nma Jim Jeaw Sauce

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As this is always a homemade concoction, recipes vary for both ingredients and amounts. The rule-of-thumb is “to taste.” A key element that all agree on is the difficult-to-make roasted, powdered rice which I‘ve yet to find on U.S. market shelves. To make it, sauté rice in lime juice until browned but still with a trace of moisture then grind into a medium powder. This condiment is used to spice up any dish. Try it over rice pilaf.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ tablespoons ground, roasted rice

  • 1 ½ tablespoons chile powder

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon tamarind sauce

  • ½ tablespoon sugar (palm sugar is best)

  • 1 shallot, peeled and sliced

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1 cilantro root, minced (optional)

  • 1/4 cup water or more if needed

Instructions

In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a blender and puree. Return the sauce to the bowl and place it in the regfrigerator for at least 3 hourse for the flavors to blend and the rice to soften. Garnish with minced parsley, mint, and spring onion.

Kaow Soy Kai

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This is a favorite soup at The Regent Resort Chiang Mai. It is well worth the effort to prepare it.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil

  • 1 ½ tablespoons red curry paste

  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder

  • 4 cups coconut milk

  • 1/4 cup fish sauce

  • 1 ½ tablespoons curry powder

  • 1 pound chicken meat, cubed

  • 14 ounces yellow vermicelli (Chinese egg noodles)

  • Vegetable oil for deep frying

  • For garnish: pickled Chinese cabbage, lime slices, and sliced shallots

Instructions

In a wok, combine the vegetable oil, red curry paste, cumin, coconut milk, fish sauce, and curry powder and bring to a boil. Add the chicken, reduce the heat, and cook for 10 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, boil half of the vermicelli in a pot for 3 minutes, remove and plunge into ice water, and transfer to the wok. Deep-fry the other half of the vermicelli but do not brown. They should be yellow and crispy. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. To assemble, transfer the chicken mixture to bowls and add the fried vermicelli over the top. Garnish with the cabbage, lime slices, and shallots.