Hominy & Ancho Chili

Ingredients

• 8 guajillo chiles
• 2 ancho chiles
• 1 dried New Mexico chile
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• One 28-ounce can hominy
• 1/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon Mrs Dash Extra Spicy seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning

Directions

1. Wash the chiles thoroughly.  Break off the stems from the chiles.  Do not seed them. In a medium saucepan, cover the chiles with the water and bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and remove from the heat. Let the chiles stand, stirring a few times, until very soft, about 1 hour. Working in batches, puree the chiles with their soaking liquid in a blender.
2. In a large pot, toast the cumin seeds over moderately high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the cumin seeds to a spice grinder and let cool completely. Grind the cumin seeds to a powder.
3. In the same pot, heat the oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the ground beef, pork and lamb and cook, breaking up the meat into coarse chunks, until starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the ground cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chile puree and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir the hominy and its liquid into the chili. Gradually stir in the cornmeal. Simmer, stirring, until thickened, 5 minutes. Add the seasonings.

Adapted from Food & Wine on-line magazine <http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chili-with-guajillo-and-ancho-chiles-and-hominy>

Beer Chili

Ingredients

• 2 ancho chiles
• 2 pasilla chiles
• 2 guajillo chiles
• About 2 cups boiling water
• 2 canned chipotles in adobo
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• One 12-ounce bottle Dos Equis Dark Beer
• 2 tablespoons olive oil oil
• 3 pounds boneless short ribs, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Freshly ground pepper 
• 1 teaspoon Mrs Dash Extra Spicy seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup masa harina (see Note) or fine cornmeal
• Chipotle hot sauce
• Shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onion, warm corn tortillas and cold Dos Equis beer.

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet. Add the ancho, pasilla and guajillo chiles and toast over moderately low heat, turning, until lightly charred, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chiles to a heatproof bowl. Cover with the boiling water and let stand until softened, about 20 minutes.
2. Drain the chiles and transfer to a blender. Add the chipotles and coffee and puree until smooth. Add the beer; pulse until blended.
3. Heat the oil in a large, enameled cast-iron casserole. Season the short ribs and add half to the pot. Cook over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate. Lower the heat to moderate and brown the remaining short ribs. Return all of the meat to the casserole and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
4. Add the onion and garlic to the casserole and cook over moderately high heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, cinnamon and cloves and cook until fragrant. Add the chile-beer mixture and the chicken stock and bring to a simmer, stirring. Cover partially and simmer over low heat until the meat is very tender and the sauce is slightly reduced, about 2 hours.
5. Ladle 2 cups of the sauce into a heatproof bowl and whisk in the masa harina (or corn meal). Whisk the mixture into the pot and simmer until the sauce thickens, 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning and add hot sauce; serve with shredded cheddar, dices onions and tortillas.

 Adapted from Food & Wine on-line magazine <http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/julies-texas-style-chili-with-beer>

Ed's BBQ Pulled Pork

• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 pork tenderloin (do not trim fat)
• 2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 1 bottle Bill Johnson's Hot & Spicy BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 265 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and brush both sides of the tenderloin with the mixture.  Place in a roasting pan, with the fat side up.

Slow roast the tenderloin for about 4-6 hours.  Add a small amount of water to the pan if the juices begin to dry up.

When the internal temperature of the tenderloin reaches 150 degrees, add 1/2 cup of water to the roasting pan and increase temperature to 300 degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove the tenderloin from the pan and cut into quarters.  Place the quartered tenderloin in a large crock pot, along with the juices from the pan and 1/4 cup of water.  Cook on high for 1 hour and lower to low for one more hour.  Turn the meat over every 1/2 hour or so.

Allow the meat to cool for about 15-20 minutes, unless you enjoy burning the crap out of your fingers.  Using two forks, shred the meat and put into large bowl.  Remove the fat and give to the dog.

In a separate bowl.  Mix 1 bottle of Bill Johnson's Hot & Spicy BBQ sauce.  Slowly add the juices from the crock pot, but taste the sauce constantly to make sure it does not taste too salty.  Mix thoroughly and blend into the shredded meat until completely covered.  Note: Tasting the meat during blending is required to get your fill before the rest of the gang digs into it.  So, eat up.

Serve on buns with cole slaw.  Add Louisiana Hot Sauce to spice it up a bit.

Jerk Chicken

Ingredients

• 8 scallions, chopped 
• 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 Habaneros, chopped
• 2-3 Jalapeños, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped thyme
• 2 tablespoons ground allspice
• 1-1/4 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4+ cup vegetable oil
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Mrs Dash Extra Spicy Seasoning
• Three, 4-pound chickens, each cut into 8 pieces 

Directions

1. In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients (except the chicken) and process to a paste. Put the chicken pieces in a very large bowl and pour the marinade on top. Toss to coat the chicken thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight. NOTE: Since, the ingredients are put into a food processor and pureed, you don't need to slice and dice them very much. Just toss them into the food processor.
2. Light a grill. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, leaving on a coating of spice paste. Grill the chicken over moderately high heat, turning often, until the skin is nicely charred and the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Chipotle Maple Baby-Back Ribs

• 1 rack baby-back ribs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1/2 cub maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup Bill Johnson BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Season the ribs with salt, pepper and Mrs Dash Extra Spicy on both sides.  In a blender combine chipotle chiles, BBQ sauce, maple syrup and butter and puree until smooth.  Baste ribs with the sauce and roast directly on oven rack, with a drip pan below, for 6 hours.  Baste every hour.  The last 1-1/2 hours, loosely cover ribs with aluminum foil.

Preheat the grill to medium hot and grill the ribs the for 30 minutes.  Watch carefully so they do not burn.  The glaze should darken to a crust, but do not burn.

Citrus Soy Glazed Salmon

• 1-/2 cups Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grapefruit juice
• 2 cups honey
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 4 scallions finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Mrs Dashes Garlic and Herb
• 4 salmon filets
• Cajun seasoning
• Mrs Dashes Extra Spicy

Mix and Whisk all ingredients (except salmon of course). Reserve 1 cup of marinade.

Place the salmon in a glass casserole dish and pour marinade over.  Cover and refrigerate and 4-6 hours.

Remove salmon from marinade before grilling.

Set grill to medium heat.  Season salmon with Cajun seasoning and Mrs Dashes Extra Spicy seasoning.  Spray grill with cooking spray so the salmon will not stick to it.  Place salmon on grill, presentation side down first.  Cook for 4 minutes and carefully turn over with spatula.  Cook an additional 4 minutes, rotate salmon filets 1/4th turn and cook another 4 minutes (12 minutes total).  The honey in the marinade will darken the salmon rapidly as it cooks.

Serve with reserve marinade drizzled over top.  Goes good with cucumbers and vinegar and curry rice with peas.

Chorizo and Potato Tacos

Ingredients
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons chopped chipotles in adobo
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
12 corn tortillas, warmed
Tomato salsa, chopped white onion, cilantro and lime wedges, for serving

Directions 

In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with 4 inches of cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, until tender. Drain and let cool slightly. Peel the potatoes and coarsely mash them in the saucepan.

In a large bowl, knead the pork with the salt, garlic, paprika, chipotles, coriander, oregano and vinegar. Gently knead in the potatoes, leaving some chunks of potato.

In 2 large skillets, preferably cast-iron or nonstick, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chorizo-potato mixture to the skillets and press into an even layer. Cook over moderately high heat undisturbed until a crust forms on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn the mixture in sections and cook until browned and crusty on the bottom, about 5 minutes longer.

Transfer the chorizo-potato mixture to a bowl and serve with the tortillas, salsa, onion, cilantro and lime wedges.

Sardinian-Style Paella

INGREDIENTS

• Large pinch of saffron threads
• 6 1/2 cups warm water
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 pound fregola (2 1/4 cups)
• 1/2 pound chorizo, thinly sliced
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 2 pounds red snapper, cod or monkfish, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1 pound cockles, scrubbed
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, crumble the saffron in 1/2 cup of the warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a very large, deep sauté pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, 2 minutes. Add the fregola and chorizo and cook, stirring, until the chorizo releases some of its fat and starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, white wine, saffron and its soaking liquid and the remaining 6 cups of warm water to the sauté pan and bring to a boil. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, cover and cook over low heat until the fregola is very chewy and soupy, about 10 minutes.

Season the shrimp and red snapper with salt and pepper and add them to the pan along with the mussels and cockles, nestling them into the fregola. Bring to a boil. Cover the pan and cook over low heat until the fregola is al dente, the fish is just cooked through and the mussels and cockles have opened, about 12 minutes longer.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the paella stand for 5 minutes; the fregola will absorb a bit more of the liquid, but the dish should be a bit brothy. Discard any mussels and cockles that haven't opened. Sprinkle the fregola with the chopped parsley and serve right away.

Fregola, the pearl-size Sardinian pasta that is quite similar to couscous, makes a terrific substitute for rice in this paella-style dish; it soaks up a lot of the cooking liquid from the seafood, tomato and chorizo stew and still stays nicely chewy. For such an impressive main course, it can be prepared surprisingly quickly.

Pork and Chile Stew

INGREDIENTS

• 6 pounds baby back ribs, membranes removed, cut into 3-rib sections
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 2 white onions, coarsely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves
• 4 serrano chiles, stemmed
• 4 poblano chiles—roasted, skinned, stemmed, seeded and chopped
• 4 white-corn tortillas, toasted and torn into small pieces
• 1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
• Crumbled feta cheese, sliced radishes, lime wedges and cilantro sprigs, for serving

DIRECTIONS

• In a large, deep pot, cover the ribs with 10 cups of water and add the salt. Bring to a boil, then cover partially and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, 1-1/2 hours.
• Transfer the ribs to a large plate; keep warm. Skim off excess fat from the cooking liquid; you should have about 6 cups of liquid. Add the onions, garlic and serranos to the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat for 20 minutes. Add the poblanos and tortilla pieces; let cool. Working in batches, coarsely puree the cooking liquid.
• Return the liquid to the pot. Add the ribs and simmer over moderately low heat until the stew is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve with the cheese, radishes, lime wedges and cilantro sprigs.

Korean Sizzling Beef

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Lite soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Kikkoman soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons dry white wine, plus one glass for the cook
• 4 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons Mrs Dash Extra Spicy
• 1 teaspoon Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb
• 1-4 oz can diced jalapeños
• About 5 pounds thin cut beef (flank steak OK), cut across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 16 scallions
• Vegetable oil, for rubbing
• Steamed rice, for serving

Directions

• In a large, shallow dish, combine the soy sauce with the sugar, white wine, chopped garlic, toasted sesame oil, vinegar, jalapeños and spices, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the sliced flank steak and coat thoroughly in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate the steak for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Light a grill or heat a griddle. Rub the scallions all over with vegetable oil and grill them over high heat, turning once, until the scallions are just softened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.
• Working in batches, grill the steak over high heat until the slices are richly browned and medium-rare, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer the steak to a serving platter and serve with the grilled scallions and steamed rice.

 This recipe could also be used for Beef Jerky.

Creole Chicken Gumbo

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Olive oil
• 1 large white onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 large celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 6 ounces andouille links, thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons prepared jerk paste or 1 tablespoon ground jerk seasoning
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon smoked hot paprika
• 3/4 pound fresh or thawed frozen okra, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• One 3 1/2-pound rotisserie chicken—meat shredded, skin and bones discarded
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Tabasco
• Steamed rice, for serving
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

• In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, whisk the flour with 1/2 cup of oil until smooth. Cook the roux over moderately low heat, whisking often, until deep brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Add the onion, celery, bell peppers and garlic and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 20 minutes.
• In cast iron skillet, brown the andouille.
• Gradually add the stock to the casserole, whisking until smooth. Add the andouille, bay leaves, jerk paste, thyme and paprika and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the okra to the casserole and simmer until tender, 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken meat and season the gumbo with salt, pepper and Tabasco. Discard the bay leaves, ladle the gumbo over rice, garnish with the scallions and serve with Tabasco.

Creole Shrimp

Ingredients

• 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1-1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Mrs Dash Garlic and herb seasoning
  
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
  
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 stick butter
  
• Juice of 1 lemons
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

• In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the garlic, Creole seasoning and bell pepper.
• In a skillet, sauté the shrimp in the oil and butter over moderately high heat, turning the shrimp once, until just white throughout. Add the lemon juice and parsley and serve.