Red New Mexico Chile Sauce

August 10, 2016

You know they old saying, when life gives you a giant bag of dried Red New Mexico Chiles, make a delicious pureed sauce. Though this looks so spicy it'll burn off even Mark Twain's undead eyebrows, the taste is slightly smoky and mild. It's a great addition to a variety of dishes.

WARNING: EXPLODING CHILES AHEAD!

Fresh oregano from my own personal garden!

Not knowing much about dried chiles and making sauces with them I went ahead and just worked from a solid recipe from Diaz Family Farms. I followed their recipe step by step, except I used a stick blender that resulted in a courser sauce that if I had used a traditional blender.

When making your chile sauce don't throw out the chile water! It's perfect for marinating or a great addition to a Bloody Mary mix, both are potential options for upcoming blog posts!

If you want a thicker sauce follow their recipe to make a chile sauce roux. Use as an ingredient in any Mexican dishes or just put a bit on a tortilla and enjoy!

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Bumble Bee Sting Cocktail

June 5, 2016

It's summer once again, which means heat waves and drinking enough to forget how hot it is. The perfect summer drink, if you ask any retiree, would be the Arnold Palmer. Except the Arnold Palmer doesn't have any booze in it, but there's a simple solution to that.

Tea infused Vodka is the answer to our sober dilemma. All it takes is some cheap vodka, loose leaf tea, a strainer and 30 minutes. Seriously that's it.

Bumble Bee Sting

1 shot Tea Infused Vodka
1 shot Pink (or regular) Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Honey Simple Syrup
Ice
Slice of Lemon for garnish

Add the ice, vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker and shake for a bit longer than you think you need to shake for.
Pour in glass serve with lemon slice. Enjoy!

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Stuffed Mirliton Topped with Pecans

May 4, 2016

So what the hell is a Mirliton? Also known as Chayote, a type of squash that's used in dishes all around the world. Though you might know it as a popular dish in Louisiana. My wonderful girlfriend turned me on to these delicious vegetables. Okay, they only really become delicious when you stuff them with crab, shrimp and butter.

Oh you want a straight-forward Stuffed Mirliton recipe? Well by now you should know that's not what I do on this blog. If you want a "normal" mirliton I recommend checking out Chef John D. Folse's recipe.

Not a pear, nor an avocado, but a chayote.

The healing powers of Crystal's Hot Sauce.

Stuffed Mirliton Topped with Pecans

4 Mirliton sliced lengthwise
5 Tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup Crab Meat
1/4 cup Shrimp Meat raw, cubed
1/4 cup Green Bell Pepper diced
1/4 cup Celery diced
1/4 cup Onion diced
1/4 cup Pecan ground
1 Tablespoon Basil chopped
2 Tablespoons Breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon Hot Sauce
Bonito Flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375.
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the mirlitons. Cook until tender.
Saute 2 Tablespoons of the butter with the onions, celery, and bell peppers.
Remove the mirlitons from the water. Scoop the meat of the mirlitons and discard the seeds. Be sure to keep some meat around the edges of the mirlitons.
Add the shrimp to the vegetables. Cook until pink. Add the mirliton meat, hot sauce, salt and pepper, a pinch of bonito flakes and the crab meat. Stir together. Add the breadcrumbs.
Add the stuffing to the hollowed shells of the mirlitons and place in a casserole pan. Top the mirlitons with pecans and a pat of butter.
Bake for about a half hour or until the tops turn golden brown.
Top with bonito flakes and enjoy!

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Ham Bone Black-Eyed Peas

March 10, 2016

That's right Fergie is back. Okay it's not The Black Eyed Peas, it's just black-eyed peas. I rarely see black-eyed peas anywhere, not in restaurants, recipes, no where. I mean come on, Where is the Love?

Easter is coming up and that means one thing. No not Jesus, not chocolate bunnies, but ham. The best part of any holiday. Odds are you'll end up with a ham bone and not know what to do with it. Instead of making stock try making some black-eyed peas with it.

Ham Bone Black-Eyed Peas

1 Ham Bone ideally with some meat still on it
2 cups Black eyed peas soaked for at least one hour
1/4 cup Ground Spicy Pork Sausage
1 1/2 cup water
2 Bay Leaves
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon Ground Chipotle
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 Medium Onion diced
3 Garlic Cloves sliced
1 Tablespoon Avocado Oil
Avocado

In a Dutch Oven roast your ham bone at 375 uncovered, until your kitchen starts to smell like pork.
Add the onions, avocado oil, and garlic to the ham pot. Let roast for about 10 minutes. Add the sausage let it roast for another 10 minutes.
Remove the dutch oven from the oven and place on the stove top. Add the strained black-eyed peas, the water, spices, and bay leaves. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes or until the peas are tender.
Remove the bone and any cartilage floating around in the peas. Oh and don't forget to take out those bay leaves. Serve with sliced fresh avocado! Enjoy!

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Dungeness Crab and Grits

January 21, 2016

So I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy with life! I recently went down to New Orleans, check out my Instagram feed to see some of the things I ate when I was down there.

Louisiana can keep its gulf shrimp, even though it's delicious, I will stick to my Pacific Dungeness Crab any day of the week, as long as it's non-toxic that is. Dungeness crab is what crab meat should taste like, a little sweet, a little oceany, but over all something that's drool worthy.

I don't often say "this is the best thing I've ever ate" but this dish is one of those times. Much like Shrimp and Grits it balances the texture of the creamy grits with that of the shrimp or in this case the crab. The sauce though, this sauce is why I'm sharing this recipe. Imagine cocktail sauce, but 1000% better.

Grits

Everyone has their own recipe for grits, so I'm not going to post one here. I will say though that Chef Edward Lee's grits recipe.

Dungeness Crab

Yes, you should break down your own crab to get it's meat, it makes it taste better. Also if you're not sure how to clean a crab just ask your local seafood provider, they'll be more than happy to help.

BS's Seafood Sauce

4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Tablespoon Red Miso Paste
3 Tablespoons Lime Juice
1/2 Tablespoon Lime Zest
1/2 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Chipotle ground
1/4 cup Tomato Sauce Optional

Heat the butter over medium heat, once melted whisk in the miso, then the spices lastly add the lime zest and juice and then the tomato sauce.
Word of warning to those not adding the tomato sauce, this sauce is pungent. It's strong and it's not for the faint of heart. Use sparingly.