theredstove

Turkey and stuffing Southwestern style

How about spicing up the regular, run of the mill turkey this year. Here, at theredstove, while in love with foods and comestibles the world over, we have a penchant for eats from south of the border.
So to that point...

Turkey and stuffing Southwestern style

• Prepare a chipotle mayonnaise. Mix together chipotole peppers, mayo,  lime juice and cilantro.
• Prepare your stuffing according to recipe but add in some pasilla chiles, perhaps some anchos if you want to go the earthy yet slightly smoky route.
• To this, coalesce some light fruit flavors - lime, orange or other citrus.

Orange, cilantro, ancho and garlic with onion... your bread stuffing should satisfy the most trepidacious this year. The spicy rub outside will make that skin deliciously tangy. The fats in the mayo help fry that skin on the bird and seal in juices.

Give it a spin!

Buen Prevecha!
Guillermo de la cuchara

Chicken Mole Perfecto

Chicken Mole Perfecto

This recipe for Chicken in Mole Sauce serves/makes 8

1  Chipotle Chile -- Dried
1/4 cup Shortening
2 tablespoons Red Chiles -- Ground
2 cups Chicken Broth
4  Flour Tortillas -- cut in strips
1/4 cup Tomato Sauce
1/4 cup Onion -- Chopped
1 tablespoon Raisins
1 tablespoon Almonds -- Chopped
1 tablespoon Sesame Seed
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Seeds -- Shelled
1 tablespoon Peanut Butter
1 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Oregano -- Ground
1 1/2 teaspoon Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon Anise Seed
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon -- ground
1/4 teaspoon Cloves -- Ground
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg -- Ground
1/4 teaspoon Allspice -- Ground
1/4 teaspoon Ginger -- Ground
1/4 teaspoon Cumin -- Ground, OR
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seed
1 cup Chicken Broth
8  Chicken Breast Halves

• Cover chile with warm water. Let stand until softened, about 1 hour.
• Drain and finely chop.
• Heat shortening in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat until hot.
• Cook and stir ground red chiles in shortening until brown (add about 1/4 teaspoon of  water to prevent scorching if necessary)
• Cool.
• Stir in 2 cups of chicken broth.
• Stir in remaining ingredients except the remaining 1  cup of broth and chicken.
• Heat to boiling; reduce the heat and cover.
• Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Let cool.
• Place a small amount of the sauce into a blender container. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth.
• Repeat with the remaining sauce.
• Heat 1  cup of the sauce and the remaining chicken broth in a  12-inch skillet.
• Reduce the heat.
• Place the chicken,  skin sides up, in a single layer in the skillet.
• Cover and simmer until done, about 1 hour.
• Remove chicken to serving dish and keep warm.
• Measure the cooking liquid.
• In skillet combine 1 cup of the cooking liquid with the remaining sauce and heat to boiling, stirring constantly, and pour over the chicken.

Quesadillas!

 

Potato, Brie and Chipotle Red Onion Quesadillas

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
6 Tablespoon tomato paste
2 Tablespoon water
2 Tablespoon minced chipotle chiles (with adobo sauce)
1lb  Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled-cut into 1" cubes)
6 oz. brie trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
8 - 8 inch  flour tortillas
1 medium sized red onion

• Puree honey, cilantro, tomato paste, water and chipotle in a blender or food processor until smooth.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Boil the potatoes until tender (about 12 min.) Drain.
• Mash in a pot until smooth and then season well to taste with salt and pepper, 
• Now spread the potato mixture evenly and at about a 1/4 inch on the 8 tortillas.
• Then, on top of this spoon the chiptole puree, folding the quesadillas over.
• Either bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes...
• Or,  sear on a grill with olive oil.

For those cheese lovers amongst you, feel free to spice this up with a nice grated pepper jack, or if you want a texture with basic flavor try manchego or chopped quesa fresca. Sounds like a good one?

For the culinarily more venturesome - and in any ways - realistic, you can use yams. Yes,  mashed sweet yams. If possible acquire the canned variety packed in water only.


Buen Prevacho!
Guillermo de la Cuchara

tex-mex cheese enchiladas

Use the red chili sauce from yesterdays post to make these cheese enchiladas.

tex-mex cheese enchiladas

Red chili sauce...1 quart
Corn tortillas...6each
Cheddar cheese extra sharp grated...1 pound
Onions yellow fine dice... 1small
Cilantro fresh chopped...1/4 bunch
Eggs large... 4each

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Heat the red sauce in a saute skillet.
• Mix the cheese,onions and cilantro together.
• Carefully place a tortilla in the hot red sauce just to coat and make pliable...2 or 3 seconds only.
• Place the coated tortilla on a oven proof plate, cover with cheese mixture and a bit of sauce.
• Do this again, just like stacking pancakes.
• Finish the stack with more of the cheese mix.
• Three tortillas is a good portion, more if you so desire, big guy! 
• Place in the oven for a couple of minutes.
• Fry an egg or two, while the cheese melts in the oven.
• Place on top of the stacked enchiladas.
• Dig in!

red chili sauce

It's late summer and all of the green chilies from Hatch New Mexico have been roasted. It was a great crop and it will be tough waiting for next season were it not for  the dried red chili pods from, you guessed it, Hatch.

Here is a recipe for red sauce. I  use this tasty sauce with enchiladas, posole, red chili pork, and a Texas-style chili base.

red chili sauce

Red chili pods (stems and seeds removed )...24 pods
Water...7 cups
Garlic fresh minced...6 cloves
Vegetable oil...2oz.
Sea salt...1 1/2 tablespoons
Unbleached flour...2oz.

• Wash the chilies remove the stems and seeds.
• Place in a pan with the water and bring to a boil.
• Turn heat down and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.
• Remove the chilies from the water and save the stock.
• Place the chilies,garlic, 1/2 of the reserved stock and salt in a food processor and spin until the mixture is a brick red paste.
• Heat a sauce pan and add the oil and flour, cook roux until light brown add the chili paste and cook for 5 minutes.
• Gradually add the remaining stock, until the sauce is thickened to the degree that you like.
• It will be like red gravy... yum.
• Cook the sauce for an additional 10 minutes.

See tomorrows post for Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas, made with this delicious sauce.

red hot salsa

This red hot salsa is so good and ever so easy to make, you'll  want to kiss your mama.

                              

Tex-Mex Red Hot Salsa
      
Arbol dried chili peppers... 10 each hot, 15 plus insane
Garlic cloves... 4 big ones
Tomatoes diced...1- 28oz can ( Muir Glen Organic, the toms I use )
Cilantro fresh chopped... 1/4 bunch
Lime juice fresh squeezed... 1 nice sized one
Sea salt...pinch

• Place all ingredients in food processor, pulse 2 or 3 times. You need to leave it chunky.

• Serve with warm tortilla chips, omelets, tacos, et cetera.

New mexico's chilies

Every year, about this time in late summer, the farmers in New Mexico begin to harvest the world famous Hatch green chili. In parking lots of grocery stores all over the southwest, chili vendors set up their roasting drums. As the chilies start to blister and char, an aroma wafts through the air that is intoxicating and other worldly. Nothing can compare, you are immediately transported to the high desert of New Mexico. My dad turned me on the chilies at an early age. His love for New Mexican chilies was so profound that he couldn't wait for the precious product to be delivered to his home in Texas. He would make a pilgrimage to his favorite chili farmer's land in New Mexico, to get them fresh off of the vine, so to speak. I roasted some chilies tonight and ate them with some grilled pork loin. As I was eating them I thought that it would be nice to share the chili recipe. I roasted my chilies over an open flame on my stove, but a heavy duty skillet works fine.

• Place the chilies in a very hot skillet. They will begin to change color from green to golden brown,and then to charred black.
• At this point remove them from the skillet and place in a brown paper bag or a glass bowl with a lid. They should sweat in the bag for 15 or 20 minutes, this will remove the plastic like cellulose from the flesh.
• Now scrape the charred skin from the chili with a knife.
• Cut the stem off and remove the seeds.
• Chop coarsely and add 2 cloves of finely diced garlic for every 4 to 5 chilies are more garlic if you like, what the heck!

texas bbq

1968 was a good year for me. I graduated from high school and Stubb's Bar-B-Q opened for business in Lubbock Tx.  I had been told by some friends (that were in the know) this was the place for the bestTexas BBQ brisket. The restaurant was located across the street from the fair grounds on East Broadway. The place was a dive... as are allgreat BBQ joints.  The rich smoky air was primitive, as I would imagine it was at the beginning of time when our ancestors were stokingthe fires to BBQ the days hunted meal. I was greeted at the door by Stubbs himself . He recommend the sampler plate, also known as the Major. This culinary masterpiece included BBQ brisket, ribs, hot link sausage,red beans,and potato salad. There was enough food on thisplatter for several people, the price was $6.99 and a frosty mug of beer 65 cents. I have been eating BBQ for close to sixty years and this is the best that I have ever had the pleasure to eat. Stubb had developed a BBQ spice rub that not only complimented the meat and the slow smoke but magically sealed in the vital juices so that every mouthful was tender and ever so juicy...
Stubb is no longer with us, but you can still buy his spice rub and BBQ sauce in your favorite food market.

pico de gallo

Pico de gallo

Tomato (large,ripe,diced)----2 ea.
Onion  (medium,white,diced)----1 ea
Serrano peppers (fine dice) ----3 ea.
Cilantro (chopped fine) ----1/4 bunch
Lime juice fresh squeezed  ----1ea.

• Mix all the ingredients together,
• allow to rest for 30 minutes.
• Enjoy with fajitas, bean...or just plain tortilla chips.

bbq spice rub

bbq spice rub

Cumino (freshly ground)---1/4 cup
Dark brown sugar---1/4 cup
Ancho chili powder (freshly ground)---1 cup
Chipotle powder (freshly ground)---1/4 cup
Sea salt ---1/4 cup
Black pepper (freshly ground medium)---1/4 cup

This rub is all purpose, great with pork, beef, or chicken. Feel free to play around with ingredients, add more or take away. Remember that the chipotle pepper powder can be hot so get used to it, the flavor is sublime.