Mesquite Smoked "West Texas" Brisket of Beef

With the weather getting hotter it will soon be time for the All American Pool Party or Picnic at the lake or river. This in turn will be the occasion for the All American “BBQ.” WHEN you have a big crowd on your hands give my recipe for, West Texas, Mesquite Smoked Brisket of Beef a try. It feeds an army and is great hot or cold. And by the way, this is a first step in becoming the person that makes that legendary Brisket we’ve all heard of!

1 whole Brisket

1 batch of West Texas Barbecue Rub (recipe below)

1 batch of West Texas Flaming Mop Sauce (recipe below)

Rub the Brisket thoroughly with the rub and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Place the brisket in the smoker fat side up and close the lid. Light a few pieces of Mequite "chunk" charcoal and keep your eye on the thermometer. You’re looking for a temperature in the smoker of somewhere between 190° and 220° and you’ll smoke the brisket for a minimum of 8 and as many as 10 hours, turning every 2 to 3 hours. With brisket it’s a waiting game where patience is truly a virtue. I find myself most virtuous (or is that patient) when drinking beer. Perhaps you may want to try this age-old technique!

P.S. If the beer isn’t working try The West Texas Slammer (recipe below)

West Texas Flaming Mop Sauce

1-3/4 Cups White vinegar

3 Tbl. Louisiana Hot sauce

1 TBL Dark Brown sugar

1 tsp. Cayenne pepper

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. Fresh-ground black pepper

1 tsp. Sugar

Mix in a non-reactive bowl and cover. Mop onto ribs, pork shoulder or brisket while slow smoking.

Makes about 2 cups

West Texas Barbecue Rub

This is called a rub for a reason. You need to rub it into the meat. I like it best rubbed in and then wrapped in plastic film and rested over night. This rule doesn’t apply to fish. Heck you can just sprinkle it on fish.

6 Tbl. Ancho chile powder or mild New Mexico chile powder

3 Tbl. brown sugar

3 Tbl. kosher salt

2 Tbl. fresh ground coarse black pepper

1 Tbl. ground cumin

1 Tbl. cayenne pepper

1 Tbl. sugar

Mix and store in a covered container.

Makes about 1 cup

West Texas Slammer

Around my house we keep the Tequila in the freezer, the bottom 1/3 of the bottle, frozen in a block of ice. The tequila comes out of the bottle thick and viscous. It’s so much sweeter than out of a hot cupboard. I learned this trick while I was a guest of the Cuervo Company in Mexico.

If you are going to make West Texas Slammers it’s best to use tequila that is as cold as you can get it… and give someone your car keys.

1 ½ oz. Jose Cuervo Traditional tequila, ice cold

a dash of Tabasco Habanero sauce

a Splash of soda

Pour the tequila and Tabasco in a small bar glass. Pour in a little club soda. Put one hand over the top of the glass and then slam it down on the bar. Then slam it down your throat while its still fizzing. So the order is slam the slammer, then slam the slammer. A process, which, by the way, when repeated, has landed many a Texan in the “local slammer.”

Bread at Last, Bread at Last, Thank God Almighty, We’ve Got Bread at Last

After a year of planning, building the oven, learning how the oven works, researching, baking, tasting, rethinking, baking again, re-tasting, re-rethinking, re-baking again… you get the idea…

we’ve finally made the bread we’ve been looking for. Today we made bread with a proper sponge, crust, color, and even the ears we were looking for.

By ears I’m talking about the ripped cuts that stand above the bread when it comes out of the oven.

We just cut into the first piece and the whole loaf is now gone! This is real bread. Now we need to see if we can produce it every time and in large batches. Stay Tuned!

Meanwhile Back at the Bread… More!

Okay, there was an unhappy time here at Mad Coyote. Our last baking did not rise. And my yeast was smelling different and getting a black crust upon coming to life about 20 hours after feeding, (yes I’ve heard all of the Viagra and yeast infection jokes). Hmmm!

Well, I let it die and thought for a few weeks, then I started some more yeast and it was slow in developing and had a sharp smell. I was puzzled, ‘what had happened?’ So I thought about my process and noticed that I was using the same towel for several days to keep foreign objects out of my starter. ‘Could there be some mold developing on the towel?’ So I changed the towel everyday… not any better!

Next, I went back through my notes and found that I had changed my flour source about the same time my problems started. I had started buying bulk flour and had moved to high gluten un-bleached flour. Which I had used in my last successful bake but was using a 50/50 white, whole-wheat mixture from a different source. I went back to feeding my starter with the original flour (King Arthur) and my starter came back to life. After three days, it was smelling sweet, like over-ripe fruit in the later hours of development.

So tomorrow we bake, 27 loaves of Country Wheat, which is a 90% un-bleached white, 10% Whole Wheat. I’ll take some pictures and keep you updated. As they say in television… stay tuned!

Mad Coyote Joe’s Grilled Chicken Coq Au Vin

Coq Au Vin is basically the French version of meat-and-potatoes cooking.

This recipe tells you how to grill the chicken, make the wine sauce and roux, and put them all together for a wonderful flavor that looks great on any plate. It's just like Mom used to make... if Mom ate snails and spoke with an accent!

1 Large free-range chicken

8 OZ Pearl onions

1/2 LB Hardwood-smoked bacon

1/2 White onion, diced

3 Shallots, diced

3 CLOVES Garlic, minced

4 Large carrots, sliced thin

1 Ground chipotle chile

1-1/2 TSP Kosher salt

1 TSP Fresh-ground black pepper

1/2 C Cognac

1/4 C Italian parsley, chopped fine

4 Cloves

1 Bay leaf

1 TSP Herbs de Provence

3-1/2 C Pinot Noir wine

6 TBL Sweet butter

1-1/2 TSP Dark brown sugar

1/2 C Chicken broth

1 LB Small Italian brown mushrooms

2 TBL All-purpose flour

2 Roasted poblano chiles, peeled, seeded and diced

Garnish

1/2 BUNCH Italian parsley, chopped fine

1. Cut the chicken into legs, thighs, wings, and breasts; then cut the breasts in half, rendering 10 pieces of chicken. Save the giblets.

2. Grill the chicken over medium-high heat until browned, but not cooked all the way through.

3. Meanwhile, drop the pearl onions in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove from water; when cool, remove peel and set aside.

4. In a large Dutch oven, fry the bacon until crisp. Set aside, allow to cool, then crumble. Remove all but 3TBL of drippings.

5. Sauté the giblets, diced white onion, shallots, garlic, 1/2 of the carrots, chipotle powder, salt, and pepper over medium heat until onions are soft and browned, about 8 minutes.

6. Spoon off any excess fat. Add grilled chicken and gently pour the cognac, taking care to coat all pieces of chicken. Carefully light the cognac with a match.

7. Allow flames to die down. Add parsley, cloves, bay leaf, herbs de Provence, and wine. Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is fully cooked. While chicken is simmering, put 2TBL of butter in a sauté pan. Add the pearl onions, remaining carrots, brown sugar, and chicken broth. Simmer until onions and carrots are tender, chicken broth has mostly evaporated, and vegetables are glazed -- about twenty minutes.

8. In a separate pan, sauté mushrooms in 2TBL of butter until brown.

9. When chicken is fully cooked, remove it, but not giblets, from the sauce. Set aside and cover with foil to keep warm.

10. Pour sauce through a strainer, discard solids, and set sauce aside.

11. In the Dutch oven fry the flour in 2TBL of butter until medium brown (called roux), whisking constantly. Degrease the wine sauce and slowly add to the Dutch oven while whisking. If sauce needs thickening, simmer until reduced.

12. Add the bacon, glazed vegetables, roasted poblanos, and mushrooms to the sauce; stir well, then add grilled chicken. Allow to simmer for 5 more minutes for flavors to blend.

13. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning. Garnish with parsley.

Ted; We are all seeing a different Internet

Spit-Roasted Leg of Lamb with Rosemary Dijon Baste

This delicious recipe was one of the factors in my TV show making the ratings that kept me on the air for 131 episodes. Our original contract was for 13 episodes. We used in on the cover of my book The Sonoran Grill This easy recipe is tangy and herbal with the correct amount of bite from the lemon and mustard to cut through the lamb and bring a light and refreshing flavor. Serve it with a cold, crisp white Pinot and good French bread!

Fresh Rosemary for garnish

1 8LB Leg of lamb, de-boned and tied

1. Allow the lamb to rest in the marinade for 1-1/2 hours.

2. Place lamb on spit and roast over indirect heat, medium-hot coals, until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees or about 35-40 minutes of cooking time (for medium rare).

3. Remove lamb from spit and allow resting for 8-10 minutes before serving.

4. Garnish with Rosemary.

Rosemary Dijon Baste;

1-1/2 TSP Fresh rosemary, minced

2 CLOVES Garlic, minced or pressed

1/4 C Peanut oil

2 TBL Fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2 TBL Dijon mustard

1 TBL Soy sauce

PINCH Salt

1. Whisk all ingredients well. Use to baste or marinade lamb, poultry or pork.

Mango Pickle from India

Subhorup Dasgupta

Is following this blog from India. He is an avid chile cook and food writer. He left a comment about our fire roasted chiles. This guy really knows his stuff, below is a recipe directly from his blog. Check him out and give this delicious recipe a try.

http://sitakirasoi.blogspot.com/

Here is the recipe

For 2 kg mangoes (made into 1/2 inch cubes including the hard inner core, wiped clean and dry with a damp cloth)
You will need:
The mango pieces (dummies like me would need this ingredient listed out here)

Ginger - 200 g (make a paste separately)
Garlic - 200 g (make a paste separately)
Chili powder - 200 g (we used Three Mangoes brand, which uses Warangal chilis)

Rock salt - 500 g
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Powdered Cumin or Jeera -1 tsp (freshly roasted and ground into a powder)

Fenugreek or Methi seed powder - 1 tsp
Sesame or Gingelly Oil - 500 ml
Whole cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Whole fenugreek or methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
Preparation:
1. Heat the oil and when smoking, add whole cumin and mustard. Allow to sizzle and brown. Add whole methi seeds and immediately take it off the heat and allow the mix to cool down to room temperature.

2. Once cool to touch, add chili powder, salt, ginger paste, garlic paste, cumin powder, methi powder, and turmeric powder.

3. Mix well and then add mangoes, mix again, and transfer them into a glass jar.

You may want to add 20 to 50 cloves of garlic into this at the end of the process, or even a day or two later, if you are a garlic addict like me.

Make sure that all jars, spoons, ladles, mango pieces are totally dry, since any water that sneaks into the pickle will decimate its shelf life as well as taste going forward.

Keep a weekend free for this, it takes an entire day to prepare, in addition to time for procuring the ingredients and getting them ready. You will also want to catch some rest once you are done, not easy if you have to get to work the next morning.

Even though this is a pickle, and takes a while (about a week) to get there, do not forget to taste the fresh pickle with the very first meal after you have made it. It makes all the effort seem worth it.

This is what our pickle looked like a week later. Do let us know what you think in the comments.

Mad coyote Joe's Blah Blah Blog: Spicy Tropical fruited, soy glazed Salmon fillet w...

Mad coyote Joe's Blah Blah Blog: Spicy Tropical fruited, soy glazed Salmon fillet w...: "Adding more fish into your diet? My Spicy Tropical fruited, soy glazed Salmon fillet with Habanero, will wow your friends and family. ..."

Spicy Tropical fruited, soy glazed Salmon fillet with Habanero

Adding more fish into your diet? My Spicy Tropical fruited, soy glazed Salmon fillet with Habanero, will wow your friends and family. It’s quick and so easy, but most of all the bright tropical flavors will amaze you. In short it’s delicious!

In the freezer section of your grocery store they sell frozen fruit juice combinations. This recipe works well with about any of them but the Apple, Mango and Passion fruit takes this recipe over the top. And whatever you do, do not omit the lemon juice and dill it really ties the flavors together.

1-2 Lb. Salmon fillet, skinned

2 tsp. White pepper

vegetable oil spray

¼ cup Frozen apple, mango and passion fruit juice concentrate, thawed

¼ cup coarse grain Dijon mustard

1 Tbl. Soy sauce

2 tsp. Your favorite habanero sauce, use more for extreme heat

2 tsp lemon zest

1 fresh lemon

1 small bunch fresh dill, chopped

Light the grill. Remove any pin bones from salmon fillet. Rinse under cold water quickly and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut fillet into 6 to 8 individual steaks. Sprinkle both sides with white pepper. Spray both sides with vegetable oil spray. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the fruit juice concentrate, mustard, soy sauce habanero sauce and lemon zest. Turn grill to medium. Place the salmon steaks on the hot grill with the side that had the skin up. After about 10-15 seconds gently lift the salmon fillet up from the grill surface and set back down, or drag the salmon back and forth in line with the grill (This keeps the fish from sticking). After 2 minutes gently turn the steaks and once again gently lift or drag them to prevent sticking. Spoon the glaze over the fish reserving some for the other side. Depending on your grill you will need to cook the fish for about 8 more minutes. The rule for grilling fish is 10 minutes of grilling for each inch of thickness…. more or less! So after 8 more minutes turn the fish one more time spoon on the remaining glaze and let cook for 30 seconds and remove from grill. Plate, drizzle a little lemon juice and top with fresh dill.

Serves 6-8

One More Link in breaking the Chain... Solar Hot Water!

One More Link in breaking the Chain... Solar Hot Water!

Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty (And my Friends Ed and Cory at South Face Solar Electric and Katherine Elswick!) I’m free at last! After ten days of putting all the parts together and a few months of figuring out how to rebuild and pressure test the panels and getting the different ways that water acts in a solar hot water panel set in my mind. Take all of that and then my insistence on using as many old parts as I could find around our place. Then add in the thirty or so phone calls to Ed Fedoruk (Once again Southface Solar Electric)… What do mean I need a check valve in line vertically that is on the cold feed side of the panel, but above the pump! I am now on my way to total electric bill independence.

Last year I had a few bucks so I went to Ed and Cory at Southface Solar Electric and had 7.5 KW Photovoltaic Solar Electric System installed. Our bill has dropped by about $210 a month, however I still had about a $95 a month electric bill. About the same time our friend of many years, Kathryn Elswick mentioned that she was getting her solar hot water panels replaced as one of them had failed. She offered the old panels, that were on their way to a landfill and I quickly grabbed them up. For the past three days, I’ve spent my time cleaning and cutting pipe and making the feet that are now resting on my shingle roof along with hoisting and setting the panels and cutting a path for the pipe, cutting through the wall and making sure I was following the flow path of the water.

This afternoon Kathy called on her way home as she does every day.

Ring ring, “hello”

“Hi Joe, I’m on my way home.”

“Hi Sweetie!”

“Is everything alright you sound upset?”

“No I’m okay, I just hate my fucking plumber!”

“Who’s you plumber?”

“Me.”

I was standing next to a leaking mass of pipe that were squirting water all over our dish-room. Kathy said she would get dinner and some good beer and be how in twenty minutes. By the time she got home I had all of the leaks re-soldered and tested. The leaks were fixed and the system was working I could even feel the heat coming down from the panels. Tomorrow I’m adding pipe insulation and patching all of the penetrations through the roofing material. I will set the timer for the pump and build an insulated mechanical closet around the new 80-gallon hot water storage tank. We use a lot of hot water and I’m hoping that this will drop my electric bill closer to zero. I’ll keep you posted!

Simple Smushy Summer Salad

Simple Smushy Summer Salad

Summertime is almost here. Ahh... the winter visitors are starting to head back home and soon we will get a little peace. The streets are quieting down the and soon life here in the desert will come to it’s annual “Sonoran” snails pace. For me, that is the best time of the year. It requires me to slow down and live the way people have been living in the desert for centuries. Drink a little more water, hide from the sun, take a nap and do what little work is needed in the cool mornings or late afternoon. If you’re new to the area and like to sip on a cold beer while doing those little chores, I will give you a trick that the old timers have been using for as long as anyone can remember. Don’t decide until you try it. Iced beer… I mean pouring your favorite beer into a glass of good store bought ice. Yes, it waters down the beer and that’s the point. In fact, you end up drinking almost as much water as beer. Which will make you feel much better due to the fact that alcohol dehydrates. Now that you’ve got your mind around that idea, try this; one half tomato juice, or your favorite Bloody Mary mix, and half beer on ice. The ice re-hydrates you and the tomato juice keeps your potassium up.

I learned this while working construction, in Phoenix, in my early twenties. We would start as soon as there was enough light to see and then we would work through lunch to avoid an extra half hour in the sun. After work we would stop for a cold beer. All the older guys, who were mostly Latinos, would drink their beer on ice, many with tomato juice. When I asked them about it they told me “in the heat straight beer makes you tired!” So I gave it a try, I felt refreshed and so will you.

The heat can ruin your appetite. So summertime meal preparation is also an acquired skill. Light and fresh is the main idea. Combine that with dishes that are easy to prepare and that don’t heat up the house. Now you’re on the right track.

The following recipe is not only easy and refreshing it’s also fun for the kids to help make. Why? When squishing the little tomatoes they squirt all over the place and to a kid, anything that makes a mess is fun.

Simple Smushy Summer Salad

This is great recipe for gardeners that have too many tomatoes on their hands.

3 C Assorted Tomatoes (you know little ones, big ones, in as many colors as possible)

3/4 C Kalamata Olives, with pits

1/2- 3/4 Cups Fresh Arugula Or Basil

For the Dressing

2 TBL Red Wine Vinegar

1/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

If using salad tomatoes cut them up first. If using only the little baby tomatoes no need to cut them. Smash the tomatoes, in a large mixing bowl, until broken up but not pulp, with a large fork or potato masher. Smash the olives on a cutting board with a rolling pin and remove the pits. Add to the tomatoes Toss in arugula or basil. Whisk together oil, vinegar and pepper. Stir in just before serving. Salt to taste.

Also great on cold, oiled, angel hair pasta.

Serves 4-6 as a salad

The Dogs After the Party

Our Dogs Max and Jake

Last night I got home from a dinner that we were doing. I was tired. Upon walking through the door into the kitchen I found our dogs jumping up and down, barking and celebrating my arrival. There was a nice bottle of Red Zinfandel on the counter and an order of Dandan noodles from Pei Wei. Kathy was sitting on the couch and there was an old movie on the TV. I put on a pair of PJ bottoms and an old tee shirt and climbed into my favorite chair. With my feet up I enjoyed dinner and discussing my day with the party and Kathy’s day in the Kitchen at AJ’s.

The dogs wanted to be close to me. They can always tell if I’m tired or if my illness is hitting me especially hard. If I’m really hurting and cramping so bad that I have to lay down they will follow me to the bedroom and lay down next to me and push their bodies against mine in what I assume is an effort to help fight the pain. It’s quite comforting. As we watched the old movie, the dogs fell asleep on my feet, as is often the case. I had been shooting some platters that Kathy had put together for the party I was doing and my camera was next to my chair so I snapped these shots.

I believe in common things; a nice home, a pick-up truck, a nice grill, a few good dogs, an old movie and of course a little time with my wife and lifelong friend Kathy… life is good!

Fire Roasting Chiles

I wanted to share a few shots of us roasting 6 lbs of chiles for our party we’re doing tomorrow night.

These are both Anaheim and Poblano. We hit them with a roofing torch while lighting some Mesquite Chunk charcoal.

After they’re well browned on both sides we move them off the heat and close the lid, but leave a vent open to keep the heat up so the chiles will soften before we take them in the house and remove the charred skin, stems, seeds and veins. They are good with any grill roasted meats, poultry or fish, and also just plain with a pinch of Mexican Oregano, a squeeze of Key lime and a pinch of coarse salt.

Charro Beans

I’ve been cooking private parties for the past 35 years, more or less. In that time we’ve come up with some bullet proof recipes. What I mean by that is they are always welcome as far as flavor, they hold extremely well, so if there is a time crunch and we need to wait to serve they will still be delicious and they go well with grill roasted meats. We finished the recipe for our Charro Beans about 20 years ago and I will see people that I cooked for way back then and they will say, “I loved those Charro beans!” The trick to any beans is slow and low. Allow them to become soft before adding salt or anything else except a little vinegar. And always have a second pot of hot water on the stove to add as the water cooks down. And the big secret to great beans that was taught to me by my daughter Katie and was taught to her by her inlaws; COLD WATER ADDED TO BEANS THAT ARE COOKING CAUSES THEM TO TIGHTEN UP AND MAKES THEM TOUGH.

This recipe will amaze your friends and family. I love good fresh bread with a little butter and an ice cold beer with a big bowl of Charro Beans. Mmmmmm!

Charro Beans

Frijoles a la Charra

3 cups (about 1 pound) dried pink beans

1 tablespoon white vinegar

6 cups water

1 bottle of Negro Modelo Mexican beer

3/4 pound bacon, fried, crumbled, and drained (reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings for finish)

1 white onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-tablespoon corn oil

4 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, and chopped

2 dried chipotle chiles

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1-teaspoon ground cumin

1-teaspoon whole Mexican oregano

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Finishing ingredients:

2 tablespoons bacon drippings

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 white onion, finely chopped

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 jalapeño, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano

1/3 cup Tequila

Sort beans, removing any foreign material, and rinse well. Place beans in a large pot filled with water and white vinegar. Bring to a simmer and slow cook until tender. If extra water is needed add but be sure to use boiling water. Add beer, bacon, onion, garlic, oil, chiles, salt, cumin, oregano and cilantro and simmer for 20 minutes for flavors to blend.

To finish:

In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the reserved bacon drippings for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add all other finishing ingredients and simmer for about 5 minutes; add to pot of beans. Simmer for 1/2 hour more. Adjust seasoning. Serve .

Argentinean Giant Cereus Blooms Red!

This is the time of years when we see all the colors that this beautiful Sonoran desert has to offer. Below is a picture of an Argentinean Giant Cereus but it has an unusual color of bloom.

Most often this prolific cactus offers giant white blossoms that smell like jasmine flowers. A few years ago Kathy and I were driving down Scottsdale road and saw a few of these in bloom in 5-gallon containers.

I had never seen one of these in this red color and so we turned around and I bought one. I have about 120 different kinds of cactus that I’ve been collecting for the last 35 years. This one didn’t bloom for the first few years and I was worried that it would just come out white. But a few days ago I saw that it was ready to pop. This morning as I was putting together our new solar hot water system I noticed that it was in fact red and so when it popped I grabbed the camera and here it is. Another unusual fact is, that it is pollinated by a giant white moth that comes at night. My friend Ed has waited for it to come, as he flowers only set for a few nights a year. He waited on his patio with his camera. He said that the night it came the moon was full and it sounded like a big humming bird and was quite a bit larger. He got a few shots but has not sent them to me. If he sends them I’ll share them.

This God a Poem by Daigneault

This God A Poem by Daigneault

Not wanting to join

They say, “I’m spiritual”

Mom and her folks

Believed every word

My education tells me

The world is more than 5000 years old

And I man cannot live

In a fish for 40 days

A written text

Handed down for generations

Christian, Muslim and Jew

Claim this god

But deny love

To their brothers

As our world burns

With murder, rape and greed

Chasing the unholy

In pursuit of possession

This God of my father

So distant

In the hours of pain

When all looks lost

We turn to this god

Who’s name we’ve lost

To find him close and new

Texas Truck Stop Red Chili

Texas Truck Stop Red Chili

My friend Bob boze Bell's son Tommmy dropped me a note asking for my Red Chili recipe. Bob drew the label for my 'Chili from Hell' 25 years ago, and when Tommy was about 16 we had a chili ceremony in my back yard where I gave Tommy the spoon I was given by world chili authority and the guy that taught me how to think about flavors Andy Householder. That's just how we do things out here in Cave Creek. As I told Tommy a recipe is more of a general direction than a road map. It will help you find your way.

This red chili is delicious and so easy to make. Give it a try.

1-1/2 LB Beef Tri tip, cubed

1/2 LB Ground pork

2 14-OZ CANS Chicken broth

1 8-OZ CAN Tomato sauce

2 BOTTLES Budweiser beer

2 Large white onions, chopped

3 CLOVES Garlic, finely minced

1/4 C Mild New Mexico chili powder

2 TSP Cumin

1 TSP Whole Mexican oregano

1/2 TSP Ground cayenne pepper

1/2 LB Grated Colby or cheddar cheese

Salt to taste

1. In a large frying pan brown off the meat and half the onion and drain well. Bring the chicken broth and tomato sauce to a boil in a large steel pot. Add the chili powder, oregano and cayenne pepper to the chicken broth. Boil over medium high heat for 15 minutes.

2. Add meat, reduce heat to medium and boil for 30 minutes. Keep a good eye on your pot -- do not let it get too thick. If it's getting thick, open one beer and pour half into the pot and the other half into the cook and reduce heat a little.

3. Stir often. Don't let it stick or burn. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes or more. Once again the chili should be lightly thick like a cream soup until the last 15 minutes of cooking. As before, if the chili is too thick, open the other beer and pour half into the pot and the other half into the cook. If the chili looks about right, pour the entire beer into the cook.

Carne Asada Tacos

Carne Asada Tacos

When the kids were young I worked with an intercultural exchange program based in a small village about 60 miles below the Mexican border at Nogales. Over the years we became good friends with several of the families in the sleepy little village of Terrenate’ Mexico. Due to this relationship, we were invited to a wedding. One of the town’s leading fathers, was hosting the marriage of his oldest daughter. He owned a small farm with a few cattle. I was lucky enough to be invited to be a part of the wedding preparation, which included butchering and cooking a whole cow.

The town’s “Matador” (literally, “Killer”), with no silly hat or sequined vest, came and killed and then butchered a cow. This was amazing, it was a quick process that rendered about 400 lbs of beef mostly in large cuts that were cooked over night in five-gallon tin cans, under ground in a deep pit that contained a layer of mesquite coals. The beef was mixed with whole bulbs of garlic, dark Mexican beer, little chiles, mint and *Mexican oregano. After the men butchered the cow, the women took over putting the big cans of beef together. While they were doing that, the men worked on the pit and fire. The only meat that was not used for the wedding feast was the skirt steak, which one of the men cooked, over a few shovels full of the hot mesquite coals, set in a little homemade grill. The Carne Asada, meaning grilled meat was served with fresh, hand made corn tortillas cooked on a little Comal. A few of the mothers, put the tacos together, each taco was made with two of the tortillas, about three tablespoons of the Carne Asada, along with chopped white onion, fresh cilantro and crumbled cotija, a white Mexican cheese. On the side they offered a fiery Salsa Cruda (raw salsa,) a slice of lime and a few chile tepins, which are little dried chiles smaller than a dried green pea that pack a red hot punch.

Being a guest I was served first, This simple plate also had a few grilled spring onions which are scallions that have been allowed to grow to about the size of a ping pong ball but still containing the green tails, they are charred and softened and of course an ice cold can of Tecate’ beer. This was one of the defining moments of life as a cook. The tacos were made of simple ingredients, prepared by someone who cared, about both the food and the people they were serving. The food, said something about who these simple people were, it was an act of love and an act of friendship and as good as it gets.

Pure mesquite chunk charcoal (not briquettes)

1-1 Lb. skirt Steak

Salt and pepper

1/2 TSP *Mexican oregano

Place the charcoal in the grill and light. Once the coals are glowing red, toss the skirt steak on the grill, and lightly salt and pepper the side that is up. Turn the steak when the first side is nice and brown and salt, pepper and lightly sprinkle the oregano on the browned side, Grill to medium. Remove from grill. Let the meat rest about five minutes, cut into little strips across the grain. Makes a little less than 1 LB.

* Mexican oregano can be found in any Mexican grocery store. It is integral in authentic Mexican cooking and has a curt, flatter flavor than Greek or Mediterranean oregano, which will produce more of a sweet and ‘Italian’ flavor, (think spaghetti sauce).

Carne Asada Tacos

Carne Asada Tacos

When the kids were young I worked with an intercultural exchange program based in a small village about 60 miles below the Mexican border at Nogales. Over the years we became good friends with several of the families in the sleepy little village of Terrenate’ Mexico. Due to this relationship, we were invited to a wedding. One of the town’s leading fathers, was hosting the marriage of his oldest daughter. He owned a small farm with a few cattle. I was lucky enough to be invited to be a part of the wedding preparation, which included butchering and cooking a whole cow.

The town’s “Matador” (literally, “Killer”), with no silly hat or sequined vest, came and killed and then butchered a cow. This was amazing, it was a quick process that rendered about 400 lbs of beef mostly in large cuts that were cooked over night in five-gallon tin cans, under ground in a deep pit that contained a layer of mesquite coals. The beef was mixed with whole bulbs of garlic, dark Mexican beer, little chiles, mint and *Mexican oregano. After the men butchered the cow, the women took over putting the big cans of beef together. While they were doing that, the men worked on the pit and fire. The only meat that was not used for the wedding feast was the skirt steak, which one of the men cooked, over a few shovels full of the hot mesquite coals, set in a little homemade grill. The Carne Asada, meaning grilled meat was served with fresh, hand made corn tortillas cooked on a little Comal. A few of the mothers, put the tacos together, each taco was made with two of the tortillas, about three tablespoons of the Carne Asada, along with chopped white onion, fresh cilantro and crumbled cotija, a white Mexican cheese. On the side they offered a fiery Salsa Cruda (raw salsa,) a slice of lime and a few chile tepins, which are little dried chiles smaller than a dried green pea that pack a red hot punch.

Being a guest I was served first, This simple plate also had a few grilled spring onions which are scallions that have been allowed to grow to about the size of a ping pong ball but still containing the green tails, they are charred and softened and of course an ice cold can of Tecate’ beer. This was one of the defining moments of life as a cook. The tacos were made of simple ingredients, prepared by someone who cared, about both the food and the people they were serving. The food, said something about who these simple people were, it was an act of love and an act of friendship and as good as it gets.

Pure mesquite chunk charcoal (not briquettes)

1-1 Lb. skirt Steak

Salt and pepper

1/2 TSP *Mexican oregano

Place the charcoal in the grill and light. Once the coals are glowing red, toss the skirt steak on the grill, and lightly salt and pepper the side that is up. Turn the steak when the first side is nice and brown and salt, pepper and lightly sprinkle the oregano on the browned side, Grill to medium. Remove from grill. Let the meat rest about five minutes, cut into little strips across the grain. Makes a little less than 1 LB.

* Mexican oregano can be found in any Mexican grocery store. It is integral in authentic Mexican cooking and has a curt, flatter flavor than Greek or Mediterranean oregano, which will produce more of a sweet and ‘Italian’ flavor, (think spaghetti sauce).

Won-ton, Soup or Deep Fried!

Kathy had the day off today so we thought we'd have Won-ton

This recipe is for fried Won-ton which is delicious, but if you want the soup, just simmer them in chicken broth until they float to the top of the pot. Then add a little napa cabbage and cilantro and, if you like, a pinch of crushed red chile. Either way Won-ton are delicious.

Won-ton with Asian Dipping Sauce

Won Ton wrappers

Egg white beat with a tablespoon of water

Wonton ingredients:

1Lb. ground pork

½ lb medium shrimp, peeled and chopped

¼ cup minced water chestnuts

¼ cup minced green onions

2 Tbl. Soy sauce

1 Tbl. fresh grated ginger

Asian Dipping Sauce:

1/3 cup rice vinegar

3 Tbl. sugar

1 ½ Tbl. sambal or other Asian chile sauce

Mix all won ton ingredients together. Place 2TSP of mixture in each won ton wrapper, brush edge of wrapper with egg wash and press together, If you like, brush the pointed edges with egg wash, and fold in.

Fried Won ton: Deep fry in 325º oil until golden brown.

Won ton soup: Place wonton in simmering water. Once the won ton float to the top keep simmering for four minutes. Remove from water and place in bowl with hot chicken stock and whatever Asian vegetables you like. I just use a little fresh spinach. If using firm vegetables it may be necessary to cook them in the stock for a few minutes.

Asian Dipping Sauce: Bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat and stir in the Sambal. Set aside to cool.

Extra Won ton may be frozen

Makes 4 dozen