Grilled Pinon Lamb Chops

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Here is a delicious combination of ingredients from the Southwest –pine nuts, chile, and lamb. For an authentic, smoky flavor, grill them over mesquite wood or charcoal covered with mesquite chips soaked in water.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon ground red New Mexican chile

  • 3/4 cup olive oil

  • 5 tablespoons roasted piñons or pine nuts

  • 1/2 cup tomato paste

  • 1/4 cup vinegar

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 4 lamb chops, cut 1 to 1 1/2-inches thick

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients, except the lamb, in a blender and puree until smooth. Paint the chops with the mixture and allow them to marinate for at least an hour.

Grill the chops, turning them occasionally until done, about 7 to 10 minutes a side.

Texas Fajitas

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There is no such thing as chicken or tofu fajitas because the word refers specifically to skirt steak that is marinated and grilled. This is actually a simple recipe to prepare, and it works best when grilled over mesquite wood, or natural charcoal with mesquite chips. The technique known as smoke-grilling is perfect for this meat, and flank steak can be substituted for the skirt steak. Tradition holds that fajitas were first perfected in south Texas in the 1960s and quickly became a staple for Mexican restaurants–and others–north of the border. It is a classic example of combining several methods to make tough meat more palatable: marinate it, grill it, and slice it thinly against the grain. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 3 jalapeño chiles, seeds and stems removed, minced

  • 1/3 cup lime juice

  • 1/3 cup soy sauce

  • 1/3 cup red wine

For the Fajitas:

  • 2 pounds skirt steak

  • 8 flour tortillas

  • Grated Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese

  • Sour cream

  • Guacamole

  • Grilled onions

  • Prepared Barbecue Sauce

  • Salsa of choice

  • Commercial hot sauce to taste

 

 

Instructions

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and mix well. Place the steak in a glass dish and pour the marinade over. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Grill the steak over a hot fire until medium rare, about 10 to 15 minutes, or if you can measure the temperature with a probe, 150 degrees F. internal temperature. You can also check for doneness by cutting into the steak. Remove from the grill and slice thinly against the grain.

Quickly heat each tortilla on the grill. Serve the sliced steak wrapped in a tortilla, and topped your choice of of condiments among the cheese, sour cream, guacamole, grilled onions, barbecue sauce, salsa, and hot sauce.

Louisiana Crab Cakes w/ Tomato and Chile Tartar Sauce

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These delicious crab cakes are a wonderful way to use crab meat. The sauce is unusual and adds a dash of flavor. Serve the cakes with a spinach salad, garlic mashed finger potatoes, and fresh asparagus. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

  • Fresh Tomato and Chile Tartar Sauce

  • 2 cups mayonnaise

  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or to taste

  • 1/4 cup minced onion

  • 2 tablespoons minced drained bottled capers

  • 12 cornichons (French sour gherkins), minced

  • 2 fresh jalapeño chiles, seeds and stems removed, minced

  • 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and minced

  • Louisiana Crab Cakes

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 cups milk

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • 1 pound crab meat, picked over, ground fine

  • ½ cup minced red bell pepper

  • 2/3 cup minced green bell pepper

  • ½ cup minced yellow bell pepper

  • ½ cup minced green onion

  • ½ teaspoon ground cayenne

  • 3 cups fine, fresh bread crumbs

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • Lemon wedges for garnish

Instructions

To make the tartar sauce, whisk together the mayonnaise, the lemon juice, onion, capers, cornichons, chiles, tomatoes, salt, and black pepper, and cover and chill the sauce for at least one hour or preferably overnight.

In a saucepan, heat the 6 tablespoons of butter over moderately low heat until the foam subsides, add the flour, and cook the roux, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the milk in a stream, whisking vigorously, and bring the mixture to a boil. Add salt and black pepper to taste and simmer the white sauce, stirring, for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the crab meat, bell peppers, green onions, cayenne, and the white sauce and let the mixture cool. Stir in 1 cup of the bread crumbs, shape the mixture into cakes using 1/4 cup measure, and dredge the cakes in the remaining 2 cups of bread crumbs, coating them thoroughly.

In a skillet heat some of the butter and oil over a moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking; saute the crab cakes, in batches, for 3 or 4 minutes on each side, or until they are just golden, and transfer them to paper towels to drain. Add more of the butter and oil as you cook the remaining cakes.

Serve the crab cakes with the tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

Charcoal-Grilled Fruit for Dessert

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“Mixed Grill. Cut fruit of choice in half, remove core and seeds or pits, and arrange in a hinged grill. Squeeze a lemon over the surfaces; sprinkle with sugar and a dash of ground cinnamon and grill quickly until just hot. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle a little brandy or sweet liqueur over all.” –Maggie Waldron

Ingredients

Suggested Fruits for Grilling

  • Banana–Sliced in half lengthwise

  • Mango–1/2 inch thick slices

  • Orange–Single sections

  • Papaya–1/2 inch thick slices

  • Peach–1/2 inch thick slices

  • Pear–1/2 inch thick slices

  • Pineapple–1/2 inch thick rings

  • Strawberry–Sliced in half

Instructions