Tiger Prawns with Red Chile

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This recipe and others can be found in the following article:

Mascarene Chile Cuisine

 

By Dave DeWitt

 

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup plus one tablespoon cornstarch

  • 2 egg whites

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry (or more if needed)

  • 1 pound prawns or large shrimp, peeled and deveined

  • 1 ½ cups vegetable oil

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • Pinch of white pepper

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 2 green onions, finely chopped

  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger

  • 4 jalapeños (red preferred), seeds and stems removed, minced

  • 1 tablespoon chicken stock

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the 3/4 cup cornstarch, egg whites, 1 teaspoon salt, and the dry sherry and mix well to make a batter. Add the prawns to the batter and coat well.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok until hot. Add the coated prawns and stir fry for 2 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove the prawns and drain them on paper towels.

Remove all but about 1 tablespoon of oil from the wok. Add the sesame oil. Reheat the wok and stir-fry the onion slices for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, white pepper, remaining salt, and sugar. Add the reserved prawns, green onions, ginger, and jalapeños and stir fry for 1 minute.

In a small bowl, combine the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with the chicken stock and add to the wok to thicken the sauce. Serve immediately.

 

Rosemary Scented Lamb Chops

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Anyone who has eaten at Nancy’s house knows that sooner or later they will have something flavored with two of my favorites–chiles and rosemary. Depending on your preference, the marinade can be strained before reducing. This recipe will also work well with ribs, roasts, or even cubed lamb, which can be made into kebabs.

Ingredients

For the Lamb Chops:

  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice

  • 1 cup dry red wine

  • 1 cup red wine vinegar

  • 3/4 cup South Carolina Mustard Sauce 

  • 3/4 cup chile-and-herb-infused olive oil

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

  • 2 tablespoons minced onion

  • 2 to 3 chiltepins, crushed

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 lamb chops

For the Sauce:

  • 3/4 cup yellow “ballpark” mustard

  • 3/4 cup cider vinegar

  • ½ cup sugar

  • 1 ½ tablespoons margarine

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 teaspoons Louisana-style hot sauce, or more to taste

Instructions

For the Lamb Chops:

Combine the lemon juice, wine, vinegar, and mustard together in a nonreactive bowl. Whisk the mixture while slowly adding the oil in a steady stream. Add the remainder of the ingredients, except the lamb, and mix well. Marinate the lamb in the mixture for an hour at room temperature. Remove the lamb and reserve the marinade. Grill or broil the lamb chops to desired doneness. Place the reserved marinade in a saucepan and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until reduced by one half, about 20 minutes. To serve, place some of the cooked marinade on a plate and arrange the chops on top. Additional sauce can be served on the side.

For the Sauce:

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, stirring to blend, and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

Spicy Chorizo Breakfast Burritos

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Just about any filling can be wrapped in a flour tortilla and become a burrito, one of the most popular of the Mexican sandwiches. The breakfast burrito has been made popular in this country by a number of fast food restaurants, but none are as tasty as this one. So start your day with this spicy, south of the border, “tortilla sandwich.”

Ingredients

  • ½ pound chorizo sausage

  • 1 small onion, chopped

  • 1 small potato, peeled, cooked and diced

  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano, Mexican preferred

  • 3 eggs, beaten with 1 to 2 tablespoons water or milk

  • 4 flour tortillas

Instructions

Remove the chorizo from the casing and cook in a heavy skillet until crumbly. Add the onion and continue to saute until the onion is soft and the chorizo is done. Remove the pan from the heat and pour off the accumulated fat.

Return the pan to the heat and stir in the potatoes and oregano..

Add the eggs to the chorizo mix and cook until set, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.

Warm the tortillas by wrapping in a damp towel and heat in the microwave at 50% for a minute or until hot.

To Assemble: Place one-fourth of the mixture in the tortilla and fold in two opposite sides. Fold over the other sides like an envelope and serve.

Shredded Chicken Flautas w/ Spicy Avocado Sauce

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Flautas (flaow-tahs) or “flutes” are rolled and fried tortillas similar to taquitos but 2 tortillas are rolled together to form a long flute and often served with a avocado sauce. The following is a recipe from a small restaurant located near the hospital in Juarez, Mexico–one of my favorites! This is a great way to use up any left-over chicken you may have on hand.

Ingredients

For the Avocado Sauce:

  • 1 7-ounce can tomatillos, drained

  • 2 avocados, pitted and peeled

  • 3 to 4 serrano chiles, stems removed, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons chopped onion

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

  • 2 teaspoon lime juice

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

  • Salt to taste

For the Flautas:

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 2 cups shredded chicken

  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

  • 12 corn tortillas

  • Oil for deep frying

Instructions

For the Sauce:

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Allow the sauce to sit at room temperature for an hour to blend the flavors.

For the Flautas:

In a heavy skillet, heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic until soft. Remove from the heat and toss with the chicken and cilantro.

Pour the oil to a depth of a couple inches and heat to 375 degrees. Dip the tortillas, one at a time, in the oil for 5 seconds to soften. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Overlap two of the tortillas (cover ½ of one with the other) and place a couple of tablespoons of the filling, sprinkle with cheese, roll as tightly as possible and secure with toothpicks.

Fry the flautas, 2 or 3, at a time until crisp and browned, about 1 minute. Drain and remove the toothpicks.

To serve, arrange the flautas on a platter, drizzle some of the avocado sauce over the top and serve the remaining on the side for dipping.

Ham and Cheese Tortas with Chiptole Mayonnaise

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Tortas are sandwiches and they are made with Mexican bolillo rolls. Similar to crusty French rolls, they are the most popular bread in Mexico after tortillas. Surprisingly, ham and cheese is a common torta combination although almost anything can be used as a filling, including beans. I’ve taken some liberties with the mayonnaise by adding chipotles, but it tastes so good with any number of fillings, I had to include it.

Ingredients

For the Chipotle Mayonnaise:

  • 2 chipotle en adobo chiles, stems and seeds removed

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice

  • 2 tablespoons chopped onion

  • 1 cup mayonnaise

For the Tortas:

  • 4 slices yellow cheese, such as cheddar

  • 4 slices cooked ham

  • 1 4-ounce can sliced pickled jalapenos

  • 4 bolillo rolls, or substitute French rolls

  • Sliced tomatoes

  • Thinly sliced onions

  • Shredded lettuce

Instructions

To make the mayonnaise: Place the chipotles, lime juice and onion in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Put the mayonnaise into a bowl and stir in the chile mixture. Allow the mayonnaise to sit for an hour or more to blend the flavors.

To assemble, split the rolls lengthwise and hollow out some of the bottom of the roll. Spread the mayonnaise on the top and layer the remaining ingredients on the bottom, cover with the top and serve.