Grilled Jalapeno Polenta with Roasted Salsa Verde

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We have written before about northern Mexican roasted salsas, and here’s a practical application of the concept. While we’re at it, we’ll add chiles to everything and even grill the polenta. Serve as an entree with a vegetable and a salad or as a side to grilled meat or chicken.

Ingredients

For the Grilled Jalapeño Polenta:

  • 3/4 cup coarse yellow cornmeal

  • 1 ½ cups milk

  • ½ cup grated cheddar or Asiago cheese

  • 2 jalapeno chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons grated onion

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • Salt to taste

For the Roasted Salsa Verde:

  • 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks left on

  • 1 small onion, quartered

  • 4 jalapeño chiles

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh preferred

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

For the Grilled Jalapeño Polenta:

Bring the milk and 1 ½ cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Slowly sprinkle the cornmeal into the liquid, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat, and continue to stir until the mixture is thick and starts to pull away from the pan. Quickly add the cheese, chiles, onion, garlic, salt to taste, stir well, and remove from the heat.

Pour the polenta into a lightly oiled 10-inch cake or pie pan and cool. Place in refrigerator for 3 hours to firm.

For the Roasted Salsa Verde:

Place tomatillos, onion, and chiles in a basket on the grill and roast until the vegetables are slightly blackened, shaking the basket often. Remove from the basket and peel, but don’t worry about removing all the peels from the chiles. Do remove stems and seeds from the chiles. Place the vegetables, juice, and sugar into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and stir in the cilantro.

Clean the grill and brush it with oil. Slice the polenta into wedges, brush with the oil and grill over a medium fire until they begin to brown, about 8 to 12 minutes.

Place the wedges on a serving platter, top with the salsa and serve.

Fried Chile Salsa

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In northern Mexico, the chiles, tomatoes, and onions are grilled before making Salsa Cruda, so why not substitute some fried vegetables? Separately frying the ingredients and flavoring with cilantro keeps this from being a pasta sauce. Serve this with chips or as a topping for grilled meat, poultry, or fish.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup olive oil (or more as needed)

  • 5 mild jalapeños, stems removed (or 2 hot ones)

  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 6 medium tomatoes, chopped and drained

  • 3 tablespoons minced cilantro

  • ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or more to taste)

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until hot and fry the jalapeños until their skins start to blister and brown. Remove them from the heat and drain on paper towels. While they are cooling, add the onion and garlic to the oil and fry for 1 minute. Remove, drain on paper towels, and place in a bowl. Add the tomatoes to the olive oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring well. Remove, drain on paper towels, and add to the onions.

Peel the jalapeños, cut in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Chop the jalapeños and add them to the onions and tomatoes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Serve at room temperature.

Hot Sauced Shad Roe with Green Chile & Cheese Eggs

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You can actually use any fish roe in this recipe, so ask your local fishmonger what is available. If you’re in Richmond in April, you’ll find this breakfast shad recipe in restaurants. Of course, you won’t find the green chile eggs, as we do that here in New Mexico. This recipe will not win any awards from the Food Police.

Ingredients

  • 4 shad roes

  • 1/4 cup bacon drippings, melted

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 6 eggs, beaten with a little milk

  • 1/4 cup chopped green chile

  • 1/4 cup grated pepper jack cheese

  • Hot sauce of choice

Instructions

In a skillet, combine the shad roes and the bacon drippings and fry the roes for about 10 minutes, turning several times. When the roes are half-done, in another skillet melt the butter, add the eggs and scramble with a fork. When the eggs are nearly done, add the green chile and cheese. To serve, sprinkle the roes with your favorite hot sauce and place next to the eggs.

The Prime Minister’s Hot Sauce

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Here is the hot recipe of the famous Errol W. Barrow, who was Prime Minister of Barbados from1961-76 and again from 1986 until his death in 1987. He was also an accomplished cook, and published Privilege: Cooking in the Caribbean (Macmillan Caribbean) in 1988. He noted: “Pepper sauce recipes can be adjusted to suit individual tastes: green papaya, green mango may also be used.” We have modified this recipe slightly for the food processor-enhanced kitchen.

Ingredients

  • 6 large bonney peppers, seeds and stems removed, chopped

  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped

  • 2 small cloves garlic

  • 1 tablespoon mustard

  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 1/2 cup chopped carrots

  • 1 cup water

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and boil for about 15 minutes. Adjust the consistency with water. Puree in a food processor or blender and bottle in sterilized bottles.

 

#1 Award Winning Memphis in May Hot Wing Sauce

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“Floating a jalapeño in a simmer sauce adds tremendous flavor,” says Amy Anderson of Madd Momma and The Kid. Here’s an example.’

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

The Heat of Competition: The Jack Daniels’ Championship

 

Ingredients

  • 1 12-ounce bottle hot sauce (She prefers Red Hot)

  • 1 cube butter

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 fresh jalapeño chile

    • Instructions

    Mix the hot sauce, the butter and the garlic in a saucepan. Make 3 to 4 slashes in the skin of the jalapeño pepper. Put the jalapeño in the sauce and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring constantly.