Grilled steaks no longer have to be just a piece of plain meat. Any type of fresh chile or combinations of chiles can be substituted for the jalapeños in this recipe. The stuffing can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated. An hour before cooking, slice the steaks and fill with the chile mixture.

Ingredients

• 10 jalapeños, seeds and stems removed, chopped

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

• 3 pounds trimmed fillet of beef, cut into 6 thick steaks

• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Saute the chiles, onion, and garlic in the oil for a couple of minutes, until just soft but still a little crisp. Remove, cool, and mix in the cheese.

Slice into the steaks from the edge, creating a “pocket” for the stuffing. Stuff with the jalapeño mixture and fasten the opening with a toothpick, if necessary. Season the outside of each steak with the black pepper.

Grill over hot charcoal to the desired doneness.

Turtle, or black beans, have always been a favorite in both Central and South America and have been gaining in popularity in the country. These are also the beans that the Chinese ferment for their black bean sauce. This is a great recipe to serve your vegetarian friends and is so tasty you won’t even miss the meat.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups black beans, sorted, rinsed, and soaked overnight

• 6 to 8 jalapeño chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• 3 cups vegetable broth

• 1 15-ounce can peeled tomatoes

• 1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons dry sherry, optional

• Salt to taste

• Garnishes: Sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet, add the jalapeños, onion, and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

In a large saucepan or stockpot, combine the beans, onion mixture, cumin, and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are soft, about an 1 ½ hours. Add the tomatoes and vinegar and continue to simmer, uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes or until the chili has thickened.

Remove the chili from the heat and stir in the sherry and season with salt. Ladle the chili into bowls, garnish with a dollop of sour cream, sprinkle the cilantro over the top and serve.

Take these “hot” muffins on your next picnic in place of ordinary bread or even chips. Flavored butters (or margarine) are easy to prepare and make tasty alternatives to a plain butter. Any unused butter can be frozen for latter use as a spread or for sauteing foods such as shrimp.

Ingredients

Muffins:

• 4 jalapeño chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped

• 2 cups milk

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 3 eggs

• 1 cup cornmeal

• 3/4 cup flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 3 tablespoons baking powder

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

• Chile Orange Butter:

• 1 tablespoon New Mexico red chile powder

• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest

• 2 teaspoons orange juice

• 1 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature

Instructions

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the chile butter and allow to sit at room temperature for an hour to blend the flavors.

Preheat an oven to 375°F and grease a muffin tin.

To make the muffins, mix the jalapeños, milk, buttermilk, and eggs together in a bowl.

In another bowl sift together the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the liquid. Gently mix them until the dry ingredients are absorbed being careful not to over mix.

Pour the batter into the greased muffin tins and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until done.