Venison Steak with Juniper Berry and Red Chile Sauce

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This recipe is by Lois Ellen Frank, from her book Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations (Ten Speed Press, 2002). Both the venison and the juniper berries are available from mail-order sources. Of course, grape juice or wine would not have been available to the Maya, but Lois has adapted this recipe for the modern kitchen.

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon dried juniper berries

  • 3 cups unsweetened dark grape juice or wine

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme

  • 2 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped

  • 2 cups beef stock

For the Steaks:

  • 6 venison steaks, 8 to 10 ounces each

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 whole dried chiles de arbol, seeds and stems removed, crushed

Instructions

To make the sauce, wrap the juniper berries in a clean kitchen towel and crush them using a mallet. Remove them from the towel and place them in a saucepan with the grape juice or wine, bay leaves, thyme and shallots. Simmer over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the liquid has been reduced to 1 cup. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium and cook for another 15 minutes until the sauce has been reduced to 1 ½ cups. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and keep it warm.

Brush the steaks on both sides with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the steaks on the grill and grill for 3 minutes, until they have charred marks. Rotate the steaks a half turn and grill for another 3 minutes. Flip the steaks over and grill for another 5 minutes until done as desired.

Ladle the sauce onto each plate, top with the steaks, pattern-side up, and sprinkle the crushed chiles over them.

Chile-Infused Red Snapper, Veracruz-Style

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This is one of the most delicious Mexican coastal fish recipes. It is served in Veracruz, the area of Mexico most influenced by Spanish cooking, but is popular all over the country. Often the snapper is dusted with flour and pan fried, then covered with a sauce, but we prefer ours beach-style. We grill it over wood or natural charcoal (gas is acceptable, too) and then serve it with the sauce on the side. Charring the tomatoes on the grill adds a smoky dimension to the sauce. This elegant and colorful fish is served with white rice and additional pickled jalapeños.

Ingredients

The Snapper

  • 1 3 to 4-pound whole dressed red snapper

  • 1 lime, cut in half

  • 1/4 cup ground chile de arbol, or substitute New Mexican ground red chile

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • Olive oil

  • Chopped parsley for garnish

Veracruz Sauce

  • 6 small tomatoes

  • 1 small onion

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 4 canned picked jalapeño chiles (jalapeños en escabeche), seeds removed, cut in thin strips

  • 1 tablespoon juice from the pickled jalapeños

  • ½ cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives

  • 1 tablespoon capers

  • ½ teaspoon sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

With a knife, lightly score the fish on both sides. Sprinkle lime juice over the whole fish, inside and out. In a small bowl, combine the chile and salt and mix well. Sprinkle the fish with the mixture inside and out.

To make the sauce, roast the tomatoes and onions on the grill until charred evenly. Remove and chop. In a small pan, saute the garlic in oil until lightly browned. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the remaining ingredients and simmer until thickened. Season with salt and pepper, and remove the bay leaves.

Place the fish on the grill indirectly over a low fire, baste with olive oil, and cook about 1 hour per side, turning twice and basting with the oil. The fish should flake easily, and the internal temperature of the fish at its thickest part should be 385°F for medium.

Place the fish on a serving platter and pour the most of the sauce over it. At the table, carve the fish and serve it with some sauce spooned over each portion. Garnish with the parsley. Serve with heated corn tortillas, and the additional sauce on the table.

 

Grilled Split Thai Chicken with Fiery Red Chile Sauce

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Chickens grilled in this manner are very popular throughout Thailand, where they’re sold in bus depots in villages, portable food stations, at the beach—everywhere. The Thais would use bamboo skewers, but metal ones work fine. The skewers keep the chicken flat as it cooks on the grill. You will notice that the chicken is doubly spiced, like American barbecue, but much hotter. Those Thais like their food very pungent! The chiles traditionally used are prik chee fa, with medium-hot, cayenne-like, bright red pods. Serve with sticky rice with mangoes and Thai iced tea.

Ingredients

Thai Seasoning Paste

  • 12 large cloves garlic, chopped

  • ½ cup chopped shallots

  • 1/4 cup chopped ginger

  • 1/4 cup fish sauce or substitute soy sauce

  • 4 stalks lemon grass, peeled to reveal soft inner root and lower stem, chopped

  • 6 large red Thai chiles (prik chee fa), stems and seeds removed, chopped, or substitute 4 red jalapeños

The Chicken

  • 1 3 to 3 ½-pound chicken

  • Fiery Red Chile Sauce

  • 3 dried red New Mexican chiles, stems and seeds removed

  • 4 red Thai chiles (prik chee fa), stems and seeds removed, chopped, or substitute red jalapeños

  • 1 tablespoons chopped ginger

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • ½ cup distilled vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, Thai preferred

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

To make the paste, place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process to a thick paste.

Using poultry shears, or a heavy knife, cut down both sides of the backbone to cut the chicken in half. Remove the backbone and place the chicken on a cutting board skin side up. Press hard on the breastbone to break it and flatten the bird.

Loosen the skin and rub the paste all over the chicken, over and under the skin.

Take the skewers and force one through the thigh perpendicular to bone and just above drumstick, into the breast, and out through the middle joint of the wing. Repeat for the other side of the chicken.

Place the skewers on the grill over a medium-hot fire. Grill slowly, turning as needed to brown evenly, for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 160 degrees F. for medium.

To prepare the sauce, soak the dried chiles in hot water to soften for about 20 minutes. Remove, drain, and chop. In a blender or food processor place the chiles, ginger, garlic and 3/4 cup water process until almost puree, but still coarse. Place in a saucepan with the vinegar and sugar. Cook until reduced to about half, remove to a bowl, and add basil and salt to taste. Stir it well.

Serve the chicken with the sauce on the side.

 

Chile Colorado (Basic Red Chile Sauce)

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The chiles that are traditionally used for this sauce are the ones pulled off the ristras or strings of dried chiles. Ristras are not just used for decoration–this is one method of sun drying or preserving the fall chile crop for use throughout the year. Use this sauce in a number of dishes, as a topping for enchiladas and tacos, as a basis for stews like posole, or any recipe that calls for a red sauce.

Ingredients

  • 10 to 12 dried red New Mexican chiles

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 2 to 3 cups beef broth (optional), or water

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano, Mexican preferred

  • Pinch of ground cumin

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

Arrange the chile pods on a baking pan and place in a 250-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chiles become very aromatic, being careful not to let them burn. Remove the stems and seeds and place the pods into a bowl.

Cover the chiles with very hot water and allow them to steep for 15 to 20 minutes to soften. Drain the chiles and discard the water.

In a heavy saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in the oil until soft. Add the chiles and a couple cups of water or broth and simmer for 10 minutes.

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture, if desired, for a smoother sauce. If the sauce is too thin, place it back on the stove and simmer until it is reduced to the desired consistency, or if too thick, add more water or broth.

Adjust the seasonings and serve.

Posole (Red Chile, Pork, and Dried Corn Stew)

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Treating corn with lime to remove the tough skins was probably a technique the early Meso-American cultures passed on to the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico. This corn, called posole, is the basis of this dish of the same name. A traditional dish during the holiday season, it is considered to bring good luck through the year if eaten on New Year’s Eve. Any cubed pork will be fine in this recipe but I like to use the chops so I can flavor the stew with the bones. Posole is served both with the chile in the stew and also with the sauce on the side. I serve it with some chile sauce in the stew and additional sauce on the side for guests to at their own discretion. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces dry posole

  • 1 ½ pounds thick-cut pork chops, fat removed, cubed, bones reserved

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (if needed)

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 quart pork or chicken broth

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano, Mexican preferred

  • 3 cups Chile Colorado Sauce (recipe above)

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

Put the posole in a large pot and cover with water so that there is a couple inches of water above the posole. Soak the posole overnight.

Bring the pot with the posole to a boil, add the pork bones, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Add 3 cups of the broth to the pot.

In a heavy skillet, brown the pork, adding a little oil if necessary. Add the pork and the bones to the posole. Saute the onions and garlic in the same pan until they start to brown, remove and add to the posole. Pour the remainder of the broth into the skillet, raise the heat, deglaze the pan and add to the posole. Season with the oregano and salt to taste.

Add some of the chile sauce to the posole and simmer until the corn starts to “pop” and the meat is very tender, to the point of falling apart.

Remove the bones and serve in bowls accompanied by warm flour tortillas and the remaining chile sauce on the side.