Cooking with Fresh Chile Peppers

Fiery Foods Manager Cooking with Chiles, General Leave a Comment

By Dave DeWitt, Nancy Gerlach and Jeff Gerlach; Photos by Harald Zoschke   Most chile lovers are familiar with New Mexican green chiles, which are the large (5″ to 10″), fleshy, mild chiles that are also called Anaheim chiles. (Anaheim is actually a variety of New Mexico chile, as are Sandia, Big Jim, etc.) These same green chiles are the …

Le Creuset Tagine

Moroccan Tagines

Fiery Foods Manager Africa Leave a Comment

by Nancy Gerlach Photos by Norman Johnson; Styling by Denice Skrepcinski Tagines or tajines are wonderfully aromatic North African stews that combine meats, poultry, chicken, or fish with fruits, vegetables and a large variety of spices. The centerpiece of Moroccan meals, there are literally hundreds of traditional tagines as well as many regional variations. Tagine refers to both the stew …

baltic peppers

Baltic Bites

Mark Masker Chiles Around the World, Europe Leave a Comment

    Story and photos by Sharon Hudgins Recipes: Solyanka Spicy Beet Borscht Goulash The nine countries that border on the Baltic Sea aren’t known for spicy cooking. Fish, pork, potatoes, and beets, along with mushrooms, sour cream, and dill, have been the flavors of the Baltic for centuries. Horseradish was the only thing that spiked up a cuisine where …

smoked-mexican-turkey

Smoked Mexican Turkey with Orange Chile Oil Marinade

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Here’s a double Mexican influence—turkeys as well as chiles are native to the Americas. This recipe will work with a breast as well as the legs. If using a whole turkey or breast, increase the amount of the marinade and inject the marinade in the bird as well as baste it when it’s smoking. Use any Mexican chiles such as ancho, pasilla, cascabel, or guajillo. Serve with avocado slices, beans, and grilled corn on the cob along with corn tortillas.

You can read Mark Masker’s article on smoking turkey on the Burn! Blog here.

Ingredients

Orange Chile Oil Marinade:
6 cascabel chiles, stems and seeds removed, or substitute 2 of the chiles above
1/4 cup chopped onions
½ cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons achiote paste (available in Hispanic markets)
1 teaspoon dried oregano, Mexican preferred
Pinch ground cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

The Turkey:
4 turkey legs

Instructions

In a pan, saute the chiles and onion in the oil until softened. Add the garlic and cumin and continue to sauté for an additional minute. Remove from the heat.

Combine the chile mixture along with the oil, orange juice, lime juice, achiote paste, oregano, cloves, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender and puree until a smooth sauce.

Make slits in the turkey to allow the chile oil marinade to penetrate. Place the turkey and marinade in a large plastic bag and marinate overnight.

Prepare the smoker using hickory or pecan wood and smoke the legs in 200 degree smoke for 3 to 3 ½ hours or until the turkey is done to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. If you wish to continue marinating, simmer the marinade in a pan for 20 minutes and brush it over the legs occasionally. When done, remove the turkey from the smoker and brush with the marinade.

To serve, slice the smoked turkey off the legs and serve with the sauce of your choice.

Viable Seeds?

system Chile Gardening Leave a Comment

Hello Dave!I’m wondering if the seeds in a bag of Guajillo chiles I bought yesterday would be viable to plant. Just curious. If they are not, is the fresh version of Guajillo chiles a Mirasol? Thanks for any info….Mike Hello Mike:It all depends on whether or not the chiles were dried in a furnace or under the sun. If they …