avocado feta frittata

Avocado-Feta Frittata

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

This recipe appeared in the article Chile-Spiced Brunch Ideas for Mother’s Day on the Burn! Blog.

Ingredients

1/2 large ripe avocado, cut into 1-inch dice
1 tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon lime juice
Pinch of salt
1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
4 black olives, minced
4 fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced
3 eggs (or the equivalent amount of egg substitute)
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
11/2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Combine the avocado, tomato, lime juice, and salt. Add the feta, rosemary, olives, and mushrooms and stir gently. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and ground cayenne.
3. In an oven-safe skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is bubbling but not smoking, add the eggs. Cook the eggs briefly, stirring once, until the bottom is set and the top is still runny. Remove the skillet from the heat and spread the feta-avocado mixture evenly over the eggs. Place the skillet under the broiler until the frittata is set and the edges are golden brown.

blue corn pancakes

Blue Corn Piñon Pancakes with Orange-Spiced Honey

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

The blue corn gives these pancakes are a refreshing change from the ordinary, and habanero in the honey will warm Mom’s heart.

This recipe appeared in the article Chile-Spiced Brunch Ideas for Mother’s Day on the Burn! Blog.

Ingredients

For the Orange-Spiced Honey:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon habanero powder (or other hot chile powder)
1. Place the honey in a saucepan and heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients and keep warm.

For the Pancakes:
1 cup blue corn flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
13/4 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons roasted piñon nuts

Instructions

1. Sift together the flours, sugar, and baking powder into a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter and beat well. Quickly mix the liquids and nuts into the dry batter, being careful not to over-beat the mixture—lumps are okay.
2. Cook the pancakes on a hot griddle, turning only once, until they are browned and done.
3. Drizzle the pancakes with the warm honey and serve.

southwestern chile corn quiche

Southwestern Chile-Corn Quiche

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

The interesting cheese crust with minced chiles sets the scene for the filling of this Southwestern-style quiche. Serve it with fresh fruit and yogurt for a wonderful breakfast.

This recipe appeared in the article Chile-Spiced Brunch Ideas for Mother’s Day on the Burn! Blog.

Ingredients

2 cups fine cheese-cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter, divided
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 serrano chile, stem and seeds removed, minced
1/2 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 1/4 cups low-fat milk
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup diced green New Mexican chiles
1 cup diced zucchini
2 cups cooked fresh corn, or 1 (17-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. In a bowl, mix the cracker crumbs with 2 tablespoons of the butter, 2 tablespoons of the canola oil, and the serrano chile. Set aside 1/2 cup for the topping. Press the remaining crumbs firmly into a 9-inch glass pie pan.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining butter, with the remaining canola oil over low heat. Add the onion and sauté for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the flour over the onion. Add the salt, celery seed, and white pepper and stir until the mixture is blended, about 20 to 30 seconds. Add the milk and stir with a wire whisk constantly until the mixture starts to thicken.
4. Add 1/4 cup of the milk mixture to the beaten eggs and whisk together. Add this mixture to the milk mixture in the saucepan in a steady, slow drizzle, whisking constantly. Remove the pan from the heat.
5. Stir in the green chiles, zucchini, and corn. Slowly and carefully pour this mixture into the prepared pie shell. Sprinkle the top with the reserved cheese crumbs.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the quiche from the oven and allow it to stand for 5 minutes.
7. Cut the quiche into 6 pieces and serve.

bacon wrapped bratwurst

Bacon-wrapped Bratwursts with Grilled Garlic and Habanero Relish

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

This recipe appeared in the article Bacon-Wrapped Brats and Dogs, Oh My on the Burn! Blog. (excerpted from The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook by Robb Walsh

Ingredients

1 package of your favorite hot dogs (usually 5-8 in a pack)
A matching number of center cut bacon slices
A matching amount of club rolls (sliced open like a clam shell)
1 chopped habanero pepper
10 chopped cloves of garlic
1 sliced green bell pepper
1 sliced medium onion
Olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
Assorted condiments (mustard, ketchup, hot sauce, mayo, etc)

Instructions

Make sure you wear gloves while chopping the pepper. Mix it in a small bowl with the garlic, a light drizzle of olive oil, the salt, pepper, and cumin. Next, make an aluminum foil packet, scoop the mixture into it, and fold it shut to seal it.

Fire up the grill. While it’s heating, sauté the onion and green bell pepper in a little olive oil with a little salt and pepper until the onion slices are clear and the bell pepper has changed to a more olive green in color. Turn off the heat but put a cover over the pan to keep the veggies warm.

When the grill reaches a medium-high heat, place the brats and the foil packet on it. Turn the sausages every 3 minutes until they’re almost done (they shouldn’t droop when you lift them with your tongs). You’ll also want to flip the packet after five minutes and let it grill during the next step. Take them off the grill for about five minutes. During that time, brush a little olive oil on one side of each bacon slice. Then, wrap each brat with a slice, corkscrew style, and place it back on the grill. Move the foil packet off to the side or remove it from the grill completely when you put the bratwursts back on the grill. Turn the sausages as before until the bacon is done. Grill the rolls at the same time, if desired.

Once the bacon is sufficiently grilled, remove everything from the grill. Make a bed of the vegetables in each roll, set a brat on it, garnish it with the relish, and add the condiments of your choice.

bacon wrapped sonora hot dogs

Bacon-wrapped Sonora Hot Dogs

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

This recipe appeared in the article Bacon-Wrapped Brats and Dogs, Oh My on the Burn! Blog. (excerpted from The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook by Robb Walsh

Ingredients

4 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Tabasco® or other hot sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
4 all-beef wieners (fat ones work better than long ones)
4 slices extra-thin bacon
4 torpedo rolls or bolillos
4 tablespoons warm refried beans (recipe follows)
8 tablespoons chopped avocado or guacamole
4 heaping tablespoons grated jack or cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons chopped onion
4 tablespoons chopped tomato
4 tablespoons Salsa Verde (recipe follows)
1/4 cup lard, bacon grease, or vegetable oil
3 cups drained cooked pinto beans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup reserved bean broth
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound tomatillos, husked and washed
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
3 fresh serrano chiles, seeded and minced
1 cup minced sweet onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Pinch of sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Sea salt

Instructions

Mix the mayo, Tabasco, and lemon juice and use a funnel to put the mayo blend in a squeeze bottle. Wrap the wieners with the bacon slices so the sausage is completely covered. Cook the wieners on a comal or flat top, rolling them over until the bacon is crunchy on all sides, about 7 minutes. Cut a pocket into the buns to form a “boat” and toast them on the grill. When the wieners are cooked, divide the beans and avocado among the four rolls, spooning them inside the pocket and spreading on either side. Spread the cheese down the middle. Using tongs put one piping-hot bacon-wrapped wiener into the pocket of each roll. Top each wiener with onions and tomatoes. Spread the Salsa Verde across the top. Apply the mayo blend in squiggles across the top of the hot dog.

For the refried beans, melt the lard in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Allow it to heat for another minute, then add the beans and mash them for 2 minutes with a fork or potato masher. Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or to taste). Add the bean broth and the pepper and continue mashing until the beans reach the desired consistency. Tex-Mex beans are generally chunky rather than soupy.

For the Salsa Verde, put the cleaned tomatillos in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and allow the tomatillos to soak for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain, and purée the tomatillos in a food processor. Add the cilantro, serranos, onion, garlic, sugar, and lime juice to the food processor and pulse three or four times to combine. Season with salt to taste.