Shredded Chicken and Tomatillo Tacos with Queso Fresco

Ingredients
6 tomatillos, husked, washed, and grilled until blackened
1 serrano, grilled until blackened
Olive oil
1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
8 blue corn tortillas
1 cup crumbled queso fresco

Directions
Preheat the grill to medium. Add the blackened tomatillos and serrano to a small saute pan and briefly saute in a little olive oil on the grates of the grill.

Place the tomatillos, serrano, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and honey in a blender and blend until smooth. Place the tomatillo mixture in a large saute pan and place on the grates of the grill. Bring the mixture to a simmer, add the chicken, and heat through.

Place the tortillas on the grill, and grill for 20 seconds on each side. Spoon the chicken mixture into the tortillas and top with a few tablespoons of queso fresco. Fold the tortillas in half serve immediately.

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Slow Smoked Pork Shoulder with Napa Cabbage Slaw and Queso Fresco

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 2 heaping tablespoons ancho chile powder
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 or 2 chipotle in adobo, finely chopped
• 1 boneless pork shoulder (about 5 pounds)
• Warm corn tortillas
• Napa Cabbage Slaw, recipe follows
• Hot sauce
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco

Directions

Special equipment: 2 cups wood chips (hickory or apple), soaked in water 30 minutes

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme, garlic, onions, ancho chile powder, brown sugar, cumin, coriander, orange juice, lime juice, 1/2 water and chipotle, and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool. Put the pork in a large pan and pour over the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat a charcoal grill for indirect heat and place the soaked wood chips on top of the coals.

Place the pork on the grill, cover and let smoke until the temperature inside the grill is 220 degrees F. Add chips as necessary to continue smoking until the internal temperature of the pork reaches140 degrees F. Then just let the pork finish cooking until the internal temperature reaches about 190 degrees F. This can take about 5 hours. Let the pork rest 30 minutes.

Shred the pork and serve in the warm tortillas topped with some Napa Cabbage Slaw, hot sauce, fresh cilantro leaves and queso fresco.

Napa Slaw:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 green onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 serrano chiles
• 1 head Napa cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco

Whisk the mayonnaise, vinegar, oil and celery seeds until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the green onions and serrano chiles. Place the cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Add the dressing and the queso fresco, and toss to combine.

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Argentinean Skewers with Sherry Vinegar Steak Sauce and Grilled Scallions

Ingredients
1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 heads garlic, unpeeled, halved horizontally
2 jalapeno peppers, tops trimmed
1/2 cup canola oil
18 ounces sirloin, cut into 1-inch dice
6-inch wooden skewers, soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 green onions, trimmed
Canola oil
Sherry Vinegar Steak Sauce, recipe follows


Directions
Combine the parsley, cilantro, garlic, peppers and oil in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish, add the beef and toss to coat in the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.


Heat the grill to high. Skewer 2 pieces of the beef onto 2 skewers so that the meat lays flat on the grill. Season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper and grill until golden brown, slightly charred on both sides and cooked to medium-rare doneness, about 3 minutes per side.


Brush the green onions with canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until slightly charred and just cooked through.


Serve skewers with grilled scallions and Sherry Vinegar Steak Sauce.


Sherry Vinegar Steak Sauce:
4 piquillo peppers, drained and chopped or 2 roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1/2 cup aged sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, drained
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Place the peppers, vinegar, mustard, horseradish, honey, molasses, Worcestershire, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated.


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Texas-Style Potato Salad with Mustard and Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Kosher salt

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 1/2 pounds new red potatoes

6 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped

1 roasted red pepper, finely diced

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro

Directions

Bring the vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until the sugar and salt dissolves, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. Add the onions and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Drain the onions through a strainer into a bowl and reserve the pickling liquid.

Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water by 2 inches and add 2 tablespoons salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until a knife inserted into the center of the potatoes meets with no resistance. Drain the potatoes well, let cool slightly (but not all the way) and slice into 1/2-inch thick slices.

Transfer the warm potatoes to a large bowl. Add the eggs, pickled onions and red peppers. Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustards, a few tablespoons of the pickling liquid and season with salt and pepper. Add the dressing and parsley to the warm potatoes and gently mix to combine; season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature or cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and serve chilled.

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Guacamole with Cumin Dusted Tortillas

Ingredients

• 4 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted, and chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 2 limes, juiced
• Salt and pepper
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, to taste
• Cumin Dusted Tortillas, recipe follows

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a molcajete and mix to a chunky consistency. Season, to taste, with salt, pepper, and cilantro. Serve immediately with cumin tortilla chips.

Cumin Dusted Tortillas:

• Peanut oil, for deep frying
• 12 flour and/or blue corn tortillas, cut into quarters
• 1 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Heat 2 inches of peanut oil in a high-sided saute pan to 360 degrees F.

Fry the tortillas, in batches, until light golden brown. Drain on paper towels and season immediately with cumin and salt.

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Avocado

Butterflied Cuban Style Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 4 (8-ounce) pork chops, butterflied and thinly pounded
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 (1/4-inch) thick slices Swiss cheese
• 8 (1/4-inch) thick slices boiled ham
• 2 sour dill pickles, thinly sliced (need about 16 slices)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Heat the grill to high.

Whisk together 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lime juice, 3 tablespoons oregano, the garlic, cumin, and canola oil in a large baking dish. Add the pork and turn to coat. Cover and let marinate for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry. Place the chops on a flat surface, cut-side up and season with salt and pepper. Place 1 slice of cheese, 2 slices of ham, a few slices of pickle and another slice of cheese on 1 half of the chop. Fold over brush the top with oil and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Place the chops on the grill, oil side down and grill until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the chops over and continue grilling until the bottom is golden brown and the cheese has melted, 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Whisk the remaining orange and lime juices, oregano, and the cilantro with the olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon over the chops and serve.

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Pork Chop

Hot Wings with Blue Cheese-Yogurt Sauce

INGREDIENTS

For the Blue Cheese Sauce:

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely grated red onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Hot Wings:

• Peanut oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 pounds chicken wings split at the joint, wing tips removed and discarded
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons pureed chipotle chile in adobo
• 1 tablespoon New Mexico chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 stick unsalted butter, quartered
• Finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
• Jicama sticks (instead of celery)

DIRECTIONS

For the Blue Cheese Sauce:

Stir together the yogurt, blue cheese, red onion, cilantro and salt and pepper in a bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

For the Hot Wings:

Heat 2-inches of the oil in a large, high-sided pan until it reaches 375 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer.

Stir together the flour, salt, pepper, to taste, 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. Season the wings with salt and pepper and add the wings in batches to the flour mixture to lightly coat and tap off excess flour. Add the wings in batches and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels.

Bring the vinegar, chipotle puree, 2 tablespoons chili powder and New Mexico chili powder to a simmer in a large high-sided saute pan over medium heat. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the mustard, salt, honey, and butter until smooth. Add the wings to the mixture and toss to coat. Garnish with cilantro and serve with jicama sticks and blue cheese sauce.

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