Stuffed Anaheim Peppers and Homemade Enchilada Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These peppers are a great make-ahead family meal. They're easy to prepare and make a nice addition to your Mexican-style or Southwestern repertoire. The recipe defines simplicity. Soft (uncooked) chorizo sausage is mixed with cheese and a bit of oregano before being piped into Anaheim or banana peppers that will be topped with an enchilada sauce and a bit more cheese prior to baking. A recipe for enchilada sauce appears below. While the sauce can be homemade or store bought, I suggest you choose one that is not overly hot. The peppers have some heat and the chorizo can be quite spicy. I've found the addition of a really hot sauce can be a bit too much for the standard palate to bear. I like to serve these with a salad that's laced with lots of iceberg lettuce. I know its use is frowned on, but I've never found a replacement that adds the same crunch to salads, and the crispness is really pleasant here. If you'd like to add more color to the meal, a yellow or cilantro rice would be a great accompaniment. Gals, I've have to be honest here. This is guy food, of the grow hair on your chest variety. Teenage boys and their fathers will worship the ground you walk on when you serve these. Your daughters will think you've come unwrapped. So, be foreward. This is fraternity food. Don't forget to pass bottled hot sauce at the table. You'll probably also want to pass some sour cream to dowse the fire the sauce will cause. Here are the two recipes.

Stuffed Anaheim Peppers...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
6 large Anaheim or banana peppers
1-1/2 pounds chorizo sausage
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1-1/4 cups grated Monterey jack cheese, divided use
3 cups cups enchilada sauce

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Slice off tops and remove seeds and ribs from peppers.
3) Remove chorizo from casing and mash into a paste. Add 1 cup cheese and oregano and mix well.
4) Divide sausage mixture into 6 portions. Roll each portion into a spindle shape and shove point first into into a pepper using a small spoon to force mixture into cavity. Alternatively, mixture can be piped into peppers using a pastry bag and wide-tipped nozzle. Overfill slightly.
5) Film bottom of a baking dish with about 1 cup enchilada sauce. Arrange peppers in dish on top of sauce. Cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle with reserved 1/4 cup cheese. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve hot. Yield: 6 peppers.

Enchilada Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup New Mexico chili powder (I use whatever I have and usually not 1/4 cup, more like half of that)
1 can chicken broth
10 ounces tomato puree
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a 2-quart saucepan. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook 30 seconds longer. Stir in chicken broth, 1/4 cup water, tomato puree, oregano and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt. Yield: 3 cups.







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You might also enjoy these recipes:
Grilled Banana Peppers with Feta Cheese - Closet Cooking
Cheese Stuffed Mixed Grilled Peppers - So Many Recipes
Spicy Stuffed Banana Peppers - The Food Lovers Primal Palate
Grilled Banana Pepper Salad - Greek Food Recipes and Recollections
Mexican Stuffed Red Peppers - Kitchen Scoop

Sonoran Hot Dog

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is the type of recipe that will cause hardcore foodies to bristle and run for the exits. True, hot dogs are not the stuff of which their dreams are made, so I can't blame them. There are, however, occasions when nothing is quite as satisfying as good old-fashioned grub, so, I'll clear a path and hold the doors for them as they leave the room. I've been mulling what to make for Super Bowl Sunday and I've finally got a fix on what I want to serve. Last year, I did variations of those dishes I lovingly call Asian junk food. There were plates of egg rolls, crab rangoon, barbecued pork and dumplings, as well as bowls of fried noodles served with a warm apricot dipping sauce. This year, mainly because Chinese New Year is also barrelling down on us, I decided I'd head down Mexico way and do a Southwestern feast. Robb Walsh developed a recipe for Sonoran hot dogs that I've wanted to try for the longest time and I thought they'd be perfect for Super Bowl Sunday. I did a test run tonight and am comfortable enough with the results to share the recipe with you. This is a dish that is, for the most part, assembled rather than cooked. You'll have to heat the oven and a frying pan, but the time consuming elements of this dish can be purchased ready made and simply layered into warm and waiting buns. I have access to Mexican bakeries where bolillos, the Mexican version of a torpedo roll, can be purchased. They are a perfect bun for this outrageous hot dog. They are thick enough to hold ingredients without disintegrating, but small enough to prevent the filling from being upstaged by the bread. I realize that most of you don't have access to specialty bakeries, so the best route for you to take is to buy sturdy, but soft, buns that are approximately the same size as your hot dogs. As long as the hot dogs don't sit too long before serving you'll be fine. Good hot dogs are important and those that "answer to a higher authority" would be an excellent choice to use here. You will also find these much easier to make if you use a really thin-sliced bacon. Hassles with layering can be avoided if you have everything set to go before you begin cooking the hot dogs. The original recipe calls for pan grilling the wieners on a comal, the griddle on which tortillas are cooked. I cooked mine under the oven broiler to simplify things and contain the mess. It works perfectly, as long as you rotate the hot dogs so all their surfaces cook. I really think you'll like these. I hope you'll give them a try. Here's the recipe.

Sonoran Hot Dogs...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Robb Walsh

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
Juice of 1 large lemon
8 all-beef wieners (fat ones work better than long ones)
8 slices extra-thin bacon
8 torpedo rolls or bolillos
1/2 cup warm refried beans
1 cup guacamole
1/2 cup grated jack or cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup Salsa Verde

Directions:
1) Mix mayonnaise, Tabasco, and lemon juice and put into a squeeze bottle.
2) Wrap hot dogs with bacon slices, covering completely. Grill or broil them, rolling hot dogs until bacon is crunchy on all sides, about 7 minutes.
3) Cut a pocket into buns to form a "boat" and toast them in oven or on a grill.
4) When hot dogs are cooked, divide beans and guacamole among eight rolls, spooning them inside pocket and spreading on either side of rolls. Spread cheese down the middle. Using tongs put one piping-hot bacon-wrapped hot dog into pocket of each roll. Top each with onions and tomatoes. Spread Salsa Verde across top. Apply mayonnaise blend in squiggles over tops of hot dogs. Yield: 8 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chimichanga Dogs - Girlichef
Dogzilla Hot Dogs - Mrs. Regueiro's Plate
Andersen Hot Dogs: Gourmet Style - Kalle Bergman's Honest Cooking
Seriously Scandinavian: Hot Dogs from the Cold North - Kalle Bergman's Honest Cooking
Chicago Red Hots - Food Nerd Ciao
Ultimate Bacon Cheese Dogs - Gourmet Mom on the Go
Spicy Mango-Pineapple Hot Dogs - Coconut and Lime
Coney Dogs - Real Mom Kitchen
Fancy Hot Dogs - Simply Recipes
Classic Chicago Hot Dog - Easy and Tasty Food

Hot dog lovers will want to see this feature in Bon Appetit: Global Hot Dog Guide

Sizzling Southwestern Flank Steak with Creamy Salsa Verde

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We had a lovely dinner this evening. The folks at Hearst Ranch sent us samples of their delicious grass-fed flank steaks and they were the inspiration for tonight's border-style feast.

A drawing, sponsored by the team at Foodie Blogroll, brought the steaks to our table. The first 25 people who entered the drawing "won" and I happened to get lucky. Be sure to check the Foodie Blogroll to see what other opportunities they have found for their members.

I love flank steak and wanted to use special recipes to make the most of this wonderful treat. We used the first of the steaks tonight in a spicy Southwestern creation that we really liked. I think you will too. Just a reminder that flank steak should be tenderized and cooked quickly. I used a jaccard to tenderize our steak and cooked it in a screaming-hot cast iron skillet for about 3 minutes per side. Cast iron retains heat and the steaks continued to cook as the meat rested. I let ours sit, tented in foil, for about 10 minutes before slicing the meat against the grain. Prior to cooking, I marinated the steak in a mixture of mashed chipotle chilies and lime juice. To cool the heat a bit, I made a sauce with Mexican crema (Mexican sour cream) and a mild salsa verde. It was one of those off-the-cuff combinations that really worked. The quality of this beef is amazing and I urge you to give Hearst Ranch meat a try. You won't be sorry. Here's the recipe I used for the first steak. I'll have another to share with you next week.

Sizzling Southwestern Flank Steak with Creamy Salsa Verde...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Marinade
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon mashed chipotle chiles from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
Sauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup salsa verde
3/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Steak
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1 (1-1/2 to 1-1/2 pounds) flank steak
Optional garnish: chopped green tomatoes, cilantro sprigs, lime wedges

Directions:
1) Combine mashed peppers and fresh lime juice in a blender jat. Puree. Pour into a pan large enough to hold flank steak. Turn to coat both sides with marinade, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 to 8 hours.
2) When ready to proceed, combine salsa verde, crema, milk and cilantro in a blender jar. Puree. Transfer contents to a small pot and heat very gently just to warm. Do not allow sauce to boil.
3) Scrape marinade from steak. Pat dry and season each side with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil and heat until smoking hot. Add flank steak and cook for 3 minutes per side. Remove pan from heat, but tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Transfer steak to a cutting board and slice crosswise on the diagonal. Garnish if desired. Serve steak with creamy salsa verde. Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Cuban Flank Steak - Kalyn's Kitchen
Basil Pesto Flank Steak - My Kitchen in the Rockies
Flank Steak Roulade - The Food Addicts
Grilled Flank Steak with Mushrooms - Simply Recipes
Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri - The Gourmet Connection
Quick-Marinated Flank Steak - Noble Pig

Breakfast Polenta with Chorizo and Queso Fresco

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It was another busy day. The boys climbed Spencer Butte this morning and spent the afternoon picking berries for a pie and a flognard. Between adventures we stopped back home for this delicious pizza-like polenta that has a Southwestern flair. I made the polenta earlier in the day and spread it in a pan, so we could cut, rather than spoon it onto plates. The rest of the assembly is quite easy and the finished dish was scarfed down by our hungry boys. The recipe for this first appeared in Bon Appetit magazine and I like it well enough to keep it in my recipe rotation, usually serving it for brunch or a light supper. A few ingredient substitutions can be made. Coarse yellow cornmeal can be used in place of polenta and any spicy sausage can be used if you are unable to find chorizo. It's best, however, to use cherry tomatoes for the sauce. Other varieties can add too much liquid to the topping and take longer to cook as well. I know that those of you who try this will like it. Here's the recipe.

Breakfast Polenta with Chorizo and Queso Fresco...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine

Ingredients:
1-1/3 cups crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese (about 6 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3-1/4 cups water
1 cup polenta (coarse yellow cornmeal) or regular cornmeal
1 1-pound bag frozen yellow corn kernels, thawed
1 pound fresh link chorizo sausage, casings removed
1 pound cherry tomatoes (about 3 1/2 cups)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss cheese and cilantro in small bowl. Mix 3-1/4 cups water, polenta, and corn kernels in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and stir to blend well. Bake until water is absorbed and polenta is tender, stirring once, about 25 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, break chorizo into small pieces and saute in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 6 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes to skillet. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until tomatoes soften, about 6 minutes. Uncover; crush some tomatoes with fork. Simmer until tomatoes release juices and sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Spoon or cut polenta into squares and put on individual serving plates. Top each with a portion of chorizo mixture, then cheese mixture. Yield: 4 servings

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Mamaliga Baked with Cheese - One Perfect Bite
Oven Baked Polenta - One Perfect Bite
Spoon Bread with Leeks and Gruyere Cheese
P Is for Polenta - The Duo Dishes
Crispy Polenta with Fresh Corn and Aged Cheddar Cheese - Whisk: A Food Blog
Polenta with Mushroom Duxelles - Vino Luci
Creamy Polenta with Sausage - The Diner's Journal
Polenta Lasagna with Mushrooms Bechamel - Retro Food
Bacon Sage Polenta - The Blue Kitchen

Corn and Radish Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Sweet corn has started to appear in our farmer's markets. It's not local, but I'm always so anxious for the first corn of summer that I break my own rules and buy it anyway. Sweet corn has become part of our Independence Day celebration, so I not fussy about its country or state of origin. It's a carry over from my Midwestern childhood, when corn on the cob was a treat and as much a part of the celebration as watermelon or fireworks. We stopped at a farm stand on the 4th and bought ten ears of corn. Six of them were gone before the sun had set, but I wanted to make sure the remaining ears were put to good use. I have a decade old recipe from Bon Appetit magazine that makes a spicy salad with corn, radishes and jalepenos. It is easy to do and it is a perfect dish to serve with Mexican or Southwestern food. Those last ears of corn were destined to become this lovely summer salad. While it can be made a day ahead of serving, the radishes will bleed and change the color of the salad if it sits that long. I skirt the issue by combining all the ingredients, except the radishes, the day before I need the salad. I add the radishes to the mix about an hour before I plan to serve it. That gives me the flavor of a long marinade and the color and crispness of fresh radishes. Cut the radishes as thinly as you can, A mandolin is ideal for this task, but to be honest I use a paring knife. It's easier than having to drag out and assemble the mandolin when so little knife work is required. I hope you'll consider this lovely, fresh salad the next time you are planning a Southwestern or Mexican meal. It is very nice. Here's the recipe.

Corn and Radish Salad with Jalapenos and Lime...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients:
4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 4 ears)
3/4 cup thinly sliced radishes
6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3-1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalepeño chilies

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving. Yield: 6 servings

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Corn and Edamame Succotash - One Perfect Bite
Corn Salad with Edamame and Tomatoes - One Perfect Bite
Watermelon, Black Bean and Corn Salsa - One Perfect Bite
Grilled Corn Salad - Simply Recipes
Mark Bittman's Pan Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad - Champaign Taste
Fresh Sweet Corn Salad - Bake Space

Strawberry Salsa

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We had a lovely dinner last evening. Bob grilled steaks that had been rubbed with Southwestern-style seasonings and I garnished them with a strawberry salsa that was served in a small Haas avocado half. This salsa is one of my favorite summer condiments. The recipe for it appeared in Gourmet magazine over a decade ago and everyone who has tasted it really loves it. While it's a wonderful garnish, it is also great served in quantity with warm corn tortilla chips for scooping. This is one of those rare strawberry dishes that is better made with ripe but unmistakably firm berries. Field berries exude too much liquid and lack the firmness required to scoop the salsa from the bowl. While you won't hear me say it often, the berries in the supermarket are perfect for this dish. The salsa requires five ingredients and can be prepared in about 30 minutes. It can be made several hours before you plan to serve it, but the berries will begin to break down in they sit too much longer than that. I've kept the heat in the recipe at a moderate level, but if you like a fiery salsa simply add more chilies. Here's the recipe.

Strawberry Salsa...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
2 fresh jalapeño chilies, finely chopped
2 cups finely chopped strawberries
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
Combine chilies, strawberries, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix gently to combine. Salsa can be made several hours before serving and chilled. Yield: 3 cups.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Watermelon, Black Bean and Corn Salsa - One Perfect Bite
Blueberry Salsa - One Perfect Bite
Mango Salsa with Red Bell Pepper - Kalyn's Kitchen
Fresh Tomatilla Salsa - Pinch My Salt
Salsa Verde - Half Assed Kitchen
Pomegranate Salsa - Family Style Food

Lemon Anise Churros

Photo Courtesy of Nicki Dowey

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When a chef whose specialty is Southwestern cooking, adds Asian spices to pâte à choux, the end result is a churro with attitude. In its simplest form, a churro is a cylindrical piece of fried dough. It was developed by Spanish shepherds centuries ago and it got its name because it resembled the horns of the Churro sheep they tended. The original churro was the size of a breadstick and was usually eaten for breakfast. The churro escaped its borders during the Age of Discovery and can now be found on tables in many parts of the world. Chef David Walzog added ground star anise and lemon zest to the churros he made during his tenure in the kitchen at Arizona 206. They are delicious and easy to make, but they are not with out pitfalls. The churro must be well-drained, but still warm when it receives its sugar coating, and it must be served immediately after that's been done. These wait for no man or woman. You've been warned. You'll see what happens when I don't follow my own advice at the bottom this post. Having shared that with you, I'd like it to remain our little secret. If you have never had a churro, I hope you will give this recipe a try. If you've had them before, I hope you'll give this version a try. The star anise and lemon zest make these really special. Here's the recipe.

Lemon Anise Churros...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by David Walzog

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 stick (4-oz.) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons ground star anise
Grated zest of 1 lemon
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions:
1) Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl
2) Combine water, butter, anise and lemon zest in a 3-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add flour, all at once, and cook, beating constantly until flour forms a ball and films bottom of pan. Remove pan from heat.
3) Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated and mixture is smooth and shiny.
4) Combine granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar in a plastic bag and set aside.
5) Spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a medium-sized star tip.
6) Heat 3-inch of oil in a deep pan until it reaches 375 degrees F.
7) Pipe batter into oil in 5 to 6-inch lengths. Do not crowd pan. Fry until golden brown, about three minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper toweling. Continue frying until all batter has been used.
8) Drop warm churros into bag of sugar and shake to generously coat. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings

You might also enjoy these recipes:
French Quarter Beignets - One Perfect Bite
Zeppole - One Perfect Bite
Calas Sweet Rice Fritters - One Perfect Bite
Recipe of the Day: Churros - Mark Bittman
Churros con Chocolate - Baking Bites