Yucatan shrimp

Yucatan shrimp with red rice and guacamole

Yucatan shrimp
I love the flavors of  sambal oelek and  sriracha. 
These are both fiery hot sauces, but used in moderation, they add amazing flavors, to a dish.
I found this recipe at N.Y. Times ,that either of these sauces are great in.
But combine it with red rice and guacamole, Wow, each perfectly compliments, the other. I like to drizzle any leftover sauce, over the top of it, but this really kicks up the heat. If you don't mind the heat, you could add even more hot sauce. Quick and easy.

Ingredients:
1/4cup real butter
1Tbl. minced garlic
2lbs. raw peeled shrimp
juice of two limes
2Tbl. sambal oelek or sriracha
1/2tsp. salt
1/4tsp. pepper
1tsp. dried, or 1Tbl. fresh chopped cilantro

Melt the butter, in a saucepan, stir in the garlic.Cook, stirring 2-minutes.
Add the lime juice and sriracha, salt and pepper.Turn off the heat, and let stand, while making the shrimp.
Add the shrimp, to a pot of boiling water, with a tsp. of salt, added to it. Cook until the shrimp turn bright pink.
Quickly drain the shrimp. Add them to the sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro and toss. Serve.

African- hot sauce

            African hot sauce: from the Congo cookbook. I love this sauce!
Makes 1/4-cup:
3 red ripe hot peppers- diced ( I used jalapeno)
An equal amount of green bell pepper- diced
1/2tsp. minced garlic
1/2 of a small onion-diced
2Tbl. tomato paste or ketchup
1Tbl. vinegar
1/4tsp. sugar
 1/4tp. salt
Either grind or use a blender, to puree. Simmer for a few minutes in a saucepan, to remove the raw flavor. Refrigerate before using. I love this sauce, it's good uncooked too.

Piri Piri Chicken

                        Piri Piri Chicken with Roasted lemon potatoes


Pan grilled chicken and sweet peppers, simmered in a mildly hot, Portuguese-African sauce. I love this, quick and easy too. I've done a bit of research on this dish, and have been altering my original recipe, which, in turn, was altered from one of Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals. It has a much deeper flavor now. I'm removing the old post.

Piri is Swahili for pepper, particularly, the African birds eye chili. It is said that this dish originated in Mozambique. The peppers were believed to have been brought to Africa, by Portuguese settlers.  It always seems, the most complex sauces come from combining cultures, no matter what part of the world it happens. Such as the The Caribbean, Mexico, the Louisiana bayou, just to name a few. Many of my favorite dishes derive from these cross cultures.

I've made this using green bell peppers, it was almost as good, but the sweetness of ripe bell peppers really compliments the sauce. I think I'm also going to try: Grilling the chicken outdoors, then basting on sauce, like BBQ sauce. I let you know how it turns out.

Ingredients:
1tsp.-plus-1tbl. oil
boneless, chicken breast-thawed and flattened between two pieces of plastic-this sauce is enough for eight
1-to-3 Ripe bell peppers- julienne sliced (I use 1red,1yellow and 1orange, for a 3lb. bag of chicken breast.)
1/4 cup water

For the Piri Piri Sauce:
1 onion-diced
1Tbl. minced garlic
1/2tsp. pureed ginger
2 bird chili peppers- broken
2 red, ripe jalapenos-seeded and diced
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
1/4cup white wine vinegar
1Tbl.Worcestershire sauce
1/4cup water
1Tbl. dried basil
1/2tsp dried cilantro
1/2tsp dried thyme
1/2tsp. salt
1/4tsp. tarragon
1/2 of a bay leaf

Preparation:
Puree the sauce ingredients in a blender, until smooth.
Heat the tsp.of oil in a skillet. Saute the peppers until crisp-tender, remove the peppers from the skillet.
Add another Tbl. oil to the skillet, and turn the burner to a high flame.
Brown the chicken on both sides, cooking until the chicken is cooked through and lightly browned. Most of the browning occurs at the end of cooking.
Add the 1/4 of water to the hot pan, to de-glaze the bottom of the pan. This adds more flavor to the dish.
Add the peppers back to the pan, along with the sauce.
Simmer about 3-5 minutes, to allow the chicken to absorb the sauce. Serve hot.

                                        Puree the sauce ingredients.

                         Saute the peppers until they are crisp-tender.

     Pan grill the chicken until it is cooked through, and lightly browned.

De-glaze the pan with 1/4cup water. Add the peppers, chicken and sauce. Simmer for 3-5 minutes. Serve hot.

Indian-Hot Spicy Lamb

                  Hot Spicy Lamb with Naan Bread. My favorite Indian Dish
I rarely cook lamb, and this rich and spicy Indian dish, is usually the only way I make it. It's great with plain rice and Naan bread.
This recipe, as written, was a little confusing, so I have separated it to make it easier to understand.
It's been a while since I made this dish, so I was really shocked, when I had to pay nearly $20.00 for 2 shoulder chops. This is worth it though.

This is very hot, but I imagine you could replace the jalapeno, with 2 bell peppers, and it would probably still taste the same.

Ingredients:
2tbl. oil
2lbs. lamb cut into chunks
1/2Tbl. garam masala -or-  homemade-garam masala
2 large onions- large diced

For the first sauce:
2/3cup yogurt
3tbl. tomato paste
1/2tsp. pureed ginger
1tsp. minced garlic
1-1/2tsp. salt
2tsp. cayenne
1Tbl. ground coriander
2tsp. nutmeg
1/2Tbl. Garam Masala

Second Sauce:
1Tbl. ground fennel
1Tbl. paprika
3 bay leaves
3-1/4cupswater
12 jalapenos- large diced
1Tbl. gram flour -or- Homemade-gram flour

Thickener:
1Tbl flour
2Tbl. warm water


Preparation:
In separate bowls, mix the first and second sauces, set aside.
Heat the oil in a skillet, add the lamb and 1/2Tbl.Garam Masala and stir-fry 8-10 minutes.
Remove the lamb from the pan. set aside.
Add the onions to the skillet and fry until browned.
Add the Lamb back to the pan, reduce the heat to a simmer.


Add the first sauce to the skillet, stir-frying about 5 minutes.
Add the second sauce ingredients to the skillet
Cover and simmer on a very low flame about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens.

Mix the thickener ingredients together and stir it into the skillet, mixing well.
Cook a few minutes longer to thicken the sauce to a gravy-like consistency.Serve.

Thai Coconut Chicken Curry

                                  Thai coconut chicken curry- with zucchini
 I found another use for the mountain of zucchini Paul has been harvesting

My husband introduced me to this dish.
Paul takes great pride in creating food that's too hot for anyone else to eat.
You should see the devilish grin he gets, like a proud Papa.
In his search to inflict culinary agony, He occasionally discovers something, even my less developed palate can handle.
I love the complex combination of spices in green curry paste: chilies, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, curry leaves and Kaffir lime leaves.
I'm posting the recipe as I usually make it (minus the zucchini)
This is only mildly hot, great dish. Fast and easy too.

Ingredients:
14oz. can of coconut milk
4Tbl. green curry paste
3-4 boneless chicken breast- cut into bite sized pieces
4Tbl. fish sauce
2Tbl. brown sugar
1/2 cup chicken broth with 1tbl. cornstarch dissolved in it
4-6 cups cooked rice-jasmine rice is best.
1 cup frozen peas
a can of bamboo shoots- drained

Preparation:
In a 4quart pan, add the coconut milk and curry paste. Simmer 5 minutes.
Stir in all other ingredients, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Mix the rice into the curry and serve.

You can find coconut milk, green curry paste, and fish sauce in the Asian section of your grocer.

Firecracker sesame chicken and pasta

         Firecracker sesame chicken and pasta-Very close to T.G.I. Friday's.

I usually leave out the chicken and serve this as a super-fast side dish.
I love this Szechuan sauce. I even use it as a dipping sauce for naan bread, shrimp, steak... Sweet and Spicy.
Once I used 2 packages of Ramen noodles (minus the spice packet) in a pinch. Worked great! This is a bit on the hot side, but not ridiculously so.
You could also use a batter for your chicken and fry it first.
(I use the marinade/batter for General Tso's favorite chicken )

Ingredients:
12oz. pasta - such as fettuccine, linguini, udon, lo mein - cooked
1Tbl.oil
5 dried bird clilies
1Tbl. minced garlic
1tsp. pureed ginger
2 boneless chicken breast - cut into bite sized pieces

For the sauce:
1/4cup rice wine
3/4cup sweet chilli sauce-or- Homeade sweet chili sauce
1Tbl.chili garlic sauce -or- Homemade chili garlic sauce
1tsp. Kikkoman soy sauce
1tsp.sesame oil
2Tbl.  sesame seeds

Preparation:
Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Heat the oil in a skillet (very hot) and add the chilies, garlic and ginger.
Stir-fry 10 seconds then add the chicken. Stir-fry until chicken is cooked through.
Add the sauce to the pan and cook,stirring until the sauce thickens.
Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Toss to coat and serve

                         Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Stir-fry the garlic, chilies and ginger for 10 seconds, then add the chicken.

Once the chicken has cooked through, add the sauce. Cook a few minutes more until thickened, then add drained pasta. Toss to coat.

Mojo Grilled Pork Chops

 Mojo Grilled Pork Chops with Black beans and rice and an icy cold Mojito
Possibly the best Cuban dish ever. Definitely my favorite way to cook pork.

Ingredients:
1 boneless porkloin or loin roast - sliced into chops

For the marinade:
juice from 1 orange
juice from 1 lime
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce or 1 ripe hot pepper chopped
1Tbl. minced garlic
1Tbl. honey
1Tbl. oil
1Tbl. minced onion
1/2tsp. salt
1/2tsp. oregano
a pinch of ground cumin
a gallon storage bag

Preparation:
Place the marinade ingredients in a blender and process about 1 minute.
Add the chops and marinade to the storage bag, remove the air and refrigerate overnight.
Grill until cooked through.

You can find chipotles in adobo sauce in the Mexican section of your grocer.

Blend Marinade ingredients for about 1 minute. This can also be heated and thickened with cornstarch to use as a serving sauce for other dishes. Marinate overnight.

                                          Grill until cooked through.

Tex-Mex Cornbread

Tex-Mex Cornbread
Paul makes this from a mix. We all love this one.

Ingredients:
1onion- diced
2 jalapenos- minced
1tsp. minced garlic
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix

Preparation:
Mix cornbread according to box directions.
Add all other ingredients, stir well.
Bake according to box directions.

Paul's Thai Basil Pork Curry With Shrimp Fried Rice

Paul's Thai Basil Pork Curry- Hot!
My husband doesn't cook often, but when he does, it's usually amazing.
He loves Thai food and revised this recipe one day with ingredients he had on hand. Superb.
If you haven't tried Thai basil yet , you really should. Its very mild and has a great flavor.
I plan to grow some in the garden this year.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb pork tenderloin cut into thin slices or strips
1tbl. oil
1tbl. minced garlic
3tbl. green curry paste
2cups water with 3tbl. chicken base dissolved in it
2 tbl fish sauce
2 thinly sliced red jalapeno pepper
1/4cup fresh Thai basil 

Instructions:
In a large, skillet or wok, heat oil.
Add garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Add curry paste and cook for 30 seconds.
Add pork and stir-fry until light browned and the meat juices have evaporated
Add water and bring to a boil. Add fish sauce and jalapenos and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
Stir in basil. Allow basil to wilt a bit. Remove from heat.
Serve with Thai Rice-(recipe below).


Paul's Thai Shrimp Fried Rice- HOT!

Ingredients:
4cups cooked rice    
1cup small shrimp -thawed
3 green onions- sliced
1tbl. garlic- minced
1 egg
2 jalapeno peppers- thinly sliced

STIR-FRY SAUCE:
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. kikkoman soy sauce
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (adjust according to how spicy or mild you want it)
oil for stir-frying

Preparation:.
Mix all stir-fry sauce ingredients together in a cup. Set aside.
Place 2 Tbsp. oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and jalapeno.
Stir-fry to release the fragrance (1 minute). Add the shrimp, and stir-fry another 1-3 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked.
Push the ingredients to the side of the pan and crack in the egg. Quickly stir-fry to scramble.
Add the rice and stir-fry sauce, drizzling it over. Now quickly stir-fry everything together
The heat should be fairly high, high enough so you hear the rice crackling or popping, but not so high that the bottom of your wok will burn.
Gently stir-fry until everything is well mixed (1-2 minutes).
Add the green onion and continue stir-frying another minute.
Remove from heat. Serve.

Cajun Seasoning

Cajun seasoning:

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Stir together salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes until evenly blended. Store in an airtight container.

Pollo Al Chipotle-Chicken With Chipotle Peppers

Pollo Al Chipotle-Chicken With Chipotle Peppers
This is an authentic Mexican dish,  from the Guerrero region.
Spicy and Delicious
1 cut up chicken
Salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic
4 peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1/2 tsp.ground cumin
1/4small onion
1/2cup water
1tbl. oil
2 onions sliced
5 roma tomatoes-thinly sliced
3 chipotles chilies in adobo sauce (found in cans in the Mexican section of your grocers)

Directions:
Lightly salt and pepper the chicken, set aside.
In a blender puree the garlic, peppercorns, cloves, cumin, and onion quarter with 1/4cup of the water.set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet. add the sliced onions and cook for 3 minutes until they are transparent.
Add the puree, and stir and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, when the mix comes to a boil reduce heat to a simmer and cook an additional 5 minutes.
In a blender puree the chillies with the remaining 1/4cup water, then add to the skillet.boil for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken cover and cook over low heat for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Flaming Canoes

                                                        Flaming Canoes

Ingredients
10 Jalapeno peppers
Salt
8oz. cream cheese

These are good with about any meal, but they are a staple with Italian style meatloaf.
Usually jalapenos that you buy at the grocer aren't too terribly hot, but you get one or two with every batch.
Split jalapenos down  middle (in half) and remove seeds
Lay halves cut side up and lightly salt the insides.
Fill each with cream cheese just to the edges.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375* until the cream cheese just begins to brown. serve warm.

Paul's Perfect Salsa Cruda

                                      Salsa Cruda or Fresca
This is so addictive! You can find pretty good roma tomatoes during the winter, so we make this all year long. But, Fresh from the garden, makes the best salsa.

Ingredients:
2cups finely diced roma tomatoes
1-1/2cups finely diced white onion
2/3cup green bell pepper finely diced
1/2cup jalapeno finely diced
1/4cup cayenne finely diced
3-1/2 tbl. chopped garlic
Salt to taste-should taste somewhat salty

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients and chill for at least 1/2 hour. serve with tortilla chips. My family loves this with bugles.
I also like to top my hamburger with this.

Szechuan Beef

                                              Szechuan Beef
Another of my experiments that turned out really well.

2lbs. thin sliced or finely cubed steak (I use round or sirloin)
2-3 stalks celery diced
1 green bell peppers diced
1 bag of frozen chopped broccoli
5 dried bird chillis
3Tbl. minced garlic plus 2 more Tbl. garlic
cooked rice

Sauce ingredients
1/2cup rice vinegar
1/2cup chicken stock or(3tbl.chicken base or bullion dissolved in 1/2cup water)
1/4cup rice wine
1/4cup hoisin sauce
2Tbl. soy sauce (kikkomans)
1Tbl. sesame oil
1/4cup chilli garlic sauce-or- Homemade chili garlic sauce
2Tbl. sugar
1/2tsp. pureed ginger

Preparation:
Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside
Heat wok or skillet, add 1tbl. oil, add 2Tbl.garlic and chillis all at once and toss for 10 seconds, then add beef.
Stir fry until done,(about 5 minutes)put steak in a bowl set aside.
Heat wok again, add 1tbl oil. and 2Tbl.garlic. Add celery, bell pepper and broccoli stir fry until just tender.
When done add the steak and the sauce mixture. Heat through and serve over rice.

                         I used thin sliced sirloin, cut into small cubes

                         Diced vegetables-broccoli, celery, green bell pepper

                                                Stir fry beef -set aside

                                              Stir fry vegetables

                 Add the beef and sauce to the vegetables, simmer 5 minutes

Hot Wings By Chef Ann Mottern

                                   Hot Wings By Chef Ann Mottern
I have tried quite a number of hot wing recipes. I always come back to this one.
4lbs. Cut up chicken wings
Oil for frying
1-bottle sweet mild BBQ sauce
2Tbl. Hot sauce
1/4 cup juice from pickled jalapenos

In a 3qt. pan mix BBQ, hot sauce and jalapeno juice, until well blended.
Fry chicken wings about 5 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.
Drain on paper towel then add them to the warm sauce.
I have found it tastes better if you heat the sauce and allow the wings to stand for about 10-15 minutes. Or even better- make them a day ahead and reheat in the oven or a chaffing dish. Serve alone or with blue cheese or ranch dressing.

                     Whisk together sauce ingredients and heat until very warm.

Fry the wing section 6 or so at a time. Drain on a paper towel and add them to the sauce.

Chili Garlic Sauce

                      Chili Garlic Sauce- One of my favorite condiments.

Chili Garlic Sauce
I found this over at Viet World Kitchen-Blog
This is a staple in my kitchen. And this recipe is perfect. I have always used prepared sauce, in many of my favorite recipes. It's great to finally find, a really good recipe, for homemade. I also add a little water and use it as a dipping sauce for Naan bread. I'll post a photo when the chilies ripen in the garden.


Lili’s Cooked Chili Garlic Sauce

12 red, ripe jalapenos-diced
3Tbl. minced garlic
1-½ tsp. salt
4- 1/2 Tbl. sugar
4- 1/2 Tbl. white vinegar

Add all ingredients to a blender.
Pulse several times to chop, but not puree.
Transfer to a small saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the moisture has evaporated, and you have a thick sauce.
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator. Makes 1/2 cup.

Simmer on the lowest heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens

Sweet Chili Sauce

                   Sweet Chili Sauce. This tastes close to Maggi brand.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2tsp. pureed ginger
1Tbl. minced garlic
3ripe red jalapenos-minced
4Tbl. ketchup
2tsp. cornstarch
Directions:
Pour water and vinegar into a saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in sugar, ginger, garlic, chile pepper, and ketchup; simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in cornstarch. Remove saucepan from stove to cool. Then transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed.