Salsa

INGREDIENTS:

• 24 pounds tomatoes
• 1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 16 jalapeno chile peppers
• 2 medium heads garlic
• 6 large green bell peppers, chopped
• 6 large onions, chopped
• 9 tablespoons salt
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water

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DIRECTIONS:

Core and peel the tomatoes. Remove the tomato seeds and pulp. Put seeds and pulp through a food mill. Chop the outsides of the tomatoes
1. In a large pot over low heat, boil the milled liquid and tomato paste for 1 hour, or until the liquid is reduced by 1/3.
2. In a blender or food processor, puree cilantro, jalapeno, garlic and 1/2 cup of the tomato liquid from the large pot. Slowly stir this mixture into the pot.
3. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil while mixing in the green peppers, onions, chopped tomatoes, salt, vinegar and brown sugar. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pot. Stirring continually, boil the mixture until all the vegetable are soft -- about 30 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool, and place it in sterile containers.

Texas New Potato Salad with Grilled Red Onions

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 pounds small red potatoes
• 1 red onion, peeled and cut into thick slices
• 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
• 8 Cumin Seeds
• 1 tablespoon Oregano Leaves
• 2 serrano or jalapeno chiles, minced
• 3 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, and coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, thick stems discarded, and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook potatoes in boiling water 20-25 minutes, or until tender. Drain and cool to room temperature. Quarter the potatoes and set aside.
2. Grill the onion slices over high heat until lightly caramelized.
3. In a hot, dry skillet, toast the coriander and cumin seeds until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add oregano and lightly toast for about 20 seconds, watching for burning. Remove spices from skillet immediately.
4. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and lightly toss.

Mexican Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
• 1 cup whole kernel corn
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Place cooked chicken, kidney beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, red and green bell peppers, chiles, broth and cumin in a large pot over medium heat. Simmer 45 minutes.

Chili Colorado

INGREDIENTS:

• 9 New Mexico dry chiles - washed, with stems and seeds removed
• 3 cups water
• 5 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups beef stock or water

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Place chiles and 3 cups water into a medium stockpot, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and steep for 30 minutes to soften. Strain into a bowl, reserving the cooking liquid. Place the chiles and some of the liquid into a blender, and puree until smooth. Add more liquid as necessary to form a smooth sauce. Pass sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds and the tough skins; set aside.
2. Cut the roast into 1 to 2 inch chunks. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the beef chunks in the seasoned flour; set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add beef chunks a few at a time, so as not to overcrowd the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Remove cooked meat, and continue browning remaining meat. Return reserved cooked meat to the pot. Stir in pureed chile mixture. Add beef stock to just cover beef chunks, or to personal preference. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to lowest setting, and simmer for 3 hours, or until meat is tender. If necessary, adjust with more stock during cooking.

Note:

Serve with chopped onion, sliced green onion, shredded cheddar cheese, and sour cream.

Wasabi Chili

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3/4 pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark beer
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon wasabi paste
• 3 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans
• 2 Anaheim chile peppers, chopped
• 1 serrano pepper, chopped
• 1 habanero pepper, sliced

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Place 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot and place the pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the onions, garlic, beef and sausage until meats are browned. Pour in the tomatoes, beer, coffee, tomato paste and broth. Season with chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, cayenne, coriander, salt and wasabi. Stir in one can of beans, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat remaining oil. Cook Anaheim, serrano and habanero peppers in oil until just tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir into the pot and simmer 2 hours.
3. Stir in remaining 2 cans of beans and cook 45 minutes more.

Taco Salad

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1/2 (14.5 ounce) package nacho-flavor tortilla chips
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1/2 cup ranch-style salad dressing
• chopped tomato
• chopped lettuce
• chopped green onion

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Place ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring to crumble until well done; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix. Set aside to cool.
2. Place chips into a large bowl, and crush into bite-size pieces. Combine with seasoned meat, cheese, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, and green onions. Pour dressing over all, and toss to coat.

Black Beans con Jalapeno

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (15 ounce) can white hominy, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup diced white onion
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 cup diced green onions with tops
• 1/4 cup seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper
• 1 (24 ounce) jar picante sauce
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

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DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, gently stir together the hominy, black beans, onion, green and red peppers, green onion, jalapeno, picante sauce, cumin, salt, sugar and cilantro. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving. Serve with tortilla chips on a bed of lettuce.

Margaritas on the Rocks

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups sweet and sour mix
• 1 cup triple sec
• 1 1/2 cups gold tequila
• 1/3 cup brandy-based orange liqueur (Grand Marnier®)
• 2 limes, quartered

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Salt the rims of 8 glasses. To do so, pour salt onto a small plate, rub the rims of the glasses with lime, and press them into the salt. Fill the glasses with ice.
2. In a blender, combine sweet and sour mix, triple sec, tequila and Grand Marnier. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses, squeeze a quarter lime into each glass, and serve.

Enchiladas Verdes

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 bone-in chicken breast halves
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed
• 5 serrano peppers
• 1/4 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 pinch salt
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

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DIRECTIONS:

1. In a saucepan, combine chicken breast with chicken broth, one quarter onion, a clove of garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, and then boil for 20 minutes. Reserve broth, set chicken aside to cool, and discard onion and garlic. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your hands.
2. Place tomatillos and serrano chiles in a pot with water, enough to cover them. Bring to boil, and continue boiling until tomatillos turn a different shade of green (from bright green to a dull, army green). Strain tomatillos and chiles, and place in a blender with another quarter piece of onion, 1 clove garlic, and a pinch of salt. Pour in reserved chicken broth, so that liquid just covers the veggies in the blender by about an inch. Blend all ingredients until they are completely pureed. Pour salsa in a medium saucepan, and bring to a low boil.
3. Pour oil in a frying pan, and allow to get very hot. Slightly fry tortillas one by one in hot oil, setting each on a paper towel afterwards to soak some of the oil. Finally, dip slightly fried tortillas in low-boiling green salsa, until tortillas become soft again. Place on plates, 3 per person.
4. Fill or top tortillas with shredded chicken, then extra green sauce. Top with crumbled cheese, chopped onion, and chopped cilantro.

Spicy Bean Salsa

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

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DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, combine black-eyed peas, black beans, corn, onion, green bell pepper, jalapeno peppers and tomatoes. Season with Italian-style salad dressing and garlic salt; mix well. Cover, and refrigerate overnight to blend flavors.