Battle Jalapeno

 

Named for my sister Holly (Holly the Jalapeño), the Jalapeño plant went nuts this year (just like Holly).  Given our excess, battle Jalapeño ensued.  The veggie from our plant was good, but not quite as spicy as a “normal” Jalapeño, so we had to use extra to make our dishes worthy of a Jalapeño dish.  Keep in mind if you make your own. 

 Jalapeno Crostini Trio

1. Jalapeno Cucumber Bruschetta

A refreshing contrast of cool and spicy to play with your palate.  The version we made this evening was only okay, so we modified the recipe below as a marriage of tonight’s appetizer with Aunt Kathie’s famous cucumber tea sandwiches. 

Ingredients:

·         jalapeño, stem and seeds removed

·         cucumber

·         green onion

·         dash of salt

·         freshly ground black pepper

·         white wine vinegar

·         fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

·         cream cheese

·         mini Jewish rye bread slices

·         dill

Directions:

1.    Finely mince jalapeno.  Dice cucumber and green onion into small chunks.  Combine jalapeno, cucumber, and green onion in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in vinegar and cilantro (if using).  Adjust seasonings to taste.  Allow mixture to marinate (in or out of fridge) for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving.

2.    Spread a layer of cream cheese on each slice of bread.  Sprinkle dill and “a little more pepper” on top.  Spoon cucumber mixture onto bread slices and eat

2. Jalapeno Egg Salad

This dish was motivated by an egg salad that I really liked to eat for lunch that I got at Sainsbury’s Grocery store while I lived in London.  It’s a basic egg salad with a few twists (jalapeno, cumin, cilantro, e.g.).  Good to eat on its own or especially good on toasted bread.

Ingredients:

·         1 hard boiled egg (chopped roughly)

o   To hard boil and egg, place uncooked egg in cool water (covering the egg).  Bring water to a boil.  Let the egg boil for approximately 5 minutes.  let the egg sit in the warm water (off the burner) for 10 additional minutes minimum.

·         1 jalapeno minced (seeds/stems removed)

·         1 tbl green onion (1/2 minced, 1/2 chopped)

·         1/4 tsp cumin

·         1/2 tsp cilantro

·         1 tbl mayonnaise

·         1 tbl mustard

·         spritz of lemon juice

·         1 tbl celery chopped

·         salt/pepper to taste

 irections:

1.    mix all the ingredients together except the chopped green onions

2.    let mixture sit in fridge for at least 30 minutes

3.    add the minced green onions

4.    Serve

 3. Jalapeno Raspberry Jam

Ranked #1 of the 3 crostini we made tonight.  When planning the meal, we each came up with the same idea for a fruit and jalapeno jam independently—it was meant to be.  In the end, it reminded us of an appetizer often prepared by Judy (Michelle’s mom) using a Cost-co Jalapeno and Cranberry Sauce.  Like usual, we took something simple and made it more complicated than necessary! 

Ingredients:

·         1 pint fresh or frozen raspberries

·         1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

·         lemon zest

·         1 TBSP sugar

·         1 TBSP finely minced shallot

·         1/2 TBSP finely minced jalapeno (or more, if your jalapeno is relatively mild in spiciness)

·         baguette slices

·         olive oil or non-stick cooking spray

·         goat cheese

Directions:

1. Combine berries, lemon zest and juice, and sugar in a small sauce pan and coarsely mash w/potato masher. Let berries sit at room temp. for 15 minutes to allow the berries to release some of their juice.

2. Stir in shallot and jalapeno. Taste and add additional sweet, spicy, or tart flavors to your liking.

3. Simmer at medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until thickened to desired consistency (it will continue to thicken a bit after you remove from heat).

4. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled. To speed up chilling process, place small bowl inside ice bath in larger bowl until jam is cooled.

5.  Lightly coat bread slices with oil.  Toast lightly in oven or toaster oven.  Remove and allow crostini to return to room temp.  (Alternatively, you can use store bought baguette crisps and skip this step)

6.  Spread a layer of goat cheese onto bread slices.  Spread jam on top and garnish with a fresh slice of jalapeno.

 

Avocado & Blood Orange Salad w/Jalapeno Vinaigrette

 

Always need to be sure we “eat our veggies” as recommended by Aldene (Dennis’ mom).  Besides, Michelle can never resist the opportunity to create a new salad dressing at times like these.  This one turned out even better than initially anticipated and actually made us reminisce back to this summer’s Napa vacation.  We visited an olive oil mill while we were there and tasted a blood orange infused oil that was very similar to this dressing.

 Ingredients:

·         1/2 cup orange juice

·         1 jalapeno

·         1 small shallot, finely minced

·         1/4 tsp. sea salt

·         freshly ground black pepper

·         generous handful of fresh cilantro

·         2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

·         1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

·         salad greens of your choosing

o   we recommend some spicy arugula tempered w/some spinach or other milder mixed greens

·         1/2 cup micro greens (optional)

·         1 avocado, cubed

·         red onion, thinly sliced

·         blood orange, peeled and sliced into wedges (you could also use peaches, a regular orange, or tangerine instead)

·         1/2 cup cooked lentils (optional)

·         crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1.     Simmer orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, to reduce and intensify flavors. Remove from heat and let cool.

2.    Meanwhile, roast jalapeno in the toaster oven until charred on all sides.  Alternatively, you could use the grill or turn in a small saucepan.

3.    Let the jalapeno cool.  Remove the stem and seeds and mince finely. 

4.    In a small blender or food processor, pulse together the reduced juice, seeded jalapeno, shallot, salt, pepper, cilantro, vinegar, and oil. This can be done by hand if you prefer a chunkier dressing. Allow dressing to marinate in the fridge for at least a 1/2 hour, preferably longer before serving.  (Dressing can be made in advance and kept covered in the fridge for up to a week. Keep in mind that it may get a bit stronger in flavor and spice over time).

5.    Assemble the salad and serve.

 Mirin Jalapeno Chicken Noodle Soup

 

 

 

Just a nice chicken noodle soup…but made in (our best efforts to imitate) a Japanese style.  A nice conglomeration of spicy/sweet that Asian cuisine (and Southern) seems to do so well.  Don’t skimp on the bok choy or the ginger and the sesame oil adds a nice nutty element to the dish (although it isn’t vital if you don’t have any).  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

·         1 shallot, minced

·         1 chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized chunks

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 1/2 tsp. ginger, minced

·         sesame oil

·         2 jalapenos, thinly sliced

·         2 green onions, chopped

·         soy sauce

·         rice vinegar

·         2 baby bok choy, chopped

·         noodles (spaghetti or angel hair)

·         1 carrot, chopped

·         mirin

·         1/2 onion, chopped

·         1 tbl. white wine

Directions:

1.    Heat sesame oil in the bottom of your soup pot (enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan)

2.    Add the garlic, shallot, and ginger and cook until lightly brown.

5.    De-glaze the pot with white wine and 1 tsp of rice wine vinegar and let cook down slightly.

6.    Add chicken and cook until the outside whitens but do not cook all the way through.

7.    Add:

a.   Chicken Broth

b.   1 tbl. mirin

c.    2 tbl. soy sauce

d.   1 tsp. rice wine vinegar

e.   carrots

f.     jalapenos

g.    green onions

h.   bok choy stalks

8.    Let this mixture simmer for approx. 5-10 minutes. and then add onion

9.    Let the mixture simmer for an additional 5 minutes and then add bok choy leaves and the noodles.

10. Add more soy sauce, mirin, salt, pepper as needed for personal tastes.

11. Let simmer until noodles are cooked.

Zippy Buttermilk Ranch Dipping Sauce (or dressing)

We used this as a dip for our En Brochette recipe (see below), but it would be excellent atop a simple greens salad as well. A bit spiciness plays nicely with the creamy elements typically found in Ranch dressing.

Ingredients:

·         6 oz. cup plain Greek yogurt

·         1 Tablespoon mayo

·         2 Tablespoons sour cream

·         Juice of 1/2 lime + zest

·         1 Tablespoon diced shallot

·         Small handful cilantro, chopped

·         1-2 jalapenos, seeds and stem removed, chopped

·         dash of salt

·         generous amount of fresh ground black pepper

·         1 clove garlic, chopped

·         1/4 buttermilk (optional)

 

Directions:

1.    Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend for 10 seconds.

2.    Adjust seasonings to taste.  Check consistency and blend in additional buttermilk if desired. (Use less buttermilk for dipping, more for dressing),

3.    Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (preferably longer) before serving.

 

Jalapeno Steak En Brochettes

 

Thanks to Jeff Hepperman (best friend of Michelle’s dad), we’ve been treated summer after summer to Cajun style En Brochettes grilled during houseboat vacations (when there’s propane actually in the tank!). They’re usually snatched up off the plate as quick as Jeff can make them. We didn’t want Dennis to die of an allergic reaction to the shrimp, so we modified the Hepperman recipe to include steak rather than shrimp. We struggled a bit to keep the cheese from melting and falling off the skewers; to prevent this, you might try freezing the cubes first, so they are extra cold to withstand the heat?  Another option might be pre-grilling the steak? 

 

STEAK PREPARATION

Ingredients:

·         Skirt Steak

·         olive oil, 1/8 cup

·         shallots minced, 1 TBSP

·         garlic minced, 1 1/2 tsp

·         red wine vinegar, 1 1/2 TBSP

·         mustard, 1 tsp

·         salt/pepper

 Directions:

1.    Combine all the ingredients in a freezer Ziploc bag

2.    Close bag

3.    Shake bag to combine ingredients

4.    Lightly salt the skirt steak

5.    Open bag

6.    Put steak in the bag

7.    Close bag

8.    Mix steak/marinade together

9.    OPTIONAL: Put bag in pot of simmering water for 1-2 minutes.

10. Let bag sit in fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.

KEBAB PREPARATION

Ingredients:

·         marinated skirt steak, sliced into bite-sized chunks

·         jalapenos

·         onion

·         cheddar cheese, cubed

 Directions:

1.    Place cheese cubes in the freezer for about 20 minutes?  (Disclosure: this is only a guess, since we did not do it; 20 minutes may be too long if the cheese hardens to much and makes it impossible to slide onto the skewers)

2.    String ingredients onto kebab skewers or toothpicks in the following order: jalapeno, onion, steak, cheese cube, jalapeno. Make sure the inner fleshes of the jalapenos on either side are facing inward to create a cup like seal.

3.    Grill over medium heat until edges begin to char.

Jalapeno Brownies topped

w/Ice Cream & Candied Jalapenos

No pictures this time.  Guess we were too busy eating!  Turned out to be a unique sweet/spicy finish to a tasty meal. We wished we had a bit more kick in ours and hopefully adjusted accordingly in the recipe below.  We’d recommend tasting the brownie batter (and risking salmonella—the things we do for good food) to make a game day decision about whether you need to add a pinch cayenne or additional jalapeno. You can always make up for it by candy-ing extra jalapenos for the topping.

Ingredients:

·         1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder

·         11 ounces dark chocolate

·         1/3 stick unsalted butter

·         1/2 cup (4 oz) unsweetened applesauce

·         3 teaspoons ground espresso or strong coffee grounds

·         1/4 cup sugar (or more, if you like sweeter desserts)

·         4 eggs

·         4 large jalapeños, minced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease your baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and cocoa.

3. Melt the chocolate, butter, applesauce, and espresso powder in a large bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (double boiler system). Turn off the heat, and stir in the sugar. Whisk until completely combined.  Remove from heat and allow mixture to return to room temperature.

4.  Stir in eggs and whisk until combined.  Be careful not to over-mix as brownies will become cakey.

5. Combine wet ingredients with flour mixture using a spatula or large spoon.  Fold in jalapenos.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Use the trusty toothpick method to make sure they’re done. 

7. Let brownie cool and cut. Top with chocolate ice cream and candied jalapenos (recipe to follow).

Candied Jalapenos

Ingredients:

·         water

·         sugar

·         jalapeno, sliced into coin shapes

 

Directions:

1.    Add equal parts water and sugar to a sauté pan

2.    Heat, but do not bring to a boil

3.    Add jalapenos to the water/sugar solution and let sit for 2-3 minutes

4.    Take out jalapenos and let them cool for 2-3 minutes

5.    Repeat steps 3-4 two more times.

6.    Let cool before serving