Tag Archives: jalapeno recipes

Guacamole Days

It’s been a long winter here in the northeast which has moved into a pretty cold spring, but never the less summer is heading our way. Each year I select a weekend in May, usually two weeks before memorial day, which is designated the kickoff of the summer season, regardless of temperature. The deck furniture and accessories are out, the pool is just open and it’s time to dine out of doors. As I invite my guests the first question after accepting the invitation is : what are you making ? The second question is : are you making guacamole? I don’t know what it is about summer and guacamole but it’s the perfect starter for sitting on the deck watching the boats go by and sipping a lovely cocktail.
From by the bay wishing you great food memories!
Maryann
blog guacamole1

 

Here are a few quick tips for making the perfect guacamole:
1. Make it Ripe! Always use ripe avocados, I prefer  Haas. When selecting your avocado it is important that they are ripe, so that you can mash them easily. When you select your avocado test it for ripeness by squeezing the bulbous end of the avocado to make sure it yields to the touch. When you cut the avocado, do so length wise. The pit will be on one side, Take the point of the knife and place into the pit carefully. The pit should pull out of a ripe avocado easily. Once you discard the pit, scoop out the flesh with with a spoon into a bowl.
2. Make it Green! As soon as you put the avocado into the bowl, squeeze lime juice onto the avocado flesh, it will prevent the avocado from turning brown.
3. Make it Chunky! I prefer guacamole with some texture so when mashing your avocado along with your ingredients don’t over do it. I like to use a fork for mashing.
4. Make it Last Minute! Make you’re guacamole close to when you are planning to serve. I am a big fan of making things in advance so that I can enjoy my guests but in this case you’ll forfeit the freshness and great color by preparing before guests arrive. Many times to make it quick and efficient , I have a bowl of all the ingredients prepared in advance except the avocado. When it’s time to eat , I just cut the avocado, scoop into the bowl, mix and serve.
A word about the ingredients:
I have a quick rule of thumb , 1 avocado per every 2 people and 1 lime per avocado
I start with a basic recipe. This recipe is cool and refreshing and works well for children and adults who don’t like the heat of the jalapeno pepper. I use this recipe also as a base to create different variations. My basic recipe is for 6 and makes about 3 cups :
3 Haas avocados, ripe
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
In a medium bowl add the lime juice and sea salt , let the salt dissolve. Cut and remove flesh from avocado and place into bowl with lime juice /salt along with scallions and mash with fork. Add ingredients listed below depending on the version you are making and mix well. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Make it Classic:
To the base recipe add 1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, chopped.
Make it Red:
To the base recipe add 1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, chopped and 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomato
Make it Greek:
Make the base recipe but replace the cilantro with chopped mint and add 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese.
Make it Blue:
Make the base recipe but instead of cilantro add 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese.
Hope you enjoy your guacamole days!

jalapeno fun!

I love spicy food – therefore , I have a burning love for jalapeno peppers. I like to figure out new ways to use these peppers and I am sharing three today! First up, I mixed my Greek background along with my love for jalapeno peppers to create jalapeno hummus. It has subtle heat and is delicious. You can add dish to start any menu. I serve this hummus with either corn chips or pita chips. Next up are my southern biscuits kicked up with cheddar and jalapeno. This is a perfect basic biscuit recipe that is easy to make and very easy to get creative with. Last up or jalapeno rounds dredged in corn meal and fried. I always keep a jar of jalapeno rings in my pantry. These rings fried up make a perfect appetizer for any one with a burning love. They are also great used to kick up the taste of your favorite burger or sandwich. I suggest you work on trying all three of these recipes soon.

From by the bay wishing you the hottest food memories!
Maryann
blog jalapeno hummus better
Jalapeno Hummus
15.5 ounces Chick Peas / Garbanzos , drained and rinsed
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Serve cold or room temperature with corn chips or pita chips.
blog jalapeno biscuits
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chopped jalapeno pepper, seeded
1/4 cup shortening
1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup whole milk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Next mix into the bowl the grated cheese and jalapeno. Slowly stir in the milk until you have a dough that can be kneaded in your hands. If you need more milk add a tablespoon at a time until the dough is formed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times. Roll dough out to a half-inch thickness and cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter. I use a 2 inch round. Place biscuits on a ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Jalapeno Rounds
6 ounces jalapeno rings from a jar
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup canola oil
Heat oil in a medium size frying pan. Place cornmeal on a plate and dip each ring all over in the cornmeal. Place rings into the hot oil and fry quickly and turn while frying, no more than a minute is needed to brown the rings. Place onto paper towel to drain. Serve immediately.

Barbecue Chicken Breasts with Fresh Peach and Jalapeno Sauce

blog jalapeno peach bbq
Barbecue Chicken Breasts with Fresh Peach and Jalapeno Sauce
Serves 6
6 Chicken Breasts, bone in and skin
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 2 limes
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
 1 recipe of Fresh Peach and Jalapeno Barbecue Sauce
Directions
Place all ingredients except barbecue sauce into a resealable plastic bag and marinate the chicken for several hours  before cooking. Preheat oven to 325F and empty contents of plastic bag into baking dish with chicken breast skin side up. Bake for 1 hour. Heat grill and using approximately 3/4 of the barbecue sauce brush generously the skin side of the breasts and place skin side down onto the grill. Brush the back of the breasts, now with sauce. Cook until skin begins to char on each side. Remove and serve warm with remaining barbecue sauce on the side, reheated and warm.
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Fresh Peach and Jalapeno Barbecue Sauce
2 1/2 cups fresh peaches, stoned and chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup peach preserves
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon jalapeno chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Place on ingredients into a medium sauce pan and place onto a medium heat. Stir ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool and blend in a food processor. Place in a jar until ready to use . Barbecue sauce will last 3 days

Fresh Peach and Jalapeno Barbecue Sauce

Who doesn’t love a good peach? The summer peach season always seems too short. Right now is when you can find wonderful ripe peaches. Have you ever gone produce shopping and found yourself just carried away with the look and scent of some fruits and vegetables? This happened to me last week, when I was shopping and returned home with a few pounds of peaches. There I was in the kitchen wondering to myself what to do with my purchase. The answer was to create a peach themed meal. I started with a fresh peach and jalapeno barbecue sauce that I used with chicken. The barbecue sauce has a lovely clean taste with just a hint of sweetness with a slight bit of  heat from the jalapeno. The sauce was perfect in combination with chicken on the grill. I proceeded to end the meal with a beautiful peach almond crostata. The crostata uses almond flour which really compliments the sweetness of the peaches and makes for a lighter and slightly softer crust. Both recipes are fresh, sweet and delicious. I suggest buying some peaches this weekend and giving these recipes a try, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them as much as I did.

From by the bay wishing you the peachiest food memories!
Maryann

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blog jalapeno peach bbq

Fresh Peach and Jalapeno Barbecue Sauce
2 1/2 cups fresh peaches, stoned and chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup peach preserves
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon jalapeno chopped 
1 tablespoon lime juice 
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Place on ingredients into a medium sauce pan and place onto a medium heat. Stir ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool and blend in a food processor. Place in a jar until ready to use . Barbecue sauce will last 3 days

Date, Artichoke and Jalapeno Pizza

blog jalapeno pizza
It’s the time of year to start moving activities outdoors. Setting up my outdoor space reminds of the wonderful time I spent in Napa Valley. So naturally, I decided to relive my wonderful memories of the wine country by making a pizza with some favorite Napa ingredients: baby artichokes, dates and jalapeno peppers. The result is this zesty pizza , which balances both sweet and salty with a touch of heat. The artichokes definitely add to the taste of Spring. I’ve also added the recipe for Nancy Silverton’s pizza dough from “The Mozza Cookbook”.  She worked on a recipe that works for home ovens and I find this is the recipe I use over and over again with great results. It was developed with bread baking technique’s developing a sponge to ferment before adding the remaining ingredients. The result is a delicious crispy crust.From by the bay wishing you zesty pizza food memories!
Maryann
Date, Artichoke and Jalapeno Pizza
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 portion pizza dough
4 medjool dates
4 artichoke hearts, canned in water or freshly steamed
1 jalapeno
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces asiago cheese, in thin slices
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 portion fresh pizza dough
Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Spray pizza pan with olive oil. Prepare toppings. Heat oil and saute onions until they start to caramelize. Remove from heat and set aside. Slice jalapeno into thin rounds about 1/8 inch thick. Cut each artichoke in half. Pull dates apart into 3 pieces. Roll out pizza dough into a 17” round to fit pizza pan and transfer dough to pan. Layer pizza with asiago cheese, onions, artichokes, dates and jalapeno rounds. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Let rest 20 minutes. Place pizza in oven and make pizza on center rack until the crust is crisp and brown on bottom and the cheese is melted on top, about 10 minutes. Cut pizza into 8 slices.
Nancy Silverton’s Pizza Dough Recipe 
 
Makes enough dough for 6 pizzas; each pizza serves 1 or for 2 large pizzas
 
Ingredients
22 ounces warm tap water (2 cups, 6 ounces)
1⁄2 ounce (1 Tbsp) compressed yeast or 1 tsp active dry yeast
26 ounces unbleached bread flour, plus more as needed
1⁄2 ounce (1 Tbsp) dark rye flour or medium rye flour
1 1⁄2 tsp wheat germ
1 1⁄2 tsp barley malt or mild-flavored honey, such as clover or wildflower
1⁄2 ounce (1 Tbsp) kosher salt
Olive oil, grapeseed oil, or another neutral flavored oil, such as canola oil, for greasing the bowl
Directions
To make the sponge, put 15 ounces of the water and the yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer and let it sit for a few minutes to dissolve the yeast. Add 13 ounces of the bread flour, the rye flour, and the wheat germ. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients. Wrap the bowl tightly in plastic wrap and tightly wrap the perimeter of the bowl with kitchen twine or another piece of plastic wrap to further seal the bowl. Set the dough aside at room temperature (ideally 68 to 70 degrees) for 1 1⁄2 hours.
Uncover the bowl and add the remaining 7 ounces of water, the remaining 13 ounces of bread flour, and the barley malt. Fit the mixer with a dough hook, place the bowl on the mixer stand, and mix the dough on low speed for 2 minutes. Add the salt and mix on medium speed for 6 to 8 minutes, until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Note that the dough will not pull so much that it completely cleans the bowl, but if the dough is too sticky and is not pulling away from the sides at all, throw a small handful of flour into the bowl to make it less sticky. While the dough is mixing, lightly grease with olive oil a bowl large enough to hold the dough when it doubles in size. Turn the dough out of the mixer into the oiled bowl. Wrap the bowl as before. Set the dough aside at room temperature for 45 minutes. Dust your work surface lightly with flour and turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Acting as if the round has four sides, fold the edges of the dough toward the center. Turn the dough over and return it, folded side down, to the bowl. Cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and set it aside for 45 minutes.
Dust your work surface again lightly with flour and turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Divide the dough into six equal segments, each weighing approximately 7 ounces. Gently tuck the edges of each round of dough under itself. Cover the dough rounds with a clean dishtowel and let them rest for 5 minutes.
Lightly flour your hands and use both hands to gather each round of dough into a taut ball. Dust a baking sheet generously with flour and place the dough rounds on the baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with the dishtowel and set them again at room temperature for 1 hour to proof the dough. (Or leave the dough on the counter to proof instead.)
Excerpted from The Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton with Matt Molina and Carolynn Carreno. Copyright © 2011 by Nancy Silverton. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.