Dips, Salsa, and Relishes

Mango-Jicama Slaw

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Mango-Jicama Slaw

Jicama salads are just plain good. Jicama is an awesome texture element providing great crunch without having any overpowering flavor. This is just one of thousands of variations of Jicama salad and feel free to add whatever you fancy to it to meet your personal tastes. I also like it with carrots, radicchio, or avocado. I went for the simple version on Cinco de Mayo because I already was making guacamole, black bean corn salsa and pico. Clearly, that is just not enough food, so was forced to add this slaw to the mix (or maybe I desperately needed to use up some leftover mango and Jicama). This is great as a topping for tacos or enchiladas, grilled fish/chicken/meat, or simply eaten on its own. To me the crunchy Jicama is is the yin to the soft, sweet, juicy mango’s yang.

Mango-Jicama Slaw

Serves Four to Six

One to two Mangoes, diced
One half to one whole Jicama, sliced into thin straws or diced
Three tablespoons red onion or shallot, finely shaved or diced
Two cups Cilantro
Lemon Juice (from one lemon)
One-half tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
Pinch of Salt

Combine Mango, Onion, Cilantro and Jicama in a serving bowl. In a small bowl mix together salt, vinegar, and lemon juice. Pour over fruit mixture and stir well to combine.

Simple Black Bean-Corn Salsa

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Simple Black Bean-Corn Salsa

It’s easy. It’s healthy. It’s Tasty. It’s versatile. I always serve some variation of this with enchiladas (as we know from my previous post that includes garlic, avocado and tomato). Lately, my favorite application for this summertime delight is to throw it into Mexican Quinoa (recipe coming soon). It would also be a great topping for a mexicanesque or southwest style soup.

Black Bean-Corn Salsa

Black Beans, one can drained and rinsed
Sweet Corn (feel free to use canned, frozen, or fresh charred corn)
Half-Red onion – small dice
One Half Red Bell Pepper – small dice
Sweet Corn
Lime Juice
One tablespoon Red wine vinegar
Spices (just a pinch each): Ground cumin, cayenne, adobo, salt
Two Cilantro to taste

Combine the red onion, bell pepper, corn, cilantro and black beans in a large bowl. Mix gently and well. In a small bowl combine the red wine vinegar, spices, and lime juice and mix well. Add the liquid mixture to the onion mixture and toss gently until incorporated. Adjust seasoning according to taste and if it is too bitter add a pinch of sugar.

Yep that is pretty much it, you are done. Enjoy!

Apple-Avocado Relish

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I wanted to top a spicy pulled pork dish with something crisp, bright, sweet and acidic. After looking through my fridge, I had my solution. You can whip this up in no time to had contrast to tons of things!

Apple-Avocado Relish

One green apple, cut into small dice
Three-Fourths avocado, diced
Six green onions, small dice
Pinch of Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Voila!

Hatch Green Chile Pulled Pork

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Hatch Green Chilis…good. Pulled Pork…amazing. Grits…scrumptious. Combination of the three = Winner, Winner, Porky Dinner! This was another dish (served on top of creamy cheddar grits) that I made during the “Brinner” themed charity dinner party we threw recently. Tender pork, stewed in a wonderfully spicy sauce, just makes the house smell good and bellies happy…no doubt about it.  I am not sure if this was everyone’s favorite of the day, but I do know that D and I had to take the spoons out of each others hands just to we would be able to save it for the actual dinner and there were not any leftovers! You can serve the pork on its own, in tacos, enchiladas, or over grits – as I did. I topped it with a very quick apple-avocado salsa to cut some of the heat and add a little crunch to an otherwise soft dish. I must warn you, this dish was spicy – I used a bit of acid, the creamy grits, and the salsa to balance it out and it worked quite well.

Note: I hate to admit this, but I made this dish about a month ago and did not write down everything I threw in the pan. The following recipe is my attempt to remember, but something may have been left out. Play with it until you get the outcome you want.

Hatch Green Chili Pulled Pork

Two and a Half pounds of Pork Shoulder, cubed
Seven Hatch Green Chilis, de-seeded (quarter half of peppers and dice the rest)
One and One half Cans of Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (or favorite verde Salsa)
One head of Garlic, minced
One and one half white onion, diced
Three tomatillos, husked
Chicken Broth, as needed
Pinch of each: Cumin, Sugar and Oregano
Fresh Squeezed Lime, to taste

Heat a bit of oil in a large stock pot; add garlic, and onions and saute for a few minutes (with a pinch of salt). Add pork and brown well. Add peppers and saute for a couple minutes. Add Sauce to cover pork, switching to chicken broth once the sauce runs out. Bring to a boil, the add seasoning (cumin, sugar, oregano) and tomatillos and simmer for at least four hours, stirring occasionally. Taste occasionally, adjust seasoning as necessary (squeezing lime juice at the end). Cook until pork is fork tender and can be shredded with no effort. Remove pork from pot and shred, then return to pot.Remove chili quarters and discard.

In a large bowl, place Creamy Cheddar Grits, spoon pork over, then top with Apple-Avocado Relish.

Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries with Curry Ketchup and Sriracha Aioli

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One of the health food trend’s best contributions is the ubiquitous sweet potato fry. Of course not all fries are the same and I have standards for these nutritious little treats. They should be crispy on the outside and soft, but never mushy, on the inside. They need to be properly seasoned and they always need to be baked, not fried (sorry Paula Deen cronies). In short, please don’t serve me limp, under-seasoned fries that are mushy with oil. I am not entirely sure why but I have had a standing craving for sweet potato fries since about mid-July and this recipe, admittedly, is something of a Semi-Homemade approach (though I really cannot stomach Sandra Lee). Hey, I am a full time-grad student who works full-time, until December I will need all the help I can get. The secret…Alexia Sweet Potato Fries (in your freezer section). These are awesome. Sure sweet potato fries are not insanely hard to make but now that Alexia has an all natural brand that you can just pop in the oven, why spend a minute longer doing prep? Now if you will excuse me, I have to go read 150 pages of advanced policy economics by tomorrow.

Note: I fortified my ketchup to make a quick (read four second) tasty dipping sauce. Because I like options, I also made a Sriracha aioli really quickly – if you have some chipotle aioli or another favorite dipping sauce feel free to use it instead.

Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries with Curry Ketchup and Sriracha Aioli

One Half Bag Alexia Chiptole Sweet Potato Fries

Cook according to package instructions, preferably on a vented baking tray to achieve optimal crispiness.

Sriracha-Curry Ketchup

Two to Three tablespoons (depending on preference) Sriracha
One Tablespoon (plus more depending on preference) Red Curry Paste
One-Fourth Cup Ketchup

Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl.

Sriracha Aioli

Squeeze of lemon or lime
Four tablespoons Sriracha
Four tablespoons Garlic Mayonnaise 

Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl.

Bacon-Corn Ragu

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I used this ‘garnish’ as a way to add some salt and savory to a dish with sweeter elements. You can make this in advance and add it to loads of meals such as eggs or a southwestern salad. You can also add other elements to this such as red onion and cilantro and make it a dip (or top a creamy soup with it for some texture).

This makes a rather small portion so feel free to double it.

Bacon-Corn Ragu

One thick slice of pancetta, cut into crispy dice (can be crisped in advance)
Two slices bacon, diced
Three-fourths cup roasted corn kernels
One shallot, minced
One garlic clove, minced

In a medium skillet, saute pancetta and bacon on high heat until crisp and the fat is rendered. Remove from pan and add shallots and garlic and saute until glassy. Add corn and bacon and heat for a couple of minutes. Serve immediately. If you would like this to be slightly spicy, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne.

Seared Scallop with Sweet Corn Puree and Avocado-Watermelon Relish

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With the week off of work, I really should be gracing the gym with my presence for seven hours a day. Instead, I am cooking amazingness and not helping my clothes fit better. This lovely little plate of pure delight was my lunch yesterday. Yes, I spoiled myself and it was incredible. The summer melon and corn sing sweetly and are the perfect complement to the subtly sweet scallop. The jalapeno gives it that little kick that takes your mind away from the sweetness and the avocado lends a richness and all together…well…you know where this goes. It was fantastic; a light, crisp, perfect lunch. I wish I could cook lunch at home every day! If you have the time to make fried leeks or fried shallots, I would highly suggest it so that you have a nice textural contrast. Though I made this for lunch, it would be a perfect dinner as well. From start to finish it takes about 15 minutes or less (less if the puree has been made in advance).

Note: Scallops can be tricky to cook – you want to make sure that they are translucent inside (without ever looking inside) so that they are not rubbery. They are sensitive to different stove tops, different pan types and obtaining the perfect sear can be difficult with too much or too little oil or butter. As you can tell from the picture, my scallops this time were almost perfectly cooked. They were perfect inside, but I did not achieve the nice sear I was looking for. I was a bit heavy handed with the oil.

Seared Scallop with Sweet Corn Puree and Avocado-Watermelon Relish

Serves Two (One scallop per person)

Two U-10 count Scallops, patted very dry
Salt
Pepper
Two inch chunk of watermelon, cut into a rectangle
One-Third of a Jalapeno, Minced
Juice of one-third whole lime
One third avocado, small dice
Small amount of Fried Shallots (optional)
One Third Cup Sweet Corn Puree

Make the Corn Puree first and set aside. Next make the relish by cutting the watermelon and avocado into very small, uniform dice. When cutting the avocado, it is easiest to cut it in the skin then remove all at once with a large spoon. Gently toss the watermelon and avocado with the minced jalapeno, salt, fresh cracked pepper, and lime juice. Set aside.

Heat a small amount of oil or butter in a heavy skillet on a high heat. Make sure the scallop’s abductor muscle has been removed and that the scallops have been patted dry. Season each side with salt and pepper. Once the fat is smoking, add the scallops, ensuring that they are not touching. Sear on each side for about a minute and a half (adjust for thinner scallops) then remove and serve promptly.

To assemble the dish, place the desired amount of corn puree on the bottom of a plate or bowl. Top puree with the scallop. Then top everything with the watermelon mixture. If using fried shallots, sprinkle those around the plate (can also use dried onion for a bit of crunch).

Sweet Corn Puree

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Another beauty of this insane heat (please do a rain dance everyone), is that it means that summer corn is in season and fabulous as always. Is there a bad way to serve corn? I honestly do not think so. This wonderful green-husked, annoyingly silky beauty has filled the bellies for centuries regardless of budget. Incidentally, corn goes into just about everything you eat, or ingest, and even into vehicles this day in age (I will spare you the rant), but I prefer to think of corn the way that mother earth (or nature) intended it to be…REAL, WHOLE, WONDERFULLY LUSCIOUS, Corn Kernels from a COB, and – just for a shout out to the south – this includes the creamy milk the cob renders. Summer stalks are a shining example of corn’s ability to make a silky sweet puree that can pair with a lovely dab of butter for a hint of richness. To me, summer is defined as: the simple luxury of a good quality ingredients shining in their element. Being that corn is in season, and I have the week off, this was my lunch today. I can promise this beats any Lean Cuisine you can imagine – it was a superb 35 minutes of cooking, eating, returning for seconds, and looking at the plate wishing for thirds. Perfect for my staycation and for this too-hot-to-handle-summer in Texas.

Notes: I used coconut milk as my “cream.”  I do not use much dairy and only had Soy Milk on hand, I decided that coconut milk would add a better richness and contribute more to texture than my alternative. If you use dairy and have it on hand fee free to sub whole milk, half and half, or cream for the coconut milk. Also, feel free to add as much butter as you like and season a bit less according to taste.

Sweet Corn Puree

One Cup Roasted Corn (use frozen in a pinch)
One-Third Cup Coconut Milk
Nice pinch of salt
Black Pepper To Taste
One Tablespoon Butter
One Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Boil Coconut Milk in a small sauce pan. Once bubbling, add corn, salt, pepper, and butter. Reduce heat and simmer for 4-6 minutes. Add Cayenne and any additional seasoning and spoon corn mixture into a food processor. Process until smooth. Serve chilled as a soup, or reserve to incorporate as a sauce for fish or chicken, or incorporate into sweet corn risotto.