A touch of El Diablo

My last post on Chips and Salsa mentioned an old chain restaurant that is no longer in business, Chi Chi's. The brand lives on in supermarkets where you can purchase salsa, taco seasoning, and corn fritter mix, but when it was a restaurant chain, it was among Sandra's and my favorite places despite the fact that it was a chain.

What was special about Chi Chi's? The taste. I may have fell in love with Mexican food at El Torito, but Chi Chi's always had a fresher taste. I believe that they used cilantro more liberally than in any other place I ate at when I first started on my Mexican kick, and cilantro has this very "fresh" taste that enhances salsa, rice, and most Mexican dishes. This fresh taste made me feel that every dish they made was made solely for me. It's a wonderful way to run a restaurant--freshness is probably a quality that will keep you coming back, and it worked for me with Chi Chi's.

I remember one of the first times that Sandra and I visited Chi Chi's. I believe it was in Sunrise, Florida, in Broward Country up route 27 (this was before I-75 and I-595 were created, and Rt. 84 was "Alligator Alley"). The two of us made quick work of their chips and salsa and we asked the waiter for more. He cheerfully brought us out some more warm chips, but then admonished us: "You should watch out. They expand when they hit your stomach!" Sandra and I were both amused by this, and we've repeated it to each other (and our kids) many, many times whenever we eat chips and salsa.

Anyway, as I mentioned in my other article, I grew up thinking that Mexican food was hot. I've learned since that while you can find some spicy Mexican dishes, you are more likely to find dishes that don't have too much spiciness at all. In fact, corn and cheese really defines the cuisine, with spiciness a distant third.

After I moved from Miami to New England, I found a Chi Chi's was never too far away. The closest was a twenty minute drive, which was close enough for a special meal for Sandra and me.

I remember one day when I was visiting Chi Chi's, they had some new items on their menu, advertised to be pretty spicy. They were touted as Diablo (Spanish for "Devil"), but of the selections, nothing really appealed to me. At the time, I favored Chi Chi's beef chimichangas, and didn't want to order anything that was too different from that. Luckily, I noticed that they also had Diablo Sauce, which could be ordered separately, so I did. It came out with my chimichanga in a small bowl. The sauce was deliciously spicy--a warm, green sauce with meat in it. After a taste, I knew that they had something special, and I dumped most of it over my chimichangas and--voila!--a very good dish became ever better! I left a bit of sauce so that I could dip my chips into it.

From that day, I had a new favorite dish, and until the Chi Chi's near us closed, the Beef Chimichangas with a side order of Diablo Sauce was what I ordered every time I visited the place.

Alas, the place is no more. They closed the restaurants near me quite a few years ago, and the entire chain has since gone out of the restaurant business.

Last spring, I was feeling nostalgic about Chi Chi's and did a Google search to find out whatever became of them. In doing so, I found a Chi Chi's Copycat Recipes site, which I linked in my previous article. Two recipes linked on that sight intrigued me: Baked Chicken Chimichanga Chi Chi's Copycat Recipe and Chi Chi's Diablo Sauce Copycat Recipe. I copied those recipes into my personal recipe collection and did a Chi Chi's Mexican Dinner night with Sandra, including some freshly fried tortilla chips and Chi Chi's Garden Salsa (see previous post). Both Sandra and I enjoyed the trip down memory lane, although Sandra has never been as fond of the Diablo Sauce as I was; the recipe they gave would have made too much for the two of us.

I include the recipes for the Diablo sauce and the chimicangas below.

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Chi-Chi's Diablo Sauce

Source:	#131271 (C) 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved.
Cook Time:	35 min
Prep Time:	10 min
Yield:	Serves 4
Catalogued:	21-Apr-2009

Ingredients

1 lb ground pork

2/3 cup chopped white onion

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies, with juice

10 tablespoons la victoria green chili salsa

jalapeno (x-tra hot)

3 cups water

1 (1 ¼ ounce) package Ortega taco seasoning (Hot & Spicey)

2 tablespoons cumin

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup water

Brown ground pork, onions.

Add diced chilis, La Victoria salsa.

Add 3 cups water.

Add Ortega taco seasoning.

Add ½ tsp salt.

add 2 tbsp cumin.

Combine 2 tbsp corn starch and ¼ cup water and add too sauce.

Continue to simmer till thickened.

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Baked Chicken Chimichangas like Chi-Chi's®

Source:	Copycat Recipe Site
Prep Time:	0:45
Yield:	Serves : 8
Catalogued:	21-Apr-2009

Ingredients

1 sm. onion - chopped

3 cloves garlic - minced

1 Tbls vegetable oil OR butter OR margarine

2 cups salsa

1 ½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 pinch salt

2 ½ cups cooked, shredded chicken OR turkey

8 12 flour tortillas

1 cup canned refried beans

non-stick cooking spray - as needed

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté onion and garlic in oil/butter until tender; stir in salsa, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and salt; fold in chicken/turkey; remove from heat and set aside.

Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon 2 Tablespoons of beans down the center of each tortilla; top with a scant ½ cup of the chicken mixture.

Fold the top and bottom of the tortillas toward the center, then roll up the sides.

Secure with wooden toothpicks or pieces of spaghetti noodles if necessary.

Place chimichangas in a 13" X 9" X 2" baking pan, seam side down.

Spray all sides of the chimichangas with a light coating of cooking spray.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp, turning after 10 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and guacamole.

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Bon Appetit!

Filet Mignon with Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes

It's been a rather hectic weekend extending all the way to today (Wednesday). We went to the new McKinnon's Super Butcher Shop here in Salem yesterday to explore and hopefully purchase some good food.

I'd like to state that finding Filet Mignon for $5.99 was quite a deal. (We got some other deals as well, but this one stands out in my mind). I cooked this on the grill last night, and served it with Roasted Yukon Gold potatoes.

Cooking a steak on a grill is an art in itself. If you don't take care, you can easily turn an expensive cut of meat into something resembling a fire sale at Macy's. I know—I've done so as recently as a couple of months ago. (Note to self: Don't try to fix a computer problem while you're trying to cook dinner!)

Last night, the filet came out perfect. Sandra's was the perfect shade of pinkish-red (she's a medium person), and mine was done a bit more, with just a bit of pink. For myself, I made a quick "steak sauce" by mixing (on my plate) a little bit of Sesame-Ginger teriyaki sauce, about a tablespoon of Merlot, a drop or two of Worcestershire sauce, and a couple of drops of Dijon Mustard, and then mixed the lot together to make a bit of an emulsified sauce. I served my filet over this sauce, with the potatoes on the side.

To Sandra's surprise, the potatoes also came out perfect. I have had a couple of experiences where I cut the potatoes too small (about ¼") or cooked them on too high heat, and they tended to char through in no time at all, turning a delicious side dish into charcoal in no time. Yesterday, I allowed Sandra to cut the potatoes this time, and she came up with the perfect size: about an inch dice.

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Grilled Yukon Gold Potatoes with Rosemary

Source:	Rachael Ray—30 Minute Meals—Food Network
Prep Time:	10 minutes
Cook Time:	20 minutes
Catalogued:	17-Oct-2007

This recipe comes from one of Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals, and although she roasts hers in the oven, I found that this makes a great dish on the grill. A good "vegetable grilling pan" is a must here—we have a non-stick one that is square with ⅛" holes with slanted sides that reach about six inches, which holds the potatoes nicely.

Ingredients

Yukon Gold potatoes; figure about 1 large or a couple of small pototoes per person

Non-stick aerosol spray (Pam)

Extra-virgin olive oil

1-2 Tbs dried or fresh rosemary

Garlic salt (to taste)

Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Preheat the grill to about 400°F.

While grill is heating, dice the potatoes to about ½" to 1" pieces—bite size, but not too small.

Spray grilling pan with non-stick spray, and place the diced potatoes onto the pan. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes, and then add rosemary, salt, and pepper. Toss the potatoes in the grill pan to ensure that all the pieces are coated with oil, herbs, and seasonings, adding more as necessary.

Place potatoes on grill over burner at high heat for about ten minutes, covering the grill to allow it to bake.

Using a spoon and pot-holder, toss the potatoes again to allow them to cook on all sides, and lower the burner to medium. Re-toss the potatoes every five minutes or so, being careful not to smash them.

When potatoes are cooked on all sides, lower heat to just barely on and keep on grill to warm until your main course has finished cooking.

Sprinkle additional garlic salt and pepper, to taste, and serve with a sprig or two of fresh thyme.

Serve warm.

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Bon Appetit!

Knots of Garlic

In one of my first posts to this blog, I described the first time I attempted to re-create Shrimp New Orleans that I enjoyed at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company, a chain of theme restaurants.

In that article, I mentioned that as I was creating the dish, my brother-in-law was showing Chardonnay (and Sandra) how to make Garlic Knots. The two dishes came out about the same time, and they complimented each other wonderfully.

For those that don't know what Garlic Knots are, they are tiny strips of pizza dough twisted into an overhand knot (about an inch in diameter). The knots are baked and then drizzled in garlic and butter and served warm. Garlic Knots are usually served in pizzerias as a snack. They are pre-made in the morning, and then when a customer orders some, they are put into a foil dish and heated for a few moments in the pizza oven.

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Garlic Knots

Source:	Craig Noe
Yield:	Serves 4-8
Catalogued:	09-Oct-2007

Craig showed Chardonnay how to prepare garlic knots. This is my re-creation of the recipe he used.

Ingredients

1 recipe pizza crust dough

¼ cup olive oil, extra-virgin

¼ cup butter

1 tbs granulated garlic

⅛ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil together over low heat until the butter melts. Add the granulated garlic to the butter-oil, and continue to heat stirring until garlic is fully dissolved in the oil. Lower heat enough to keep just warm.

Using a pastry brush, grease the bottom of a small baking dish with the garlic-infused olive oil.

Once dough has risen, separate into two separate pieces. Set half aside for use another time.

Divide the remaining dough into strips. Craig does this by flattening the dough to about ¼" thickness and then using a pizza cutter to cut the dough into ¾" strips, and then cutting the strips to about 4" in length. Loop each strip into an overhand knot. Place knots into the baking dish with just a bit of space between them to allow for expansion as they bake. (The knots are supposed to "cuddle together" as they bake, so don't keep them too far apart—a ⅛" space between them should be sufficient.)

Bake the knots in the 375°F oven for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove knots from oven and drizzle garlic-butter-infused oil over the knots in the baking dish. Allow a minute or so for the oil to absorb slightly, and then remove the knots into a bowl large enough to accommodate them, tugging gently to pull them apart in the baking dish.

Add the rest of the garlic-oil to the knots and toss ensure that the knots are all coated with oil. Cover the bowl with a towel until a few minutes before serving.

Serve warm. If the knots are cool, place them in a 350°F oven for a few minutes to warm through.

(Optional) Sprinkle the knots with Parmesan cheese before serving.

Note: Most pizzerias on Long Island make a large batch of knots in the morning, and as they are requested by customer, they are placed in a small, round, foil dish and heated in the pizza oven for about 3-4 minutes to warm through.

Craig informs me that pizzerias use granulated garlic instead of fresh, and less butter and more olive oil to keep the knots from turning rancid during the day.

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Bon Appetit!

Ghee Rice

Ghee Rice

I mentioned in a previous blog about Ghee, which, according to the Wikipedia, is "made made by simmering unsalted butter in a large pot until all water has boiled off and protein has settled to the bottom. The clarified butter is then spooned off to avoid disturbing the milk solids on the bottom of the pan."

In the past, I've used ghee purchased at our local Indian grocery stores, but it's simple enough to make at home that I've been doing it "from scratch" in the past few years.

Simply melt half a stick of (preferably unsalted) butter in a small dish in a microwave oven for about two minutes, until a white froth appears at the top of the liquid. Remove from the oven and wait a few minutes for the solids to sink to the bottom. Spoon off the clear liquid (this is the ghee). You can save the ghee in the refrigerator for a month or so, assuming that it is stored in a container with a tight lid.

Ghee rice is a staple of many South Asian cuisines, consisting of aromatic basmati rice cooked with thinly sliced onions that have been sauteéd in Ghee. As an accompaniment, it was one of the first Indian foods that Sandra and I ever made, while I was making my first chicken curry from scratch. We've made it so many times that Sandra and the kids have it committed to memory (two cups rice, three cups stock, onions, cloves, cardomom seeds, cinnamon stick).

This goes very well with Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken, Curries, and most any other Indian or Sri Lankan dish.

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Ghee Rice

Source:	Savoring the Spice Coast of India Fresh Flavors from Kerala By Maya Kaimal HarperCollins Publishers, 2000 Hardback, $ 27.50 ISBN: 0-06-019257-7
Prep Time:	45 minutes
Yield:	Serves: 6
Catalogued:	10-Sep-2007

Many Mappilas (Kerala Muslims) prefer their rice seasoned this way rather than plain. This buttery, slightly perfumed rice is good with Chicken Kurma, Chicken with Green Chilies and Tamarind, Spicy Chicken Liver Curry, or Lamb Vindaloo (see the book for recipes).

Ingredients

1 cups basmati rice

3 Tbs Ghee

1 cup thinly sliced onions

1 (2-inch) piece cinnamon, broken in two

4 whole cloves

4 cardamom pods, crushed

1 ½ cups water or chicken stock

In a large bowl wash the rice in many changes of water until the water no longer appears cloudy. Drain thoroughly.

In a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid heat the ghee. Add the onions, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Fry until the onions brown along the edges. Put in the drained rice and sauté for about 2 minutes, or until the grains of rice begin to jump on the bottom of the pan.

Add water (or stock) and the salt and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and steam for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

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Bon Appetit