Mango-Honey Chipotle Grilled Chicken

So it's almost literally raining mangoes everywhere in South Florida! That's a good thing because my dear friend Lili has a tree and she has been graciously providing me with a healthy supply of those golden sweet beauties.

Having those mangoes and a big bag of chipotle peppers, that my sister-in-law Maria brought over from San Francisco, can only mean one thing.  Time to make a great BBQ sauce! Smokey, sweet and with just the right amount of a kick, my mango-honey chipotle sauce is perfect for grilling chicken.

Start by making a brine to keep your chicken moist as it grills, then coat the chicken in the sauce, slap it on the grill and you are just minutes away from truly juicy, flavorful chicken. Serve with a big green salad, ice-cold beer and an extra side of mango-honey chipotle sauce for dipping - dinner is done!

Serves 4

6 - 8 pieces of chicken boneless skinless - breasts and/or thighs

Brine solution: 3 tablespoons kosher salt, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, dissovled in 1 quart of water

Salt & pepper

• Brine chicken from 2-8 hours, as time permits. Remove from and discard brine solution. Rinse chicken and pat thoroughly dry with paper towel. Salt and pepper each side.
• Place chicken in a wide, shallow bowl, add ½ cup of the Mango-Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce (recipe follows). Mix well to coat all pieces. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes while the grill heats up.
• Heat grill over high heat for 15 - 20 minutes. Place chicken pieces over hot grates and cook 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness of chicken. Allow chicken to rest 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with additional sauce on the side for dipping and ice cold beer.

Mango-Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce

2-4 dried chipotle pepper (Use more or less depending on how much heat you want)

2 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium red onion, finely diced

6 cloves garlic, finely minced

6 oz tomato paste

4 tablespoon honey

¾ cup of pepper soaking liquid

1 teaspoon sweet smoked Spanish paprika

2 mangoes, diced

1/3 cup lime juice

2 teaspoons mustard

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

• Place dried peppers in 3 cups boiling water, allow to soften for about 30 minutes. remove from water and set water aside. Remove stem, seed and ribs from peppers and discard. Chop finely. Warning: be very careful to not touch your eyes or lips and clean your hand thoroughly afterwards.

• Heat pan over medium heat, add onions and cook 5-7 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes
• Spoon in the tomato paste and honey, stir to incorporate into onions and garlic.  Cook until paste begins to caramelize.
• Add the pepper water to deglaze the pan and then add all the remaining ingredients.
• Cook on low for 20 minutes or until thickened.
• Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), blend through until thick and smooth.  You can strain through a sieve if you prefer a very smooth sauce.

Take off heat and allow to cool, store in airtight container, best in a mason jar. Keep refrigerated. Keeps for a month, makes about 2 cups.

Spicy Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Tonight I was inspired to cook something a little different. My boyfriend enjoys peppers, so I decided to make stuffed peppers. I have made stuffed peppers before but with an Italian twist. This time I chose to go with a southwestern flavor profile. The ingredients are reminiscent of Mexican flavors thus the Southwest title.

As you will notice I only chose to add one jalapeno to this dish but you can certainly add as much heat as you'd like, such as more jalapeno, a hot salsa, red pepper flakes or hot sauce. This recipe can be customized to anyone's taste preference and it's fun to make. I felt very accomplished looking at how pretty my stuffed peppers looked when they were all filled and covered with melted cheese. They were devoured. Now this dish was enough for my boyfriend and I to enjoy on it's own, it's basically a casserole/one-pot dish in a pepper... the peppers being the individual casserole dish! You can pair this dish with roasted corn, a side salad, roasted potatoes, etc.. Have fun with this dish creating your own fillings, but also enjoy this one!

Serves 4 - 6

A Wednesdays
with Eryka Recipe

6 multi-colored peppers
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 cooked white rice
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn
1 cup salsa
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon adobo seasonings*
salt and pepper to taste
Mexican blend shredded cheese*



1. Prepare the peppers by chopping the top off and removing the rib. Place on a greased baking dish.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3. In a pan on medium heat, cook ground beef, onion and garlic until cooked through. Add the jalapeno.

4. Add the beans, corn, rice and salsa. Heat through then season with cumin, adobo and salt and pepper to taste (I added only a pinch of each).

5. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of cheese into the mixture. Stir until gooey.

6. Spoon the beef mixture evenly into all the peppers. Top with their appropriate tops.

7. Bake for 20 minutes then remove tops of the peppers to add the shredded cheese. Top again with their tops and bake for 10 more minutes until cheese is melted and peppers are soft.

Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:
*The cheese blend I used contained Monterrey jack, cheddar, queso quesadilla, asadero cheese. You can use whatever Mexican cheese blend you prefer.
*Adobo seasoning is a blend of onion and garlic powder, black pepper, Mexican oregano, cayenne pepper and cumin. Mix together an 1/8 teaspoon of each ingredient if you can't find it locally.

Lemon-Sage Tuna Steaks

Lately, The Hub and I are "trying" to eat in a mindful manner.

Not exactly a "diet" but more of an awareness of how much we eat (less) of certain body expanding and detrimental foods.

We are eating healthier proteins like fish, other sea-foods, chicken and leaner cuts of pork and "trying" (there's that word again) to  limit our beef consumption to once a week. Easy for me, much harder for The Hub. Why? He's Nicaraguan and in Nicaragua beef is king.

We are also attempting to reduce our ("unhealthy") carb intake.  Attempting ... haha. This is hard for both of us. I am convinced we are genetically hard-wired to consume vast amounts of rice with each and every meal. Yes, sometimes even breakfast!

But we are striving, churning towards "trying" and "attempting" and because of this I put together this recipe for yummy Lemon-Sage Tuna Steaks. Yes it has butter, but it's just  a touch of butter, and of course a splash of white wine. Wine, I hear, is good for the heart.

What did The Hub think of the Tuna Steaks? His typical reply "this **** is good!".
That's always an honor.

Serves 2 - 4

4 tuna steaks
Kosher salt
Pepper
Onion powder
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium lemon - zested and juiced
1/4 cup white wine
5 fresh large sage leaves

1. Season each side of the tuna steaks with salt, pepper and onion powder to taste.
2. To a large flat bottomed skillet or grill pan, over low heat, add the oil and butter. 
3. Once butter melts, add the lemon zest and slowly cook to infuse the flavor into the oil about 2 minutes. The edges of the lemon should start to caramelize.
4. Increase the heat to medium and add the sage leaves to crisp up. Once crisped remove sage and lemon zests from oil, set aside and allow to drain on paper towel.
5. Crank up the heat of the pan and once sizzling add tuna steaks. Cook, per side for 1 to 1/2 minutes for medium rare center, 2 minutes for medium center, 3+ minutes to cook through. Remove from pan at desired doneness and set aside.
6. Remove all but one tablespoon of oil/butter from the pan. Deglaze with lemon juice and white wine. Allow to reduce by half, remove from heat.

To serve, place tuna steak on plate, spoon lemon-sage wine reduction sauce over each steak and sprinkle with lemon zest and crisped sage over top of each steak.

Serve with roasted vegetables and a glass of white wine. ENJOY!

Two-Tomato Farfale with Wine Poached Chicken & Broccoli

I had this dish while on a recent mini-vacation with the Hub at Ft. Myers Beach, Florida.  It was a house dish ... Farfale Terra Nostra, aptly named after the restaurant Terra Nostra.

The flavors were so clean, simple yet complex at the same time. I loved that it used two types of tomatoes; fresh and sun-dried, fresh broccoli, a delicious and light garlicky wine sauce.

I was so impressed I had to come home and reproduce it. And while I know it can't be exactly like theirs, my adaptation so close, that it will forever transport me back to the memory of that highly relaxing and much needed vacation.

And the Hub? Well, he barely spoke during dinner, except to come up for air, exclaiming "this **** is so good".  I couldn't have asked for a higher compliment than that! 

Serves 4

1 pound farfale pasta
 Palm full of Kosher salt to boil the pasta

1 bunch of broccoli, cut down into flowerettes 

1 pound of chicken breast, butterfiled and sliced into 2" strips
     (The day before, brine** the breast for maximum moistness and flavor)

Salt & Pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 campari tomatoes quartered

8 oz sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 

      (Do not use the oil-packed type and do not reconstitute dried tomatoes in water)

1 cup white wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 generous tablespoon of minced garlic (or more to taste)

1/4 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more (to taste) to grate over each serving

Olive oil to drizzle over top

• Butterfly, slice and brine** the chicken breast the night before or the morning you are planning to make the dish. 
• Remove from brine, discard brine, rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and very lightly brown the chicken. Work in batches. Add all the chicken back to the skillet. 
• Add the white wine, stock and minced garlic to the skillet with the chicken. Bring to a low boil then reduce heat and allow to poach while the  water for the pasta comes to a boil and the pasta cooks. About 15-20 minutes total. You should be left with about 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid.
• Bring a deep pot of water to the boil, once boiling add salt and pasta and cook according to package instructions. Set a timer one minute before the end of cooking time.
• With one minute before pasta is done, add the broccoli to the cooking pasta water and cook for 1 minute. Drain pasta/broccoli.
• Place pasta, broccoli, campari and dried tomatoes in large deep serving bowl, and stir together carefully.
• Pour in chicken cooking liquid and chicken, stir to distribute.
• Add creme fraiche, stir through to distribute.
• Add Parmesan, stir to distribute.
• Drizzle olive oil over top.
• Serve into individual pasta bowl and grate additional Parmensan over each serving.

Serve with garlic bread and a light salad and your wine of choice. Enjoy!

**Recipe Notes:

It takes little time to brine your chicken and what you get back is juicy, flavorful chicken. To brine one pound of chicken: 1 quart of water,  dissolve 3 tablespoon of Kosher salt and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, add the sliced chicken. Keep in fridge for up to 24 hours. 

Want to  learn what else you can brine and learn more about the process? 

Read my post To Brine or Not to Brine? That Shouldn't Even Be a Question.

Easy Italian Sausage Skillet Dinner

Italian food is one of my other favorite foods to make. Italian dishes are usually in line with my vision of cooking: simple and fast! Nowadays, everyone is fast paced, so I believe in recipes that cook up fast recipe and that make life easier but not compromising on good, home-cooked dinners. Italian sausage is a great meat. It's absolutely delicious, full of flavor, easy to make, spicy or sweet and versatile. However, as my mom mentioned in a previous post, it is easy to get stuck on the same ol' recipe of sausage and peppers. Yes it's a great recipe but we need to change it up a little... at least for the sausage's sake! This recipe is great for sausage. If you do not have sausage on hand or do not like sausage then you may replace it with ground beef (another great ingredient). Instead of pasta for this dish I use rice and everything is cooked in one pan making it a fast easy dinner for during the week. You will notice the recipe calls for instant rice and it is important to make sure instant rice is used or it will not cook properly. I hope you enjoy this delicious sausage recipe!

Recipe:
1 lb Italian sausage (sweet or spicy), cut into 1 inch pieces
olive oil
1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable juice
1 1/2 cups instant rice
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


1. In a skillet, heat oil on medium heat and cook sausage pieces until no longer pink.

2. Add the pepper, onion and garlic. Cook until crisp.

3. Add the can of diced tomatoes and vegetable juice; cook and stir until mixture boils. Remove from heat and stir in the rice.

4.Cover and let stand for 6-8 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with mozzarella then cover to melt. Enjoy!

Best of The Fork's Seasonings, Marinades and Rubs

Memorial Day Weekend has always been the quintessential start to the summer.
It means warm, sunny days, lots of rain if you are in Florida and the grilling season. Although for me it's always the grilling season. Today I am posting the best of my seasonings, marinades and rubs for your weekend, weekday and summer long enjoyment. Cheers to summer!

Achiote Paste - Make Your Own - This has become my "go to" for everything grilled, roasted or sauteed!

http://goo.gl/hChVPE

Beef & Pork Marinade Version 1 & 1.1 - One marinade two versions, what more could you ask for?!

http://goo.gl/Hg6EhP

My Parent's Authentic Cuban Roast Pork - You can use this marinade on anything and it will be delicious.

http://goo.gl/ilCUUO

Brine, Brine, Brine That Turkey! - And anything else your heart desires.  Brining will make even the toughest cuts juicy and flavorful!

http://goo.gl/AAnVFB

Succulent Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb - Not just for leg o' lamb but lamb chops, lamb shanks, lamb anything!

http://goo.gl/xvsnKt

Make Your Own Cuban Sazon Completa / Adobo Seasoning - Skip the MSG hidden in the store bought kind and make your own Sazon Completa. This stuff is is great on anything - even grilled fruit.

http://goo.gl/bduUql

Tomato Paste - What To Do with the Rest of the Can

Did you know that you can freeze left over tomato paste? Well you can! 

Don't you hate it when you have to open up a can of tomato paste and all you need is one tablespoon? Then you either leave it in the can or plop it into a plastic container and off into the back of the fridge it goes, only to be found a month later and probably growing some funky science experiment type organism on it. You could dish out $5 for those squeeze tubes, paying .60 cents per ounce (highway robbery!) or you could do what I do - freeze it.  Here's how:

Place a generous sheet of cling on your counter (see photo). Run a spatula along the walls of the inside of the can and empty out the content of the tomato paste can onto the bottom third of the cling. With the spatula smooth it down and shape into a rectangle. It's not art, so no need to get fussy about it. Roll the cling cover the paste and continue rolling up until you have nice sausage like shape. Twist each end in opposite directions to tighten the bundle. Tuck the ends in and place inside a freezer safe container or zip bag.  Next time you need tomato paste all you have to do is cut through with a serrated knife, remove cling and use as needed. No waste, no science experiment and no highway robbery!