cumin

Chipotle-Roasted Chicken with Mexican Mint Marigold, Tomato Bomba

/ Ren

Bomba is an ancient strain of slowly-maturing rice grown in fresh mountain water around the town of Calasparra in Murcia, using aqueducts first built by the Romans.

Bomba absorbs three to four times its volume in stock (rather than the normal two), yet the grains remain firm and delicious.

Plump, locally pastured chicken (Dewberry Hills) joints are brined for half a day in cold, filtered water with coarse sea salt, cracked cumin and coriander.  Blotted dry, then roasted at 500 degrees until the skin is good and crisp, then transferred to a hot skillet and finished in sauce of reduced chicken stock, chipotles en adobo and a touch of apple cider vinegar.  Served over stock-cooked rice with browned onions, garlic and fresh tomatoes.  Garnished with freshly chopped Mexican mint marigold..

Chipotle-Roasted Chicken with Tomato Bomba

For the Brine (5%)

2 litres filtered water
100 grams coarse sea salt
1-1/2 tablesponns cumin seed, cracked
2-1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds, cracked

Bring the water to a rapid boil, then remove from heat.  Add cumin, coriander and salt and stir to combine.  Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.  Place chicken pieces in a glass bowl and submerge in brine.  Cover bowl and refrigerate 6-8 hours.

For the Chipotle Sauce

2 cups rich, homemade chicken stock
2 tablespoons raw cider vinegar
2-3 chipotles en adobo, minced
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon piloncillo (substitute high-molasses raw can sugar)
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Combine chicken stock and vinegar in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and bring to a rapid boil.  Reduce heat to medium, add chipotles, tomato paste, oregano and piloncillo and simmer until reduced and thickened, about 1 hour.  Adjust seasoning with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

For the Rice

2 tablespoons cultured butter
1/2 cup bomba
2 cups homemade chicken stock
1/2 yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2-3 green onions, slivered, divided
1 tablespoon minced elephant garlic
1 cup fresh tomato, diced

Heat the butter in a heavy skillet and add yellow onion, garlic and  1/2 of the green onions and saute until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Add bomba and stir to coat each grain with butter.  Add stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat simmer, stirring frequently until tender, about 30 minutes.

For the Chicken

Assorted chicken pieces, brined and air-dried
Smoked paprika

Arrange chicken pieces skin-side up, without crowding in a large skillet.  Lightly dust with smoked paprika and place into a pre-heated 500 degree oven, cooking until skin is nicely browned and crisp, about 25 minutes.  Chicken should be slightly underdone at this point.

Remove pan from oven and set on burner over medium heat.  Baste liberally with chipotle sauce and continue to cook, turning occasionally until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

To assemble

Spoon rice onto dinner plates and place chicken pieces over the top.  Dress with additional chipotle sauce and garnish with Mexican mint marigold.  Serve piping hot.

Mesquite Grilled Pheasant with Jalapeño, Sausage and Cornbread Dressing

/ Ren

Ring-necked pheasant breasts are partially boned, then brined for half a day in spring water with onions, garlic, cloves, bay and sea salt.  The breasts are  patted dry and allowed to air dry while the grill is prepared.

Once the fire is ready, the pheasant is painted with achiote-cumin oil and then grilled as you would chicken pieces.  The cooked bird is allowed to rest under cover for 10 minutes before being plated atop white cornbread dressing with onions, jalapeños and sausage.  The dish is moistened with glace de viande just before serving..

Mesquite Grilled Pheasant with Jalapeño, Sausage and Cornbread Dressing

Common Pheasants were introduced in North America in 1857, and have become well established throughout much of the Rocky Mountain states, the Midwest, the Plains states, as well as Canada and Mexico.  In the American southwest, pheasants can be found in the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge 100 miles south of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Most common pheasants bagged in the United States are wild-born feral pheasants; in some states, captive-reared and released birds make up much of the population.

Toasted Onion and Ancho Chili Jam

/ Ren

Toasted ancho chiles, onions, garlic, cumin and coriander with apple cider vinegar and a touch of wild guajillo honey..

Toasted Onion and Ancho Chili Jam

For the Jam

1/4 pound dried Ancho chiles
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 head garlic
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, cracked
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, cracked
2 tablespoons raw cider vinegar
a few drops of hickory or mesquite liquid smoke (optional)
2 tablespoons olive or peanut oil, divided
1 tablespoon (or to taste) wild guajillo honey
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Split the Ancho chiles open and remove the stem, seeds and ribs.  Lightly toast on a dry comal for about 20-30 seconds on each side.  Take care not to let the peppers burn or they will become very bitter.

Transfer the chiles to a glass bowl and cover with just-boiled water.  Allow to steep 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the top off of a whole head of garlic, brush with olive oil, wrap in foil and roast for a half hour at 400 degrees.  Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, toast the chopped onions on a dry comal over medium heat until golden brown.  Add the cumin and coriander and toast another minute, again taking care not to let it burn.  Allow to cool.

Squeeze the garlic into the bowl of a food processor and add the  softened chiles and vinegar and pulse a couple of times into a thick, chunky paste.

Transfer the chili mixture to a bowl and stir in the seasoned onions and garlic.  Add honey, salt and pepper to taste.

Ancho chili jam is delicious with grilled, roasted or smoked meat, fowl or sausages (venison, bison and wild boarsausage shown).

Chorizo Hash with a Fried Goose Egg

/ Ren

Freshly made Mexican chorizo is pan-fried with yellow onions, sweet peppers, chiles, fresh corn and toasted cilantro and topped with a giant fried goose egg..

Chorizo Hash with a Fried Goose Egg

For the Chorizo

1/2 pound fresh pork, about 80% lean, coarsely ground
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
2 whole cloves, ground
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
a pinch or two fine sea salt

Loosely combine all ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl.  Cover and refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight.

For the Hash (serves 2)

1/2 pound chorizo
1 teaspoon bacon fat
2 ears-worth fresh corn kernels
1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1-2 fresh jalapeños, diced
3-4 small orange or red sweet peppers, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
freshly-ground black pepper

1 local goose egg per person

Heat bacon fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add chorizo and cook until it begins to brown and crisp, then add corn, chiles, sweet peppers and cumin and cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.  Season to taste with black pepper and a pinch of salt if you think it needs it, then top with a fried egg.

Goose Egg vs. Chicken Egg

One goose egg provides about 20g protein, and is also a very good source of vitamins A, B6 and B12 as well as thiamin, riboflavin and folate.  Cook as you would chicken or duck eggs, simply allowing more time due to its large size.

Elote Particular

/ Ren

This variation of Mexico’s popular street food elote (roasted corn on the cob) uses freshly-ground chili powder,  pastured butter, lime, sea salt and homemade crema Mexicana with toasted cumin and cilantro..

Elote Particular

For the Chile Powder (all amounts may be adjusted according to taste)

2 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and split
2 arbol chiles, stemmed, seeded and split
1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon cacao powder

Toast the chiles on a dry comal over medium heat until fragrant, about 45 seconds per side. Take care not to let the chiles burn, or they will be bitter.

Once cooled, add the chiles and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor and pulse into a fine powder.  Store in an airtight container up to 3 months.

For the Cumin Crema

1/2 cup fresh heavy cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/3 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro

Toast the cumin in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Allow to cool, then crush in a mortar or spice grinder and set aside.  Freshly-toasted cumin tastes nothing like that jar of powdered stuff that’s been in the back of your cabinet for 2 years..

Using an instant read thermometer, warm the cream on the stove to 98 degrees then remove from heat, cover and allow to stand overnight at room temperature.  Transfer the now  somewhat thickened cream to the refrigerator and chill 4 or more hours.  Stir in cumin, salt, cilantro and lime 20 minutes before serving.

For the Corn

Pull back the husks and remove the silk.  Put the husks back in place and tie closed with kitchen string.  Plunge into a pot of lightly-salted boiling water, cover and parboil 5 minutes.  Transfer the corn to a wood-fired grill and cook turning often until tender, about10-15 minutes depending on size, etc.

Peel back the husks and slather the corn with butter, chili powder and crema. Use the husks as a handle to eat the corn popsicle-style, offering cotija cheese and lime wedges on the side if desired.

This post is part of the Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday!