1lb raw medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails off
Vegetable oil
1 bag tortilla chips
Mexican cheese blend
Iceberg lettuce
Mexican crema
3 green onions, sliced
Lime wedges, for squeezing
In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients for the blackened seasoning. Mix well and set aside.
In a bowl combine tomato, onion, peppers, and cilantro. Add lime juice and salt. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Heat a little bit of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss the shrimp in a bowl with the blackened seasoning. Add the shrimp and sauté for 3-5 minutes, turning occasionally, until fully cooked.
Layout of the tortilla chips on a large baking sheet or 9X13 baking dish. Top the tortilla chips evenly with the shredded cheese. Place into the oven and bake at 350 degrees until the cheese has melted.
Top with Pico del Gallo, crema, lettuce, shrimp and green onion. Serve with lime wedges, for squeezing.
1 small red onion, halved & sliced into half-moons
1 avocado, sliced or diced
Fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedges, for squeezing
Hot sauce
In a small bowl, combine parsley, cilantro, minced garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, red pepper flakes, lime juice, salt, and pepper to make the chimichurri sauce. Stir well and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk together beer, orange juice, lemon juice, minced garlic, sliced onion, kosher salt, chili powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, and cumin. Place the steak in the marinade and let it sit for at least 30 minutes, preferably up to 1 hour.
Heat a grill or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Remove steak from the marinade and grill for 4-6 minutes per side until it reaches an internal temperature of 130° for medium-rare. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.
Meanwhile, season shrimp with hot sauce as a binder, then add salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, and smoked paprika. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a little olive oil and cook shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side until pink and cooked through.
Warm tortillas on a dry skillet or on the grill for about 30 seconds per side. Assemble tacos by layering steak and shrimp on each tortilla. Top with red onion, avocado, fresh cilantro, and a generous spoonful of chimichurri sauce.
Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side for squeezing.
In a large heavy pot heat the oil over medium high heat until hot. Cook the chorizo, stirring, until browned about 4 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to a bowl with a slotted spoon, reserving the fat in the pot. Toss the bread crumbs with the chorizo.
Stuff the squid bodies with the chorizo mixture and seal each with a wooden toothpick.
Heat the fat in the pot over medium high heat and stir in the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and zest and cook until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the wine, stock, tomatoes, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Nestle the squid bodies and tentacles in the liquid and simmer, covered, until the squid is very tender, about 1 hour. Transfer the squid to a serving bowl, then boil the liquid until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
6 to 10 very thin slices of apple (use a mandolin, if you have one)
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Combine the apple butter, mustard, honey, and a good pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl. Spread evenly on two slices of bread and top with half of the cheese and the pastrami. Top that with a layer of sliced apple, overlapping the slices slightly, and the remaining cheese. Top with the other slices of bread to make two sandwiches.
Melt 2 Tbs. of the butter in a heavy-duty 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat until lightly browned. Add the sandwiches and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary, until golden brown on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, add the remaining 1 Tbs. butter, and cook, lifting the edges of the bread to allow the butter to run under and adjusting the heat as necessary, until the cheese has melted and the other side is golden brown, another 3 to 4 minutes. Slice in half and serve.
1-pound Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 medium yellow onion diced
2 medium carrots peeled and diced
1 stalk celery diced
1 small head green cabbage core removed and diced, about
4 cloves garlic minced
6 cups chicken stock
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
Parsley, chopped for garnish
In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and brown the sausage.
Season the sausage with Italian seasoning as you brown it. Then add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is tender.
Add the diced cabbage and continue to cook for 3 more minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the chicken stock/broth, diced tomatoes, and a bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer cover, and cook for 30 minutes. The soup is ready when the cabbage is tender.
Discard the bay leaf, and taste the soup to adjust the seasonings to your preference.
Garnish with chopped parsley for some color, and serve with crusty bread.
4 pounds steak (I use a combination of tri-tip and rib-eye) 2 pounds hot Italian sausage, casings removed Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste 2 large onions, diced 6 cloves garlic, minced 2 to 4 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely diced 4 tablespoons chili powder 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons Worcestershire 2 tablespoons hot sauce (I like Crystal) 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 package of Shelby’s 1 carton of beef stock, as needed 1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed (optional) 2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles
Optional toppings: avocado slices, sliced jalapenos, sliced radishes, shredded cheese, diced scallions, sour cream, Siracha or hot sauce, chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges for squeezing.
Heat your grill to high. Season beef with salt and pepper. Sear the steak on both sides, about 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. You’re not cooking the meat at this point, just getting some good color on the steak. Remove the steak and let rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes. Cut the steak, across the grain, into ½ inch chunks and transfer to your slow cooker or large stock pot, cover and let rest. To a large skillet, add sausage (break up the links into crumbles) and cook for 5 minutes. Add onions, garlic and jalapeños. Cook for another 5 minutes over medium heat. Cook until softened. Transfer to your slow cooker or large pot with the meat. Add half of the beef stock and then more as needed. Stir in chili powder, sugar, Worcestershire, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, tomatoes, beans (optional) and canned green chiles. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours in a large stock pot (stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn on the bottom) or 6-8 hours on low in a slow cooker. Serve and garnish with optional toppings.
4 green onions, finely minced, plus more for garnish
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
2 lb. chicken wings
If you buy whole wings, separate the drum and the flat at the joint. Remove the wing tips and discard.
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, soy sauce, honey, chili garlic sauce, lime juice, garlic, green onions and ginger. Set aside ½ cup of mixture. Add chicken wings to remaining marinade and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400° and place a wire rack on a baking sheet.
Remove wings from marinade and place on wire rack. Bake until golden and crispy, 45 to 60 minutes, turning wings halfway through.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, add reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Turn oven to broil. Brush sauce over wings and broil until caramelized, about 2 minutes.
