Category: Dave’s Blog

Adobo-Marinated Chicken Tacos

 

4 dried ancho chiles, wiped clean, stemmed, and seeded

4 dried guajillo chiles, wiped clean, stemmed, and seeded

Water for soaking the chiles

2 teaspoons finely chopped peeled ginger (from about 1-3-inch piece)

Kosher salt to taste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Vegetable oil

Warm corn or flour tortillas. I like to char mine over a gas flame.

 

Garnishes you might like:

Diced avocado

Roasted Tomato Salsa

Chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Lime wedges for squeezing

Finely chopped white onion

Queso fresco or cotija cheese

 

1. Place the chiles in a large bowl, add enough water to cover, and let them soak until softened, about 30 minutes.

2. Place the chiles and a 1/2 cup of the soaking water in a blender. Add the ginger, salt, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, juice from 1/2 of a lime and pepper and blend until smooth, stopping and scraping down the pitcher with a rubber spatula as needed, about 1 minute. (The mixture will be thick—don’t add extra water.)

3. Place the chicken in a large bowl, add the Chile purée, and, using your hands, rub it into the chicken until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate it for 2 to 24 hours. I let it marinade for a couple of hours.

4. When ready to cook, heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium (about 350°F to 400°F). Brush the grates or pan with the vegetable oil, place the chicken on the grill, and season with salt. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, flip, season with salt, and continue to grill until cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes more.

5. Transfer to a cutting board and let sit until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Chop into bite-sized pieces and serve with the tortillas and your choice of garnishes.

Grilled Asian Chicken Thighs

 

16 bone in-skin on chicken thighs

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup soy sauce

¼ cup orange juice

8 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup chopped green onion

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

More chopped green onion and sesame seeds for garnish

 

1. In a large bowl, mix together hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, orange juice, garlic, green onion, ginger and cayenne pepper.

2. Put the chicken thighs in Ziploc bags and marinate at least 1 hour in refrigerator.

3. Remove chicken and place marinade in small saucepan over medium high heat; boil 2 minutes.

4. Place the chicken on a sheet pan with a wire rack to drain and come to room temperature.

5. Heat the grill to medium and cook the thighs for about 10 minutes, turn and cook another 10 minutes more, basting occasionally with the boiled marinade until thighs are done. They should reach an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees on a digital thermometer. If they are not done, turn and baste while they cook a little longer. Don’t let them catch on fire! Move off the heat while cooking if necessary.

6. Platter the cooked chicken on a large platter and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if you like.

Pork Scallopini

 

4 (6 ounce) boneless pork loin chops

1⁄2cup all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

3tablespoons vegetable oil

2tablespoons unsalted butter

1⁄2lb portobello mushroom, thinly sliced

1⁄4cup marsala

¼ cup capers, drained

1 1⁄2cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

2tablespoons sour cream

2tablespoons fresh chives, snipped

 

Sprinkle a small amount of water on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Place 2 of the steaks on top of the plastic and sprinkle again with water. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or meat pounder until about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining 2 steaks.

 

Mix the flour with the salt and pepper in a shallow pie plate. Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Working in 2 batches, place half the pork in the flour mixture and turn to coat on all sides. Shake off the excess flour and add to the skillet. Cook until lightly browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate or platter and cover loosely with foil. Repeat with the remaining oil and pork.

 

Add the butter to the skillet and heat until melted and foamy. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until almost all the liquid that the mushrooms give off has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Pour in the Marsala, increase the heat to high, and cook, stirring, until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Add the capers. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 3 minutes. Return the pork to the skillet and simmer, turning often, until the pork is warmed through and the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Transfer the scaloppini to warm serving plates. Stir the sour cream and chives into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and spoon over the pork.