Mexican Flavours

Charlie had one last spin on the waking board before heading back to the UK

 

Summer is a great time for all kinds of reunions with friends and family.  Samantha organized a fun weekend with 3 pals from her high school days while Charlie and Teddy were also visiting.  We celebrated by asking SummerWater Sports to come for a day to teach wakeboarding and waterskiing to an eager group on our dock.  SWS is renowned in Muskoka for waterski shows at Cleveland’s House and Bala, and they also give clinics throughout the area.  The instructors, Nikki and Craig, were excellent, and we were all impressed when Sam’s friend Lexi got up on her very first try!

Sarah, Lexi, Sam and Sophie

The sunny weather we’ve been having brought Mexican food to mind, and we put together a spicy menu inspired by Chicago’s Rick Bayless.  All the recipes are simple and flavourful, and between the advanced preparation of a few sauces and the hands-off method of rotisserie chicken,  our day was freed up for lots of fun. 

And of course Charlie kicked off cocktail hour by mixing up a batch of his famous Pimm’s. 

 

Smoked Sweet Potatoes

  

For the marinade:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

3 tablespoons mild smoked paprika

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves

pinch sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup water

3 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges

In a small saucepan, heat the oil on a MEDIUM setting.  Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 60 seconds, then add the remaining marinade ingredients.  Whisk to combine, then simmer on MEDIUM-LOW for about 10 minutes to blend the flavours.  Cool.

Meanwhile, light the coals of the smoker.  Soak 1 cup apple wood chips in warm water.  When the coals are glowing, drain the wood chips and scatter them over the coals.  Do not use a drip pan as you want a dry heat to cook these sweet potatoes. 

Brush the sweet potato wedges with the marinade, and lay them on the smoker.  Cook, turning occasionally, for about 45 minutes, or until tender.  Serve with the Avocado Dip to cool the spices.

Avocado Dip

This dip can also be thinned to the consistency of a salad dressing by adding 3 tablespoons of cold water while whirring in the blender.

½ cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 garlic clove, peeled and halved

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ ripe avocado, pitted and flesh scooped from the skin

½ cup roughly chopped cilantro

Salt

Combine the oil, lime juice, garlic, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, avocado, cilantro and ¾ teaspoon salt in a blender jar.  Process until smooth.  Taste and season with more salt if needed. 

Rotisserie Chicken with Mexican Flavours

For the marinade:

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1 tablespoon mild smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

pinch ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

¼ cup orange juice

1 5-pound chicken

Place the chicken in a shallow glass dish.  Combine all marinade ingredients and pour it over and inside the chicken. Allow to marinate at least 2 hours or as long as overnight, turning it occasionally. 

Light the rear rotisserie burner on your barbecue, and place a drip pan on the grids.  Meanwhile, truss the chicken by first twisting the wings behind the bird, and then tying it securely with butcher twine to prevent movement while turning.

Thread the chicken onto the spit rod, securing it at both ends with the spit forks.  Adjust the spit balance so that the chicken can turn evenly when the rotisserie motor is turning.  Place the chicken on the barbecue, set the temperature to about 350° and find something fun to do while your dinner is self basting and cooking to perfection.  Aim for about 30 minutes of cooking per pound, but always use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.  Allow to rest 20 minutes before carving.

Serve with Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatillo Salsa

4 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved

2 poblano peppers, halved and seeded

2 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and roughly chopped

1/3 cup loosely packed cilantro

¼ cup water

1 shallot, minced

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Set a large nonstick skillet over MEDIUM-HIGH.  Lay the garlic, poblano peppers and tomatillos, cut side down, in the heated skillet.  When browned, turn everything to the other side and cook until tender.  Scrape the tomatillos, poblanos and garlic into a blender and cool for about 3 minutes.  Add the jalapeno pepper, cilantro and water.  Blend, adding more water if necessary for the desired consistency.  Season with salt, to taste.

Rotisserie Chicken

 

For weeks we have been sorting through our basements and attics combing for “treasures” we were willing to part with at our neighbourhood garage sale.  At last, Saturday was the Big Day.  We were blessed with warm sunny weather for standing outside and greeting friends and neighbours we hadn’t laid eyes on since the snow started falling those many months ago.  After a morning of good fun with lots of laughs, we were able to make a nice donation to the Waterloo Regional Down Syndrome Society from all the profits.

At the end of a busy weekend it was nice to sit down to a very simple and delicious dinner.  We had been out to the Waterloo Farmer’s Market where we each picked up a big roasting chicken from Hilltop Acres Poultry. Cooking the birds on the rotisserie resulted in succulent and delicious meat. Then, we took the kale and lemons to  make a quick and super- nutritious salad.

Rotisserie Chicken

You can use any of your favourite spice rubs or seasoning salt to flavor your chicken inside and out.  For ours we made a small batch with kosher salt, brown sugar, cumin, coriander and paprika. 

1 whole chicken, about 5 pounds

1 onion, roughly chopped

5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

a few sprigs each rosemary, thyme and parsley

1 -2 tablespoons olive oil

seasoning salt and pepper

Wash chicken thoroughly with cold water inside and out.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of seasoning salt inside the cavity, then loosely pack it with the onion, garlic, and herbs.   Drizzle the oil over the outside of the chicken and massage it evenly over the skin.  Sprinkle more of the spice mix over the outside.  Using cotton butcher’s twine, truss the chicken to prevent movement during the rotation. 

If using a rear rotisserie burner, light the burner to preheat the barbecue.  If using bottom burners, light the outside burners, leaving the middle burner off, and add some hot water to the roasting pan to prevent scorching.   

Skewer the chicken with the spit rod, securing the spit forks tightly on each end.  Place the rod over your sink allowing the heaviest part of the chicken to rotate to the bottom.  Secure the counter balance at the opposite side to help with even rotation on the barbecue.  Place a shallow roasting pan on the barbecue, and place the chicken and rotisserie rod on the grill, inserting it tightly into the motor.  Turn the motor on, and watch for a few rotations to ensure that the chicken is not touching the roasting pan and that it is turning smoothly.  Adjust as needed.  (you may need to remove grids and place the roasting pan directly on the flavor waves). 

Adjust the flame to maintain a temperature of about 350° F, allowing about 25 minutes per pound.  Always use a meat thermometer to determine doneness, inserting it into the thigh or leg avoiding touching the bone.  Let rest 5-10 minutes before carving.  

 Kale Salad with Lemon, Serranos and Mint

This recipe is from Chef Jean-George Vongerichten.   It fit the bill perfectly for our menu this weekend, as we were trying to decide what to do with the lemons and kale that we picked up at the market. As  he said in his interview in Mens Journal magazine (April, 2013), “Salads are very much whatever the mood is- just whatever you find in the market.”  Who can argue with chef Jean-George??

Dressing:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
5 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic
11/2 in piece serrano pepper
5 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp kosher salt
pinch of finely ground black pepper
1 cup sunflower oil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1 lemon

Combine red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, serrano pepper, dijon mustard, salt & pepper in a food processor. Whir for a few seconds, then, with the blade still running, slowly add oils, then lemon zest.

Salad:
2 bunches kale, stems removed, washed and dried
16 medium mint leaves
2 green onions, thinly chopped
1/2 cup dressing
Freshly cracked black pepper

Remove the stems and the center rib from the kale leaves with a sharp knife. Stack trimmed leaves in a neat pile and slice crosswise into very thin (1/8") ribbons. Combine kale, chopped mint and green onions, dressing and pepper in a large bowl and toss, 10 minutes before serving. This gives the lemon juice, mustard and salt time to tenderize the kale.