Sunday, June 8, 2008

Mexican Fiesta



Watching Boy Meets Grill always makes me crave mexican food. Such was the case this morning. It led to this Mexican feast.

Black Beans and "Rice" Pasta Salad



2 1/2 cups orzo, cooked, rinsed and drained
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 large red onion, diced
1 cup thawed frozen corn kernels
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 poblano chile, roasted with skin and stem removed, minced
1 chipotle chile in adobo, minced
lightly packed 1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. lime juice
4 Tbsp. vinegar from a jar of hot peppers
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chile powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano

Combine all ingredients and toss. Let sit for an hour for the flavors to meld together.


Sweet Potato Fries with Maple Chile Dipping Sauce



1 large sweet potato (about a pound), peeled
olive oil
sea salt

3 Tbsp of the darkest maple syrup you can find
1 tsp good chile powder

Preheat oven to 400. Section the sweet potatoes into french fries (this will take an extremely sharp knife and some elbow grease). On a large jelly roll pan, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for about an hour, turning every 15 minutes. These will get mushy at first, but they will crisp up as they blacken. Even though they turn black in spots, they are not really burnt.

For sauce, just combine syrup and chile powder and mix well. (BTW - this makes a fabulous topping for grilled corn when you use it to make a compound butter)


Spice Rubbed London Broil



2 lb. london broil steak, trimmed of exterior fat
3 Tbsp chile powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp guacamole if desired (I Sandra Lee this a bit: 2 avocados, a packet of guac mix, fresh diced tomatoes and red onion and 2 Tbsp lime juice)

Combine all spices and rub onto steak. Let sit in the refrigerator at least an hour. Bring to room temperature. Preheat a grill. Grill over high heat no longer than 2 minutes on each side. Let rest at least 5 minutes for the juices to redistribute. Slice thin against the grain. Top with guacamole.

6 comments:

amycaseycooks said...

We love sweet potato fries at out house. Will have to try the sauce to go with them next time.

Anonymous said...

How interesting! We had a VERY similar dinner last (Sunday) evening.

I had purchased a really nice-looking, cryo-packed, trimmed, top round steak ... thinking that it might be destined for a Mexican-style dinner.

We simmered the steak at 225 degrees F. for 90 minutes, then finished it on a HOT, ribbed cast-iron skillet for about two minutes per side.

We then sliced it almost paper-thin and served it with the au jus and a very similar pasta salad.

Fabulous.

Hell, just when I thought I did something original . . . I find out someone else has done it as well, and that's cool.

That's what the reputable blogs are about . . . sharing similar experiences.

GREAT post.

DocChuck

Evelin said...

sweet potato fries with maple dipping sauce? you've totally got me here! an interesting combination indeed:)

Anonymous said...

this is exactly what i want for dinner tonight, but the likelihood of convincing my husband (who is lord of the grill) to stand outside in this heat wave and cook is slim to none.

actually, forget the slim - it's just non.

una donna dolce said...

docchuck - great minds think alike!

michelle - It was over a hundred here too. Luckily our grill is right outside the air conditioned kitchen so we can keep an eye on it from inside on really hot days!

test it comm said...

This meal sounds really tasty!

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