Gingery Watermelon Paletas

This recipe was super easy and really good. 

A dollop of yogurt keeps the pops from being too icy, and the ginger adds a little spice which is a nice offset to the sweet watermelon. I have larger pop molds, so I made 6. The 1/3 c of sugar worked very well for me, but the watermelon I purchased was really sweet by nature.

Ingredients

4 cups cubed seedless watermelon (from about half a 5-pound watermelon)

1/4 cup plain 2% fat or whole Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger

Pinch of kosher salt

1/3 cup (or more) sugar

1 tablespoon (or more) fresh lime juice

Special equipment

Ten 3-ounce ice-pop molds and wooden sticks (Don't worry about the sticks if your molds already have them built in.)

Preparation

Purée watermelon, yogurt, ginger, salt, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon lime juice in a blender until smooth. Add more sugar and lime juice, if desired. (Purée will taste less sweet once frozen, so err on the sweet side.)

Divide purée among ice-pop molds. Freeze until mixture begins to set around edges of molds, 45–60 minutes. Stir mixture in molds to blend; insert sticks. Freeze until solid, at least 4 hours. Dip molds briefly in hot water to release paletas.

DO AHEAD: Paletas can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.

Guadalajara style Chilaquiles

I found this recipe on the web a long time ago, long before I was properly keeping track of the chef and website. I apologize for this. The recipe is very good and makes a wonderful chile sauce and you end up with a good amount of extra.

4 large tomatoes (heirloom are best)

1 small white onion, finely chopped

2-3 whole garlic cloves

3 chiles de arbol or 1 poblano and 2 jalapeños

1/4 cup oil

12 dry hard tortillas/several handfulls of tortilla chips

6 egg whites/3 eggs

queso fresco/Oaxaca cheese/romana salata

small bunch of cilantro chopped

Boil chiles and tomatoes until soft

Blend chiles and tomatoes in a blender with whole garlic and onion

Warm 1/2 of oil in a large sauce pan and cook down the chile/tomato liquid to desired thickness

Place chile sauce in a container and let cool, do not clean out sauce pan completely. Add rest of oil to the pan and warm again.

Add tortillas and cook until starting to get soft and lightly coated with chile sauce/oil. Add eggs. Stir continuously to make sure eggs do not stick to bottom of pan until they are cooked through and tortillas are fully mixed. Add salt to taste.

Serve on plate covered in chile sauce, garnish with cilantro, and cheese.

Pesto

My dad worked out this well-balanced and flavorful recipe. Last time I made it, I used all the leaves from a 4 oz container of basil. It worked great.

3 oz basil by weight washed and dried use only the leaves

1/2 c pine nuts lightly toasted

1/2 c olive oil

1/4 c Parmesan grated

4 cloves garlic (if you roast the garlic, it makes the pesto less piquant)

Mix all ingredients in a food processor and chop for a few seconds. Then add oil and process to desired consistency.

Chickpea Burgers

This recipe comes from Saveur magazine. Don't get me wrong, I love a good burger (right now bison is my favorite) but these are a solid alternative. They have good flavor and a hearty feel, and they are pretty straightforward to make.

I do not usually serve these with sprouts but that's just a personal preference. I like them with a little mustard as well.

I add a 2nd egg which really makes a difference in how these guys hold together for cooking.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BURGER

⅓ cup olive oil, separated

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 small stalk celery, finely chopped

1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 15oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup cooked brown rice

8 cloves garlic, roasted and peeled

¼ cup sesame tahini

2 tsp. lemon zest

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

1 egg

FOR SERVING

2 oz. sprouts

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced

2 Roma tomatoes, cored and sliced ½" thick

3 oz feta, crumbled

3 pocket pitas cut in half crosswise, or 6 hamburger buns, split and toasted

INSTRUCTIONS

.5 Roast the garlic in the oven at 400 F for about 30 mins - drizzle olive oil on them and wrap loosely with tin foil.

1. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, celery and thyme and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and reserve. Wipe skillet clean.

2. Place chickpeas and rice in a food processor, along with garlic, tahini, and zest. Pulse until chickpeas and rice are chopped, but not yet a paste, about 8 pulses or about 10 seconds. Transfer mixture to the bowl with the onions. Add parsley and egg, season with salt and pepper, and mix well to combine. Divide mixture into six 4 oz. patties, about 3" wide x  ½" thick. Place on a plate and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until ready to use.

3. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in skillet over medium high heat and cook burgers in batches of 3, flipping once halfway through until toasted on each side and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining oil and burgers.

4. Divide burgers, sprouts, sliced cucumber, tomato and feta between pita pocket halves or buns and serve.

Note: Individual burgers can be formed and then frozen, sealed, for up to one month. Thaw and cook as needed.

Baked Potato Salad

Alexandra Guarnaschelli contributed this recipe to the Food Network. I think she's right that the flavors are very American. It's sweet and savory and the baked potato is a nice change from the boiled potato style salad. 

I used all the puree on the potatoes rather than reserving some on the side. I also left the skins on all the pieces and cut the potatoes into pieces before baking. I think either way will work fine. If you cut the potatoes into pieces make sure that they don't overcook. 

Ingredients

2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, washed and dried

1 large bunch parsley, about 1-inch of stems still attached, thoroughly washed and roughly chopped with scissors

1 bunch basil, about 1-inch of stems still attached, thoroughly washed and dried, roughly chopped with scissors

Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch sugar

4 to 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

2 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon capers and 1 teaspoon caper liquid

4 to 6 gherkins, depending on size, quartered lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces, plus 1 tablespoon gherkin liquid

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in a baking dish and put it in the center of the oven. Bake for about 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor (or blender), combine the parsley and basil leaves. Season with salt and white pepper, to taste. Add the water and blend. With the motor running, pour 1/2 cup of the olive oil through the top in a slow, steady stream. This doesn’t need to be a smooth puree. It should be a little rustic and chunky. Taste for seasoning and add pinch of sugar. Pulse to combine and set aside.

In a serving bowl large enough to hold the potatoes, stir together the red wine vinegar, shallots, mustard, capers and liquid, and gherkins and liquid. Add 1/4 cup of the herb oil and toss. Taste for seasoning. Stir in half of the parsley/basil puree. 

When the potatoes are tender and yielding when pierced with the tip of a knife, after about 50 minutes, remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool for a few minutes. Peel half of them. Some potato skin is a nice flavor in the salad. Cut any big potatoes in quarters, the rest in half.

Put the potatoes in the bowl with the dressing. Season lightly with salt and pepper, to taste, and toss them in the dressing. Serve the remaining parsley/basil puree on the side. Keep at room temperature until serving.

Roast Chicken with Sambal Chimichurri

This recipe comes from Food and Wine. It is simply fantastic! Spicy yet not overpowering, so flavorful and just delectable in every way. My wife couldn't say enough good things about it. It also keeps really well. I made 2 instead of 3 chickens and we still had leftovers for several days, and it was as good on the last day as the first.

I found the sambal chili paste at a Sprouts Market, which is like a smaller and less expensive Whole Foods. The chili paste is made by the same company that makes rooster sriracha sauce. There's regular and garlic flavored.

Chicken

1 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup distilled white vinegar

9 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup oregano leaves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons sweet paprika

3 tablespoons chile powder

1 tablespoon curry powder

Kosher salt

Three 3 1/2-pound chickens

Chimichurri

2 cups parsley leaves

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon sambal oelek (Indonesian chile paste)

1 tablespoon mirin

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

Kosher salt

PREPARE THE CHICKEN 

In a bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, paprika, chile powder, curry and 3 tablespoons of salt. Arrange the chickens in a dish and pour the marinade over the chickens, rubbing it all over the birds. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Set a rack on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Remove the chickens from the marinade, scraping off any excess. Twist the wings of the chickens behind the backs and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Lightly season the chickens with salt and arrange them on the rack.

Roast the chickens for about 1 hour, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh reaches 160, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Transfer the chickens to a carving board and let rest for 10 minutes.

MAKE THE CHIMICHURRI 

In a food processor, combine the parsley, cilantro and garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Add the oil, vinegar, sambal, mirin, lemon juice and oregano and pulse to combine. Season with salt and transfer the chimichurri to a bowl.

Cut each chicken into 8 pieces and serve with the chimichurri sauce.

Baiao de Dois (Brazilian rice with black eyed peas and chorizo)

This is a great rustic recipe. It's one of those "peasant" dishes that can be a great side or a main course.  It's a perfect dish for people who like hot sauce, but I also like it as is. 

Of course, using the dried black eyed peas is the traditional process, but you can substitute canned beans if desired. I use 3 15 oz. cans. If you use the canned peas, you only need to cook them about 10 minutes before adding the rice. 

I use thick-sliced bacon and loose chorizo. I like the chorizo without the casing, but using a pre-made chorizo sausage is totally fine too. 

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. olive oil

8 oz. bacon, finely chopped

5 oz. chorizo, finely chopped

1 large yellow onion, minced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. ground annatto seed (2 tsp tumeric and 2 tsp paprika mix replacement)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight, drained (or 3 15 oz cans)

2 ½ cups jasmine rice, rinsed

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and chorizo and cook until fat is rendered, about 12 minutes. 

Add onion; cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add garlic; cook until golden brown, about 9 minutes. 

Add annatto, salt, and pepper; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Add peas and 5 ½ cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered partially, until peas are tender, about 30 minutes. 

Add rice, reduce heat to low, and cook, covered, until rice is tender, about 15 minutes.