Hot Hot Sauce

Hot hot sauce

We really like spicy food in my house. But I don't like hot and spicy just for the heat/pain, there is no fun in that. I need flavor, lots of flavor, and then the heat comes second. This sauce is flavor packed, with a good amount of heat. 

Mix the hot sauce with your ketchup, and you have a great "homemade" condiment for your next backyard BBQ.

Aiming for a very hot, hot sauce like the Google hot sauce by chef Charlie Ayers, the former executive chef for Google. This is what I came up with, using ingredients I had in the kitchen, giving the Google hot sauce a twist.

Makes little under 1 cup.

Ingredients:

• 3 habanero chillies

• 1 jalapeño

• ½ carrot, diced

• ¼ onion, chopped

• ¼ teaspoon ginger, minced

• ½ tablespoon raw sugar

• ½ teaspoon chipotle chili

• 1 teaspoon tomato pure

• 1 teaspoon agave nectar

• ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce

• ¾ teaspoon Thai fish sauce

• ½ lime, the juice

• water to almost cover

Directions:

Bring it all to a boil in a saucepan. Let it simmer, lid on, for 30-40 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

Puree the sauce in a blender, and pass through a strainer. Store the sauce in a clean sealed jar in the refrigerator, it will keep 3-5 days like that.

Enjoy!

Warnings:

Use gloves, while chopping the chilies. 

Do not inhale the steam from the sauce, it works kinda like pepper spray.

Do not get sauce in your eyes. 

Be careful when working with hot liquids in a blender.  If you need a new blender, consider a Vitamix. They are expensive, but they are worth all the money. They can liquefy almost anything and makes soup and margaritas so smooth and creamy. But the best part, you can blend hot liquids without having to clean the soup off all your kitchen cabinets afterwards. Just saying. ;) 

Grilled Sesame Chicken

Grilled Sesame Chicken

Chicken is one of my favorite things to throw on the grill. For the longest time I have been making beer can chicken, but for an easy weeknight dinner for two persons, I'll always end up with leftovers. Not that leftovers is a bad thing, It makes for an easy dinner the next day. 

I think I have had a chicken leg overload during the time I was single and studying. The chicken legs was a cheap meal and easy meal to make. One thing is sure, I haven't been roasting or grilling for years. This was not fair to my husband, he loves the dark meat from chicken.

This recipe for grilled sesame chicken, taught me to love chicken leg dinners again. The spice mixture and the crispy chicken skin is so so good. 

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 lime, the zest 
• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced 
• 2 whole chicken legs 

Directions:

Combine oregano, thyme, rosemary, sesame seeds, lime zest and salt in a small bowl. In a Mortar and pestle combine  the spices with olive oil and garlic until it forms a paste.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Using your hands, rub the herb paste evenly all over the surface of chicken, working it into every nook and cranny.

Preheat the grill for about 10 minutes. Grill the chicken skin-side up at indirect heat for about 25-30 minutes. Then turn up the heat or move over direct heat and grill for another 5-10 minutes, until well done. Chicken should be cooked well done to 165-170℉ or 75℃.
Transfer chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

When grilling:

You need 2 of everything

• 2 tongs, one for raw meats, another for cooked meat
• 2 plates, one for raw meats, another for cooked meat
• 2 marinades, one bowl for marinading and another for basting
• use separate cutting boards for raw vegetables, raw meat and cooked meat and vegetables
• don't leave food out, keep your food cold.

Walnut & Pea Pesto

Walnut & Pea Pesto

One of the best summer vegetables are the fresh peas. They remind me of the summer days on the beach, reading up for the exams and snacking on fresh peas.  

Right now you can get the fresh peas in the stores. And you can use them for other things than just snacking.

Makes about a cup.  

Ingredients:

• 50 g (⅓ cup) walnuts
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 155 g (1 cup) shelled peas (see my notes below)
• 35 g (1 cup) arugula
• 10 fresh mint leaves
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• ½  teaspoon salt
• ¼  teaspoon black pepper
• 1 dl (½  cup) extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, until they are just starting to become fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Blend the toasted walnuts, garlic, peas, arugula, mint, lemon juice and zest, salt and black pepper until finely chopped, scrape down the sides if necessary. While blending add the olive oil in a slow stream, until combined.  

Serve the pesto as a spread on toast, on pasta or as a dressing. The pesto will keep covered in the refrigerator for a few days.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Sorbet

Chocolate Sorbet

Whatever the question, Chocolate is the answer!

The first time I heard about chocolate sorbet was at the Penny Ice Creamery in Santa Cruz. And even though I'm not a huge chocolate fan, I really like the flavor. This is my version of a chocolate sorbet.

Makes about 1 liter (1 quart)

Ingredients:

• 500 ml (2 cups+1 tablespoon) water
• 200 g (1 cup) sugar
• 75 g (⅔ cup) unsweetened coco powder, I use Valrhona
• 1 pinch salt
• 160 g (5⅔ oz) dark chocolate, I use Valrhona
• ½ teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 tablespoon coffee

Directions:

In a large saucepan, whisk together water with sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Bring to a boil while whisking frequently. Let it boil for about 30 seconds, then remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into an stainless steel bowl, and stir in the chocolate until it's melted, then stir in the vanilla paste and espresso. Chill the mixture before freezing. Freeze the sorbet in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Crunchy Quinoa Slaw with Almond & Ginger Dressing

Crunchy Quinoa Slaw with Almond & Ginger Dressing

Summertime is grilling season, and I love grilling. I'm always on the look out for new sides to serve with grilled meats. 

Colorful, healthy and crunchy, and definitely a new go-to side for the summer BBQ's. And a perfect addition for our 4th of July.

Serves 4 

Ingredients:

Quinoa:

• 180 g (1 cup) uncooked quinoa 

• 4 dl (1½ cups) water

• salt (to taste)

Salad:

• ½ small green cabbage, thinly sliced

• ½ small red cabbage, thinly sliced

• 10-15 small scallions, finely chopped

• 1 handful chopped fresh cilantro

• 1 jalapeño, minced (optional)

• 70 g (½ cup) almonds, chopped 

• salt to taste

Dressing: 

• 100 g (⅓ cup) almond butter (I use the fresh grinded almond butter from Whole Foods)

• 50 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves

• about 2-inch (6 cm) fresh ginger, peeled

• 2 limes,  the juice from

• 2 tablespoons water, to get the right texture

• 1 tablespoon agave syrup

• salt to taste

Directions:

Quinoa:

Rinse the quinoa. Bring quinoa and the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add salt to taste. Let the quinoa stand, covered, for 5 minutes. If any more water remains, drain it. Let the quinoa cool.

Dressing:

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend it until smooth. Add water if needed to get the right creamy consistency.

Mix all the ingredients and dressing to a large bowl and dress the slaw. Season with salt to taste. Serve this slaw with you favorite grilled protein or vegetables.

Enjoy!