Chile Salad Sonora Recipes

CUCUMBER CHILI SALAD

Steps:

• Toss cucumber, serrano chile pepper, red onion, and mint together in a bowl. Pour lime juice and grapeseed oil over the cucumber mixture; toss to coat. Add sugar, salt, and black pepper; stir.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

SONORA FLOUR ROTI

Steps:

• Mix the all-purpose flour, Sonora flour, baking powder and salt by hand in a large bowl.
• Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in 3 tablespoons of the oil and 1 1/2 cups water. Mix together until fully incorporated and you can form a dough ball. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 5 equal pieces, each weighing about 120 grams. Form each piece into a ball. Lightly oil a rolling pin and a work surface. Roll each ball out into a circle about 6 to 7 inches in diameter. Combine the melted butter and the remaining 1/4 cup oil in a small bowl. Brush the rounds with the mixture.
• One at a time, make a cut from the center of a round out. Roll the round up like a cone. Take the tip of the cone and push down towards center. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Refrigerate the dough for 10 minutes or up to 12 hours.
• Place a piece of dough on a lightly oiled cutting board and press down on it with your palm until it's an even circle 6 to 7 inches in diameter. Heat a 9- or 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to cover the bottom. When the skillet is very hot but not smoking, add a roti. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and air pockets start to form, about 3 minutes. Flip and brown the other side. After each roti is cooked, place it in a bowl, cover with a lid and shake the bowl up and down. This creates texture in the roti. Repeat with the remaining roti, adding more oil to the skillet as necessary. Serve hot.

CALAMARI, CHILE, AND WATERMELON SALAD

Steps:

• Make the dressing: Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl.
• Make the salad: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath. Using a kitchen mallet, pound both sides of calamari bodies a few times to tenderize. Insert a sharp knife into calamari bodies, cut along seam, and then open like a book. Lightly score inner sides at 1/4-inch intervals. Cut in half lengthwise to form 2 pieces, then slice into triangles, each about 4 inches tall by 1 1/2 inches wide. (Leave tentacles whole, or halve if large.)
• Blanch calamari in boiling water for 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Drain, and pat dry. Place calamari in a nonreactive bowl.
• Put cockles into a saucepan, and cover with water by 1 inch. Cover, and simmer, until shells open, about 7 minutes. Drain; discard any unopened shells.
• Add cockles, watermelon, scallions, cilantro, mint, chile, pickled onion, and dressing to calamari, and toss to combine. Garnish with cilantro and mint.

SONORAN CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk dressing ingredients together and let stand for at least 1 hour, allowing flavors to blend. Combine all other ingredients, except lettuce, and gently mix in dressing and let chill. Serve on a bed of romaine lettuce.

CHILE CON CARNE ROJO, SONORAN STYLE

Steps:

• Put the cut-up beef in a dutch oven or similar large kettle, cover with water and boil with salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and 3-4 bay leaves. Boil until meat is tender.
• Remove bay leaves and throw them away. Remove the meat.
• Pour the liquid into another container. (I use a good-sized plastic pitcher.).
• Stir the chili paste into the liquid. ( Or use 8 ounces of the paste and 8 ounces of made-from-scratch chile sauce. Or if you have an asbestos tongue, skip the commercial stuff entirely!).
• Melt shortening in the bottom of the kettle. Add flour and cook until brown, stirring almost constantly.
• Add 10 cups or so of the beef stock/chile mixture gradually, while stirring. (It's like making gravy.).
• Reduce heat and add oregano, cumin, more garlic, and salt to taste.
• Stir in the meat.
• DO NOT add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, stewed tomatoes, or any other tomato product!
• Serve with flour tortillas and refried beans. Or make your own burros and serve it that way. Left overs (if any) freeze well.

CHILE VERDE GUACAMOLE

Steps:

• Place the Anaheim chile on a small baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Roast it under the broiler, flipping a couple times, until the chile is wilted and its skin is completely charred and wrinkly, 9 to 12 minutes. (Alternatively, you can char the chile directly on a hot comal or a cast-iron pan set over medium heat, or on a grill set to high.)
• Place the charred Anaheim chile in a plastic bag and close it well. Let it steam and sweat for 5 to 10 minutes.
• As the Anaheim chile steams, add the serrano chile, onion, cilantro and salt in a bowl or molcajete, and mash until combined. Add the avocado and continue to mix and mash until you form a chunky purée.
• Once it is cool enough to handle, remove the Anaheim chile from the bag, slip off the charred skin, make a slit down the side and remove the seeds and stem. You could rinse the chile under a thin stream of water, to help remove the seeds, or rinse it off by dipping it into a bowl of water.
• Finely chop the Anaheim chile. Add it to the avocado mixture, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt.

SONORA-STYLE GREEN CHILE PORK BURRITOS

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE RUB: In a small bowl thoroughly mix together the rub ingredients.Coat the roast thoroughly with the rub and lightly brush or spray with olive oil. Allow the roast to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling.Grill the roast over Indirect Medium heat until the internal temperature reaches between 185°F and 190°F, 3 to 4 hours.TO MAKE THE BURRITOS: Cut the roast into 3/4 inch chunks and place in a large saucepan with the salsa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. In another pan, heat the refried beans with the olive oil.Grill the tortillas over Direct Medium heat until warm, 15 to 20 seconds, turning once halfway through grilling time. Spread each tortilla with the refried beans, sprinkle on some cheese, and spoon a generous portion of the pork mixture on top. Top with some of the shredded lettuce and sour cream. Roll the tortillas into burritos and serve immediately.From Weber's Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.