Coney Island chili sauce

This Coney Island chili sauce adds an element of spice and richness to any hot dog. With a helping of finely chopped onions and a stream of yellow mustard, you have a dish that is worthy of any camp meal or potluck. And it can also be turned into a stand-alone chili with the addition of beans.

Now I admit that I have never had a hot dog covered in authentic Coney Island chili sauce. The sauce is said to have been originated by Greek and Macedonian immigrants to Indiana and Michigan in the early Nineteenth Century. One day I'll have to search out a Coney Island restaurant in Michigan.

In my quest for a good hot dog chili for my summer camp, I first thought of trying Coney Island chili sauce when I ran across several YouTube videos. Although I enjoyed these recipes, many were lacking in texture and smoothness. After much research, I found that many "authentic" recipes added ground hot dogs to the chili. That was the key ingredient. Along with the addition of masa as a binding agent, I found what I was looking for.

So, while I don't make any claim to the authenticity of this recipe, you have my guarantee of its goodness. Give it a try. You will enjoy it.

Large quantity recipe for Coney Island chili sauce.

CONEY ISLAND CHILI SAUCE

Do not brown the ground beef as you would in a pot of chili con carne. Once you puree the hot dog, onion and garlic, place all chili sauce ingredients in a medium pot with the water. As the chili comes up to temperature, break up the ground beef with a potato masher until the chili is smooth. Simmer, thicken and enjoy!

Purchase lean ground beef for this recipe. While I used 90/10 ground beef for this recipe, a leaner grind will work as well. Lean ground beef reduces the amount of grease that rises to the top. I used an all-beef hot dog for the puree.


Hot dog paste:
6 oz hot dog
½ cup onions
3 garlic cloves

Chili sauce:
1 pound 3 ounces lean ground beef
2 cups cold water
⅓ cup ketchup
¼ cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoons celery salt
½ teaspoons ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper

Thickener:
⅓ cup cold water
2 tablespoons masa

In a food processor, process hot dogs, onion and garlic into a smooth paste. Combine hot dog paste, ground beef, water, ketchup, butter or margarine, chili powder, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, celery salt and cayenne pepper to medium pot. Mix with a potato masher or spatula over med-high heat until mixture has a finely ground consistency and begins to bubble. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and reduces, about 1 hour.

Mix cold water and masa into a smooth paste. Slowly pour into sauce, stirring constantly. Cook until sauce has thickened. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over steamed hot dogs with finely chopped onions and yellow mustard. Makes a bit over 5 cups.

This recipe is based a recipe by Chef John of Food Wishes, also available on YouTube and Allrecipes.

Salsa roja picante

Don't let the deep red hue fool you. Salsa roja picante comes with a warning. It carries a bite, and a healthy dose of heartburn if you're not careful!

Warning labels aside, the ubiquitous Mexican red table sauce is good. A common element in every taqueria salsa bar, salsa roja picante flavors any meal part. From chips to huevos rancheros to your go-to burrito, the spicy red sauce will spice up the meal.

And the best part? The recipe couldn't be simpler. Toast dried chile peppers, add water along with garlic, onion and tomato, and simmer 20 minutes. Pour it all into a blender bowl with additional flavors and whirl away. Pure goodness is the result.

Spice up breakfast!

SALSA ROJA PICANTE

Buy pequin and arbol chile peppers at well stocked markets or on-line from stores like Amazon.com. My latest batch of pequin chiles came from Spice Lab via Amazon. If the $60 per pound price tag seems a tab bit high, smaller quantities are available. So, unless you're operating a hot sauce plant, the two-ounce package (at $15) will last months.

1/2 ounce pequin chile peppers, stems pinched off
1/4 ounce arbol chile peppers, stems pinched off
1 medium tomato, core removed & seeded
2 tablespoons chopped sweet onion
2 cloves fresh garlic
2 cups cold water
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1-1/2 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
2 teaspoons turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Toast chile peppers and garlic in a dry skillet over medium heat, 2 to 3 min., or just until aroma begins to bite. Do not burn. Place chiles, tomato, onion and garlic in a saucepan with the water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer for 20 min., then cool 10 to 15 minutes. Add cilantro, vinegar, sugar, salt and cumin to chile mixture. Puree in blender 20 sec. or until smooth. Strain if desired. Age in refrigerator. Yields 2 to 2-1/4 cups unstrained.

Grilled chicken tacos

Earlier this week I wrote about my love for tacos. 'Round the Chuckbox featured tacos al pastor on Monday. I cooked the shepherd style tacos on a cast iron grill pan. These tacos mimic the well known Mexico street food.

With a package of chicken thighs thawing in the fridge, I thought tacos de pollo were in order. This morning I quickly assembled a marinade from orange juice, lime juice, white vinegar, olive oil and spices. I let the chicken soak all day in the fridge.

As the chicken marinated, I prepared salsa verde from tomatillos, fresh chili peppers, onion and garlic. The vegetables were cooked over high heat in the grill pan. The char added extra flavor.

At dinner time, the chicken was cooked in the grill pan, condiments prepared and tacos assembled. Although it's not included in the recipe, I shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese because my wife likes cheese on tacos. The homemade hot sauce and salsa verde compliment the tacos well.

Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate 4 hours or over night to impart flavors. Chicken and marinade can be placed in a  large zipper lock bag if desired. Discard marinate.

To prepare the salsa verde: In a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat, char 8 small to medium tomatillos, 1 seeded poblano chili pepper, 1 seeded jalapeño chili pepper, 1/4 medium onion and 3 garlic cloves.  Place in food processor bowl with a splash of extra virgin olive oil, squeeze of lime, some chopped cilantro and salt to taste. Pulse to desired consistency. Leave chunky. If desired, remove some of the char on the chili peppers before placing in the food processor.

Grill the chicken thighs, skin-side down, until browned, about 5 minutes. After turning, dial the heat down to medium and continue cooking until done, about 20 to 25 minutes. Covering the chicken at this point will help cook them a little quicker.

For each soft taco, quickly heat two corn tortillas. Each taco gets chicken, diced red onion, chopped cilantro and salsa verde. Avocado and sliced radish add color to the tacos (not pictured). Homemade hot sauce adds extra spice to the tacos (recipe coming soon).

GRILLED CHICKEN TACOS

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be used for these tacos if desired. Add additional dried chili peppers to the marinade for additional spice. Ground chipotle chili pepper or smoked paprika can be added to marinade to add a smokey flavor.

8 chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed

Marinade:
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 chilies de arbol, stem removed and broken into pieces
1 teaspoon dried oregano, rubbed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

 Condiments:
Corn tortillas

Salsa verde
Diced red onion
Chopped cilantro
Lime wedges

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place in bowl or other suitable container. Combine marinade ingredients and pour over chicken. Turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Turn chicken every couple hours to ensure coverage.

Pre-heat a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and discard. Brush grill pan ribs with oil. Grill chicken skin-side down until skin is browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and continue cooking until done, about 20 to 25 minutes. Do not crowd pan. Grill in batches.

Remove chicken to platter. Loosely cover with aluminum foil. Rest 5 minutes, then shred chicken. Serve with corn tortillas, salsa verde, diced red onion, chopped cilantro and lime wedges. Serves 4 to 8.

Tacos al pastor

Tacos and hamburgers are two things that I can't get enough of. I've taken to ordering a hamburger and French fries at our local Mexican restaurant. It's not that I don't enjoy their food. I do, especially the chili verde. I simply want hamburgers.

And there are no shortage of tacos near our home. They abound on Taco Tuesday. Debbie and I frequent the local take and bake pizza joint, where -- on Tuesday -- ground beef tacos are the special of the day.

This pleases my wife. She only orders three things at any Mexican eatery -- one, two or three tacos, crunchy shell, no tomato with lettuce of the side. In nearly 37 years, I've never seen her deviate.

This brings us to tacos al pastor. Cooked "shepherd style," traditional tacos al pastor are prepared by stacking marinated pork slices on a spit and roasting on a vertical rotisserie, much like Greek gyros. The meat is slowly roasted as the spit turns. Each time a taco is ordered, the cook shaves the crisp out layer off onto a handheld tortilla.

Yet, tacos al pastor can be made without a spit. A cast iron grill pan stands in for the rotisserie. After grilling the onion and pineapple over intense heat, marinated pork slices quickly caramelize on the ribs of the grill pan. The result is a wonderfully charred taco filling.

The marinade is prepared with garlic, spices, achiote paste and guajillo chilies. The achiote adds color and a "earthy, peppery flavor with a hint of bitterness" to the marinade. When combined with guajillo chilies, the deep red hue imparts an amazing bit of eye appeal, to say nothing of the rich level of spiciness. Stir in pineapple juice and vinegar and the flavor of the tacos are out of this world.

This is my new favorite taco.

Serve tacos al pastor with Mexican rice, lime wedges and a spritz of chopped cilantro. This may not be authentic, but I enjoy a side of grilled onion with the tacos.

TACOS AL PASTOR

This recipe is attributed to the Food and Wine website. I have adapted the directions to cast iron grill pan or skillet. Purchase guajillo chilies and achiote at well-stocked supermarkets or your local Mexican market.

1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more for brushing
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 guajillo chilies, stemmed, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons achiote paste
Sea salt
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 medium pineapple, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 medium red onion, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
Warm corn tortillas, chopped cilantro and lime wedges, for serving

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in the oregano, cumin, pepper and cloves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the chilies and cook, stirring, until blistered in spots, about 30 seconds. Add the pineapple juice, vinegar and achiote paste and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and steep for 5 minutes.

Transfer the chili mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt. Place the pork in a large covered dish or storage container. Pour the marinade over the pork and turn to coat. Set the dish in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat a cast iron grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the pineapple and onion with oil. Grill over high heat, turning once, until lightly charred and softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.

Remove the pork from the marinade. Grill over high heat until lightly charred and just cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to the plate and let rest for 5 minutes.

Cut the pineapple, onion and pork into thin strips and transfer to a bowl. Season with salt. Serve with corn tortillas, chopped cilantro and lime wedges. Makes 8 to 12 tacos.

Beginning my hot sauce journey

For the last five years I have been working on a variety of fresh and cooked salsas. I posted a series of articles titled, "My salsa journey," in February 2011. (Read the articles here, here and here.) Salsa ranchera is the most popular salsa recipe on 'Round the Chuckbox. Since that time I have featured the salsas at several jobs, including two summers at Oakland Feather River Camp in Quincy, California.

I'm now ready to explorer scratch-made hot sauce. My original thought was to duplicate Cholula brand hot sauce, which is my favorite commercial hot pepper sauce. After a brief Internet recipe search, I changed my focus. I figured that it would be wiser to develop a sauce than to attempt to replicate a commercial sauce. Commercial producers use a variety of production techniques that aren't available to the small producer.

I produced my first batch over two weeks ago. I tasted that hot pepper sauce after a 14-day ferment in the refrigerator. While I'm not entirely satisfied with the flavor, I can accept the hot sauce for now. The texture and spiciness are right on. However, I don't enjoy the sharp tingle from the vinegar. While acid is an essential ingredient of hot sauce, one cup of vinegar is overkill.

My next batch will continue to feature serrano chili peppers. They add a base of flavor to the hot sauce. I'll also hold onto the ground arbol chili pepper. I want to try adding ground pequin chili pepper and reducing the vinegar to less than one-half cup. The pequin chili pepper should compliment the arbol. I look forward to trying my next batch.

SERRANO HOT SAUCE

This recipe is adapted from chef Emeril Lagasse. I used his Food Network recipe as a starting point. I added ground arbol chili pepper for depth of flavor and to boost the rich color. As explained above, my next batch will reduce the amount of vinegar and introduce ground pequin chilies.

1 tablespoon canola oil
4 ounces serrano chili peppers, stemmed and sliced (about 20 chilies)
1-1/2 ounces minced garlic
3 ounces sliced onion (1/2 medium onion)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups water
1 teaspoon ground arbol chili pepper
1 cup distilled white vinegar

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add serrano chilies, garlic, onion and salt. Saute 3 minutes. Add he water and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes, or until peppers are very soft and most of the liquid has evaporated. Ventilate the room with exhaust fan if necessary. Stir in ground arbol chili.

Puree mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth. With the motor running, add vinegar in a steady stream. Adjust seasoning with additional salt if needed. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh strainer, then transfer to sterilized half-pint canning jars. Cover with air-tight lids. Age 14 days in refrigerator before using.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. This recipe prepares 1-3/4 to 2 cups hot sauce.

Throwback Thursday: My first recipe on the blog

Beginning today, I intend to re-post articles from the early days of 'Round the Chuckbox each Thursday. My goal is to give new life into some of my early articles. I will fix broken links and take care of spelling and bad grammar. Otherwise, I'll leave the article as originally written. 

The recipe for chuckwagon chili was first posted on February 5, 2005. It was my first recipe and second article to the blog. 

My daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter are over for the weekend. Since it’s their first trip up from the Bay Area since the wedding, we’re having a few friends over this afternoon. I though a simple chili, cooked in one of my 14-inch Dutch ovens over the camp stove would hit the spot.

Traditional red chili is defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat or combination of meats, cooked with red chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of beans and pasta, which are strictly forbidden. Traditions aside, beans have a nice way of rounding a hot bowl of red. Besides, the cowboys ate beans by the bowl. Add 4 (14-ounce) cans of pinto or red beans at the second spice dump.

If you're so inclined, use a mixture of beef base diluted with beer instead of water. Make sure that you use Grandma's or Gephardt's chili powder, not a generic brand.

CHUCKWAGON CHILI

6 pounds round steak, coarsely ground
1/2 cup olive oil
3 ounces chili powder
6 tablespoons ground cumin
6 clove garlic, minced
2 medium red onion -- chopped
6 dried ancho peppers, remove stems and seeds and boil 30 min in water
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 cups beef broth
1 (4-ounce) diced green chiles
12 ounces crushed tomatoes
Hot pepper sauce, to taste

Brown meat in olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Drain excess fat; add chili powder, cumin, garlic and chopped onions. Simmer over low heat 30-45 minutes using as little liquid as possible. Add beef stock only as necessary. Stir often.

Remove skins from boiled pods, mash pulp and add to meat mixture. Add oregano, paprika, vinegar, 2 cups beef broth, chiles, stewed tomatoes and hot pepper sauce. Simmer 30-45 minutes. Stir often. Adjust seasoning. Serve with fresh bread. Makes about 1 gallon or 12 (1-1/3 cup) servings.

Traditional chili garnishes -- diced onions, grated sharp cheddar cheese and chopped cilantro -- compliment this dish well.

This recipe is adapted from the October 2004 issue of Food Management. Chef Joe Eidem of the Washoe (Reno, Nevada) Health System serves his chuckwagon chili in the hospital’s cafeteria.

Dutch oven cookout at camp

When I arrive at camp last year my focus was to get the kitchen ready for staff and campers. I had little time to enjoy a Dutch oven cookout with the cooks. My first week went to writing a new menu, working on vendor relationships and cleaning the kitchen that's dormant eight months of the year. Once the cooks arrived, the focus shifted to training them to cook my recipes and molding them into a cohesive team.

Opening the kitchen this year has been much smoother for me. Outside of revising the menu and training a new crew, the 2014 start up has been a bit less busy. I didn't have to reinvent every process or procedure. I'm spending my time improving on what we did last year and training new cooks (only one 2013 cook returned).

I've added a new feature to our pre-camp evening program. Once each week the cooks enjoy a dinner cookout. We held our first one last night on the barbecue patio that's adjacent to the kitchen. Using the New Braunfels charcoal charcoal grill, I grilled marinated steaks, then set them in a 12-inch camp oven to braise. Nine staff (kitchen, maintenance, housekeeping and leadership) joined in for a fun meal on the patio.

After trimming an eye of round, I cut it into around 20 steaks. I flattened each steak with a heavy bacon press.  

The steaks marinated in a (mildly) spicy guajillo chili sauce. To my guajillo adobo sauce, I added a bit of vinegar, juice of 2 limes, couple tablespoons chopped cilantro and a splash of olive oil. The steaks marinated in the refrigerator for around 4 hours.

The steaks were grilled over a hot charcoal fire in the camp barbecue grill. I set the 20 steaks on a bed of thick onion rings. The onion rings acted as a trivet and flavored meat and resulting sauce.

Since I didn't want to burn the charcoal briquettes on the concrete deck, an inverted 17-inch Lodge skillet served as the Dutch oven table. Five coals under the oven and around 20 on the lid were used to tenderize the steaks (at approximately 350 degrees). It takes 1-1/2 to 2 hours to cook the steaks to the point when they're fork tender. Be ready for a change of coals after 45 minutes. I poured the marinade over the steaks at the halfway point.

The menu for dinner was grilled steaks with spicy guajillo sauce, rice pilaf and succotash with spinach.

Cookin' on the railroad

Friday last I cooked lunch for the maintenance of way crew on the El Dorado Western Railroad in Western El Dorado County, California. The menu consisted of:

• Pork chili with adobo sauce from dried guajillo chilies in 12-inch deep camp oven
• Cheesy buttermilk biscuits with pepper-jack in 14-inch camp oven
• Mixed berry cobbler in 12-inch camp oven
• Railroad coffee

To prepare for the meal, I roasted an eight-pound bone-in pork picnic shoulder at home Thursday evening. I normally use pork butt, but the supermarket didn't have any in stock. The shoulder yielded between five to six pounds of cooked meat once I discarded the bone. I also made the adobo sauce from dried chilies, formed the biscuits with pepper-jack and Parmesan cheeses, prepared the cobbler topping and packed.

After breakfast with the crew (at a Shingle Springs restaurant aptly named the Train Station), I drove to the grade crossing closest to the trestle that we were working on and waited for the train to pick me up.

Once we arrived at the work site, the crew unloaded the kitchen. I set up on a saddle perpendicular to the tracks and began the chili. (Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the chili.) To prepare, I sweated 2 diced onions with lots of minced garlic in olive oil, then dropped about 5 pounds diced pork into the pot. One (14.5-ounce) can of fire roasted tomatoes and 1 (12-ounce) can of tomatillos went into the pot next, along with 1.5 cups of the adobo sauce, a pint of beef stock and the pork drippings.

Two teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons ground cumin and 1 teaspoon dried oregano seasoned the chili. I later added extra dried chili powder and garlic powder to boost the flavor. The chili simmered over a bed of coal for the next hour and one-half. A couple handsful of corn chips thickened the chili.

Nineteen biscuits fit snuggly inside a 14-inch camp oven. I had intended to brush the biscuits with cream, but forgot.

The berry cobbler is similar in construction to a dump cake. You pour frozen berries (12 ounces raspberries, 16 ounces blueberries and 16 ounces blackberries) into an oiled 12-inche camp oven. Half of the topping (scratch made with a fine consistence like cake mix) covered the berries. After the first topping dump had stated to brown, I covered it with the remaining topping and baked with coals for about 425 degrees until brown and crusty.

In the picture, I set the biscuit lid in the skillet and used it for bottom heat for maybe 5 or 10 minutes. Two rings of coals provided the top heat. The picture shows the cobble just before the second topping dump.

Smoky tortilla soup for a potluck

While Debbie and I knew of the after worship potluck for a week or so, we didn't learn of its theme until late last night. Debbie was told the theme is Mexican after a phone call to the hostess. My initial thought was to prepare tortilla chips and salsa. All I needed were tomatoes since we have tortilla chips in the cupboard.

I changed my mind after returning from the corner market (appropriately named the Busy Spot!). I didn't want to duplicate another dish at the potluck. So I prepared a large pot of smoky tortilla soup. As it turned out, I made a good move. Another person brought chips, salsa and guacamole. With tacos, taquitos, flautas and enchiladas, the soup was a winner. Most enjoyed its flavor and mild bite.


I cooked the soup out on the patio this morning. With the range and oven in the shop for repairs, I've been cooking most of our meals over the two-burner Camp Chef stove. The soup was similar to my recipe from September 2010. Smoked paprika and chipotle powder gave the soup a smoky flavor. And canned crushed tomatoes stood in for tomatillos.



I prepared the soup base at home. Corn tortillas strips, shredded cheddar cheese and chopped cilantro (for garnish) went into containers. Once we arrived at the the potluck, the hostess let me re-heat the soup on her range. I dumped the tortilla strips into the soup and heated it until they dissolved into the soup. The soup was served with cheese and cilantro on the side.



Tomato soup with poblano chiles

The residents at work welcome a pot of scratch-made soup each weekday for lunch. I prepared five hearty soups as two rain storms sloshed their way through Sacramento this week. A thick lentil soup was served alongside Polish sausage on Monday. Tuesday saw the traditional match-up of grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.

 Wednesday's chicken tender was served with up with a flavor packed chicken rice soup. Cheesy potato soup complimented a tuna salad sandwich on Thursday. And on Friday, the residents enjoyed tomato rice soup with an Ortega cheeseburger.

Tuesday's tomato soup was, by far, the star of the week. It's one that I enjoy cooking, especially during rainy weather. Twice featured on these pages (here and here), the soup can be prepared in less than one hour.

To prepare, I generally combine one-part tomato sauce, one-part broth (chicken or vegetable) and one-part bechemel. This soup uses a variation of that formula. Instead of preparing the three components in separate pots, I cooked it in a single stockpot.

I wanted to prepare tomato soup with a differing flavor profile, something that's better than canned tomato soup. Salsa is always popular at work. With a large stock of poblano chile peppers in the refrigerator, I figured the typical salsa ingredients (tomatoes, peppers, cumin and cilantro) would provide a robust Southwestern flavor profile for the soup.

While the soup doesn't mimic the flavor of salsa, poblano chile peppers, cumin and cilantro give the tomato a unique flavor profile. And please leave feedback (especially Chef Brian and Chef Tyrone). I'm always interested in how others (both professionals and home cooks) modify my recipes. Enjoy.

TOMATO SOUP WITH POBLANO CHILES

Ingredient amounts are estimated as I prepared the soup on the fly.

4 ounces unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 roasted poblano chile peppers, chared skin removed and diced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 (8 ounce) can tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1-1/2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 bay leaves
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups sour cream or Mexican crema
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or cojita cheese

Melt butter in a 8- to 10-quart heavy sauce pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and peppers to butter. Sweat until softened, but not browned. Add flour and stir to form a white roux. Cook roux-vegetable mixture for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring continually. Stir in tomato paste and cumin and cook for an additional minute.

Add crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, lime juice, bay leaves, oregano and cilantro. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes to meld flavors. In a medium bowl, temper sour cream by slowly whisking 2 cups of hot soup into sour cream. Pour tempered sour cream into soup while whisking.

Check seasoning. Add a little sugar if necessary to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes. If the soup is too thick, thin with a little chicken broth or milk. Season with salt and ground white pepper to taste.

Makes approximately 3 quarts, or 12 (8-ounce) servings. Garnish each bowl with fresh cilantro leaves and Parmesan cheese.

Kent Rollins' Mexican cornbread

When I picked up my latest cookbook purchase, On the Trail and in the Kitchen: Tried and True Recipes from Kent Rollins (self-published: Byers, Texas, 2012), the recipe for Mexican cornbread appeared to be a winner. I prepared it in a Lodge 10-inch Dutch oven Saturday evening. The wonderful blend of chiles, buttermilk and cheddar cheese gave the cornbread the same great flavor that you expect from Kent's food.

My first inclination was to call it "Cowboy polenta." This makes sense when you see that Kent's cornbread created the perfect balance between the cake-like texture of cornbread and creamy consistency of Italian polenta. When cut into wedges, the cornbread becomes the perfect accompaniment to chili con carne, huevos rancheros or sauteed pepper steak.

Italian polenta is often served with stews and braised dishes, where it soaks up flavorful juices. What better way to showcase Kent's cornbread than to serve it with large bowl of rich chili con carne in camp? Place a wedge of cornbread in a large bowl or wide-brimmed plate and ladle your best camp chili over it. You get the best of of both dishes as it absorbs the chili-laden juices.

I should note that the lovely Mrs. Chuckbox enjoyed the cornbread it by itself. So, it doesn't matter how you prepare the cornbread. You'll enjoy it with soft butter and honey or buried under a rich bowl of camp chili.

I look forward to trying more recipes from On the Trail and in the Kitchen.

KENT ROLLINS' MEXICAN CORNBREAD

I used 5 Kingsford brand charcoal briquettes under the 10-inch Dutch oven and 15 on the lid on a hot evening. To avoid burning the bottom, remove the Dutch oven from the bottom heat after about 15 minutes. Finish baking with top heat only.

1-1/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 (4-ounce) can dice green chiles
1 cup creamed corn
1 cup shredded cheese

In a mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Add buttermilk, eggs and vegetable oil. Mix well. Add green chiles and creamed corn. Mix well.

Pour half of the mixture into a greased 10-inch Dutch oven or casserole dish. Sprinkle top with cheese. Pour the rest of the mixture over cheese.

Bake with coals or in a conventional oven at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool. Cut into 8 wedges.

Navy chili

What doesn't love good chili? This one interests me because we are staying in Silverdale, Washington this weekend to attend a wedding, where my niece is marrying a sailor from the naval base. Silverdale is located about five miles north of Bremerton.

BREMERTON, Wash. (May 12, 2012) -- Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent gives Culinary Specialist Seaman Apprentice Kenzil Woodard, from Winnsboro, S.C., assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), a thumbs up after taste testing chili during the Olympic College Foundation Military Culinary Arts Competition held in Bremerton.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Charles D. Gaddis IV.

Chipotle sauce for tacos

I prepare chipotle sauce at work as a low fat alternative to sour cream. It compliments tacos or taco salad nicely. Although I love sour cream, chipotle sauce has become my sauce of choice for taco salad.

When I first prepared the sauce at the beginning of February, I combined one-part low fat sour cream to two parts low fat plain yogurt. While the residents enjoyed the sauce, I felt the yogurt overpowered the sour cream. Low fat mayonnaise filled in today, mainly because I didn't buy sour cream.

The result was a smooth, slightly thick sauce. It's smooth feel compliments the spiciness if the taco flavorings. It had the right amount of heat from the chipotle chiles, and a distinct, yet subtle smokey flavor.

CHIPOTLE SAUCE

16 ounces low fat plain yogurt
16 ounces low fat mayonnaise or sour cream
3-5 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
8 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix ingredients until combined. Adjust seasoning and chill. If desired, scoop into 2-ounce portion cup with scant #24 disher. Makes 25 (1-1/3 fluid ounce) servings.

Chili verde revisited

I've completely reworked my recipe for pork chili verde in the last six months. It's not that my previously published recipe was bad. I've received many kudos for it over a dozen years. Co-workers, campers and residents at work have enjoyed the its tangy combination of canned tomatillos, green enchilada sauce and Anaheim chile peppers.

While I've personally enjoyed the stew, I felt it was time to rework the recipe. Since January I've perfected my salsa technique. Salsa verde, a sharply flavored Mexican sauce made with tomatillos and spicy green chile peppers, serves as the basis for the pork stew.

All the necessary flavors are present in the salsa. I find you need a two to one ratio of tomatillos to poblano chile peppers (by weight) for the stew. Tomatillos provide background flavor while poblanos give the stew a rich chili flavor. The combination of two key flavors meld to form a complex flavor profile for the stew.

The new recipe is a blending of culinary techniques. It begins with roasting the tomatillos (husks removed), poblanos and whole peeled garlic cloves. Although I usually roast the vegetables in a hot oven spread out on a sheet pan, you can roast them in a skillet over medium-low heat.

It takes around 20 or 30 minutes to cook the vegetables until they're tender. See that they're cooked to the core, but not overcooked. Set the oven (or use the appropriate heat on a camp oven) for 375 degrees.

The process concentrates flavor, drives excess moisture out and gives the vegetables a slight char. Extra char adds extra flavor to the dish within reason. One or two jalapeno or serrano chile peppers add spiciness since the basic recipe is low on the heat scale.

Meanwhile, sear the diced pork on hot oil in a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. Lightly season the pork cubes with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Carefully place meat in the hot oil.

Sear the meat in batches to avoid overcrowding. Space between the meat cubes allows moisture to quickly evaporate and caramelize. Otherwise, moisture pools, the meat boils and doesn't brown.

Once the meat is ready, run the tomatillos, chiles and garlic (with dried oregano, cumin and chicken base) through the blender. Marry the meat and sauce together in a Dutch oven, bring to a boil and simmer for about 90 minutes or until the meat is tender. Spoon excess fat from the surface of the stew.

This process creates a wonderful stew, one with flavors that surpasses the chili verde made from canned ingredients. Use canned when you're in a pinch, but always remember fresh ingredients will give your chili verde a bright, refreshing flavor.

PORK STEW WITH CHILI VERDE SALSA

1-1/2 pounds tomatillos, husk removed
12 ounces poblano chile peppers
5 cloves garlic
1 or 2 jalapeno chile peppers (optional)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced small
2 pounds pork butt, diced into 1/2-inch cudes
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chicken base
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Roast tomatillos, poblano chiles, jalapeno chiles and whole garlic gloves in 375-degree oven until tender and slightly charred. Meanwhile, lightly season cubed pork with salt and ground black pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a 5-quart cast iron Dutch (lodge #8) oven medium-high heat.

Saute onion in hot oil until slightly browned. Transfer to bowl. Add 1/2 the pork to Dutch oven. Turn pieces as necessary until well browned on all sides. Transfer meat to bowl. If pot is dry, add 1 tablespoon oil. Repeat process for remaining meat. Transfer meat and onion back into Dutch oven.

Cool vegetables slightly when ready. Place in blender bowl with oregano, cumin and chicken base. Pulse several times to create a smooth sauce. Pour sauce over meat in Dutch oven.

Place lid on Dutch oven. Bake at 350 degrees until pork is very tender when pierced and flavors are blended, about 90 minutes. Fold in cilantro. Adjust seasoning.

Garnish with cilantro leaves and lime wedges. Serve with warm flour tortillas and Mexican rice. Makes about 6 (1-cup) or 8 (3/4-cup) portions.