Poblano chorizo potato salad

Going on a picnic or having a cook out? I’d like to offer you a suggestion—this bowl of poblano chorizo potato salad.

Now, when I lived in Texas, my friends and I went on a lot of picnics. These were never fancy, overly planned affairs. Instead, we’d simply decide that we’d rather eat at a park rather than at home. And just like that, we’d raid our refrigerators, grab a blanket and dine outside.

The key to these joyful meals was their spontaneity. Sure, we were busy people with school or jobs to occupy our time. But for some reason, it didn’t seem strange to just drop in on someone and suggest going on a picnic—or whatever the whim was that day. Gathering with people was a whole lot easier.

When I moved to New York, however, I learned that this was no longer the case. Schedules have to be coordinated, reservations have to be made, histories have to be considered. Sometimes you can spend a month trying to coordinate a one-hour meeting. It’s exhausting.



At first, I thought I was the only one who felt this way about New York, and I was simply being nostalgic for those relaxed summer evenings eating outside back in Texas. But after consultation with other Texan transplants, I learned that the challenge in getting together with friends is common amongst all New Yorkers. It’s just the way things are done here.

That’s not to say that people don’t get together. But the only time I’ve ever dropped by unannounced to someone’s apartment was after the 2003 blackout. There was no power, of course, and my phone had died. In order to communicate with people, I had to walk to where they lived and visit them in person. Sure, it was kind of a hassle not having any electricity, but if you ask people who were in New York City during the blackout, you’ll hear the same thing—most people had a blast.

Unlike previous blackouts that had been defined by violence and crime, the 2003 blackout was peaceful and calm. People just took the parks, sat on the ground and ate perishable foods before they went bad. We were carefree. When the power returned, however, things were back to normal. And if I showed up at someone’s house unannounced, they’d think I’d lost my mind.

Now, if I were going to go on a spontaneous picnic today, when raiding my refrigerator I’d grab this poblano chorizo potato salad, which has become my new favorite for outdoor dining. I love it. As you may know, the tangy spice of Mexican chorizo goes very well with the earthy, mild heat of roasted poblanos. And when you add some potatoes, sour cream, cilantro and lime juice, you have a side dish that just might upstage the main event.



Of course, you certainly don’t need a spontaneous gathering to appreciate this dish, nor do you need to eat outside. But if you’re fan of chorizo with roasted poblanos, I will insist that you make a plan to try this—because I do believe that you just may love it, too.

Poblano chorizo potato salad
Ingredients:
2 poblano chiles
2 pounds red potatoes, cubed
1/2 pound Mexican chorizo, cooked and crumbled
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons lime juice, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cotija cheese, for serving

Method:
Roast the poblano chiles under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Place chiles in a paper sack or plastic food-storage bag, close it tight and let the chiles steam for 20 minutes. Take the chiles out of the bag and rub off the skin. Remove seeds and stems and dice.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold, salted water. On medium heat, bring to a boil and then cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Mix together the diced chiles, cooked potatoes, cooked chorizo, garlic, cilantro, cumin, cayenne, lime juice, mayonnaise and sour cream. Adjust seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste.

Can serve either warm or chilled. When serving, top with crumbled Cotija cheese.

Yield: 8 servings

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Corn and black bean salsa recipe

Goodness! Where has this week gone? I can’t believe it’s already Saturday! I reckon this is what happens when you have a book coming out almost a month—your life starts to get a little busy.

Take this week for instance. My publisher came over to my apartment to shoot some videos for the book. As you can tell by the lack of videos on my site, this is uncharted territory for me—so I spent most of my prep time wringing my hands and wondering why my publisher even needed video. I was a nervous wreck. But on the day of the shoot, it all went well and turned out to be surprisingly fun.

There were a couple of other moments when I had to be in front of the camera this week, too. At least these were still shots, so I didn’t have to worry about talking. Though one shoot was so complicated, all the furniture was shifted around my apartment to accommodate the equipment needed. As such, my couch ended up in my sliver of a kitchen. And that pretty much sums up my week—everything is a bit topsy-turvy, and instead of me being in the kitchen, my living room furniture has ended up there instead.



This is not to say, however, that I am complaining. On the contrary. I’m having the time of my life. While I am most comfortable when I’m cooking, doing all these other activities has taken me way out of my comfort zone and this is thrilling. I was recntly reading a book where the main character has to do something bold that he's never tried before, which gets his heart racing. When he’s done, he says to himself, “I’ve done my cardio exercises for the day!” And that’s exactly how I feel.

While there hasn’t been too much happening in my kitchen this week between it being filled with living room furniture and the stiflingly hot temperatures here in New York, I do have an old heat-wave standby that I’ve thrown together and kept on hand—my corn and black bean salsa.

This salsa is something I’ve been making since college, inspired by a potluck dish one of my mom’s friends used to share. Now, there are several corn salsa recipes in my repertoire, but this one is notable for the fact that you don’t have to turn on your oven, stove or grill. You simply take uncooked freshly shucked corn and cooked black beans (in this heat, I just use canned) and toss them with some fresh jalapeños, bell peppers, cilantro, lime juice and olive oil. While it’s great just like that, I have been known to throw in some bacon even though that does require a bit of stove time.

This corn and black bean salsa is terrific with tortilla chips and makes for a good side dish, too. It’s also a fine topper on shrimp, scallops, fish and chicken. But no matter how you eat it, know that it will keep you cool.



Now then, many of you have been asking about my cookbook. If you’re interested in learning more about my book, I’ve set up a page that shows how to pre-order it and some examples of the inside spreads. Please, take a look!

Corn and black bean salsa
Ingredients:
2 cups freshly shucked sweet corn (about 4 cobs) or 2 cups frozen
A 15-ounce can of black beans, drained or 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained
1/4 small red onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeños, seeds and stems removed, diced
1/2 small red bell pepper, seeds and stems removed, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and cayenne to taste
4 slices cooked, crumbled bacon (optional)

Method:
Mix together the corn, black beans, red onion, garlic, jalapeño, red bell pepper, cilantro and cumin. Stir in the olive oil and lime juice. Add salt and cayenne to taste, and adjust seasonings.

Allow to chill for at least 30 minutes. Before serving, stir in the cooked bacon if using.

Yield: 4-6 servings

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Pecan-peach ice cream

This pecan-peach ice cream is a mistake. A delicious mistake that turned out just dandy in the end, but still, it doesn’t quite fit in with the theme I had in mind. Let me explain.

See, “Friday Night Lights” is airing its grand finale on Friday and I had a hankering to make a special treat for that occasion. Now, I realize in this era of DVRs, on-demand TV and the Internet—a final episode of a show doesn’t garner quite the pomp that it did back in say, the era of “MASH” or “Seinfeld.” People now watch shows on their schedule, not the network’s, so people getting together to watch something on TV doesn’t happen as often as it used to because there are many other opportunities for viewing.

“Friday Night Lights” has suffered from more fragmentation than other shows, as this final season appeared on two networks, with one airing the final season last winter. Not to mention, the DVD of the final season also has been available for months. So when I was discussing my excitement about watching this final episode with some friends, one said, “I saw it months ago. Hurry up and watch it so we can finally talk about it! ”



My arrival to “Friday Night Lights” was late, I admit. But after spending a few weeks on a marathon bender trying to catch up with the previous four seasons, watching this final season each week has rewarded me with the gift of anticipation—something lacking when you have all the episodes readily available. And yes, I’m very anxious to know what happens to the East Dillon Lions, Coach Taylor, Tami Taylor, the Riggins brothers and the rest of the characters, but sometimes it’s good to be patient.

If you are gathering to watch the finale, know that good food is a must at your viewing party. And as it’s a show about Texas, Texan cuisine should definitely be on offer. So what to serve? Well, you could serve Frito Pie that Friday-night classic, sold at high school stadiums across Texas. Perhaps you could cook ribs, which were Coach Taylor’s specialty for his annual football player backyard barbecue. Or you could fry up a batch of chicken-fried steak or steak fingers with jalapeño cream gravy to honor the hardscrabble independence of these small-town Texan characters’ lives.

But what’s for dessert? That’s where this pecan-peach ice cream comes into play. See, in an earlier season, Coach Taylor is having an awful day and says he wants “scotch-flavored drink.” But I had it in my head he said he wanted a “bourbon-flavored drink,” and so originally, I thought I’d make a bourbon peach ice cream with pecans. But since the quote was about scotch, I decided to scratch the whiskey, as scotch, pecans and peaches just doesn’t sound very good at all.

No matter. Peaches are now abundant, and add a refreshing sweetness to this ice cream. And the pecans add a bit of spice as they are cooked in butter before being sprinkled with ginger, brown sugar and nutmeg. Yep, peaches and pecans—it doesn’t get more Texan that that! (Though if you’re still interested in the bourbon, I bet a splash of it would fit right in with the pecans and peaches.)



So if you are watching the final episode of “Friday Night Lights", might I suggest a bowl of this ice cream as you cheer, laugh and cry through the final hour of this show about small-town Texan life. Of course, if you’ve already seen the finale or don’t even watch the show, you might have something better to do on Friday night. But that’s okay—because when you do get around to making this ice cream it won’t be any less delicious, even if it was a mistake.

Pecan-peach ice cream
Ingredients:
4 cups sliced and peeled peaches or 1 16-ounce package of frozen peaches, thawed
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Method:
In a blender, puree the peaches with 1 tablespoon of water.

In a pot, cook the peach puree with the cream, half-and-half and sugar on medium low heat until warm and the sugar has dissolved—do not let it come to a boil. Turn off the heat. 



Beat the egg yolks with the vanilla and salt. Stir into the eggs 1/2 cup of the warm cream and then pour egg and cream mixture into the pot. 
On medium low, heat this mixture while stirring occasionally for five minutes or until it gets slightly thick. You’ll know it’s ready when it coats the back of your spoon. Cool in the refrigerator for 4 hours. 



While the custard is chilling, on low heat, melt the butter in a skillet. Stir in the pecans and cook until slightly darker and fragrant, about a minute. (Be careful, as the pecans can easily burn.) Remove the pecans from the skillet and toss with the ginger, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Adjust seasonings and add salt to taste.

After the custard has cooled, stir in the lemon juice and then freeze and churn according to your ice-cream maker’s instructions. Once churned, stir in the pecans.

Yield: 1 quart



Note: I prefer my fruit ice creams to be smooth, but if you want peach chunks, skip the puree step and mix the peaches in with the ice cream a few minutes before it’s done churning.

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Lemon-and-lime icebox pie with a chocolate graham-cracker crust

The summer I was 10, I had an Elsie the Cow T-shirt. It had been a freebie at a swim meet, and so a bunch of my friends had the shirt as well. As it happens when several people have an identical item of clothing, you’d often find a group of us riding our bikes around the neighborhood, all sporting the same shirt. If people didn’t know any better, they might have though we were a young gang of gung-ho dairy lovers. But no matter how we felt about milk, the main reason it was a popular shirt was because it looked good.

Some T-shirts are better than others, and Borden’s marketing department had done well with this one by making it a red-and-white ringer tee with a clean graphic in the upper right-hand corner. Yep, that Elsie shirt was pretty fashionable for the early 1980s. Heck, I even remember wearing it on the Fourth of July with a pair of blue shorts for what I believed to be a stylish, patriotic look.

I hadn’t thought about that shirt in years, but I was recently reminded of it while cooking with sweetened condensed milk, which featured a smiling Elsie the Cow on the can. You know the one I’m talking about. But did you also know that sweetened condensed milk has Texan roots? Yep, its inventor, Gail Borden, spent much of his life in Texas and contributed to the state’s early history.



Besides conceiving canned milk, Borden’s life was packed with achievements. For instance, during his time in Texas he helped write the state’s constitution; was a primary developer of Galveston Island; created the state’s first topographical map and surveyed the future site of the city of Houston. (He also famously got into a brawl with Sam Houston, but the details on that are a bit murky.) And, there are even two Texas towns and a county named after Borden.

All that said, Borden invented canned condensed milk in New York, the state where he was born. So while sweetened condensed milk may not be exactly be a Texan ingredient, its creator did indeed call Texas home.

Sweetened condensed milk’s Texan roots—at least spiritually, if not physically—may be why it’s one of my favorite treats. I’m not lying when I confess that I’ve been known to eat it straight from the can with a spoon. Of course, you can only do this for so long before you get sick, as it’s extremely sweet, rich and thick. But those qualities are what make it ideal for this no-bake lemon-and-lime icebox pie.

There are countless ways to make an icebox pie. Some recipes call for a baked custard, some recipes call for gelatin, and some recipes call for copious amounts of whipped cream. My lemon-and-lime icebox pie is made with a combination of cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk, along with a generous splash of citrus juice and zest for a bright, light flavor. It’s a classic combination, which I cobbled together from recipes found in Joy of Cooking and on Epicurious, the former explaining it’s the reaction of the citrus with the condensed milk that allows the pie to set up in the refrigerator without any eggs or baking required.

Icebox pies are traditionally made with a graham-cracker crust. Mine is no exception, though I do make a homemade chocolate graham cracker crust, which elevates this simple pie into something a bit more complex. Okay, I realize it’s hot outside and you might not even want to turn on your oven for the seven minutes this crust requires—but if you can stand the heat, I highly recommend you make this crust as its bittersweet tones complement the filling’s tangy sweetness.



If you’re looking for a quick dessert that takes minimum effort to deliver maximum joy, you should give this lemon-and-lime icebox pie a try. You can make it any time of the year, but I find it’s best in the summer, especially if you top it with fresh fruit such as blueberries. And while it will be a hit at your weekend barbecues, you’ll find that it’s easy enough to be enjoyed on busy weeknights, as well.

Lemon-and-lime icebox pie with a chocolate graham-cracker crust

Ingredients:
For the chocolate graham-cracker crust:
1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers (about 8 large rectangles)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
8 tablespoons butter, melted, still warm

For the lemon and lime filling:
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream and fresh blueberries for topping

Method:
To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan. In a food processor or with a rolling pin, finely crush the graham crackers until they’re the texture of sand. Mix well the graham crackers with the cocoa, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt. Stir in the warm, melted butter until a dark dough is formed.

Pat the dough into the pie pan, using either your hands, a measuring cup or a spoon to get it even. Bake for 7 minutes and then let the crust cool for one hour.

To make the filling, in a blender mix together the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lime juice, lemon zest, lime zest, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Pour into the cooled crust, and refrigerate covered for at least 2 hours to set the filling.

Serve with whipped cream and fresh blueberries on top.

Yield: 8 servings

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