The Chilefire.com Recipe Feed

Crawfish Etouffee

This is a fantastic recipe for crawfish etouffee, it is a traditional roux based etouffee recipe that does not contain any tomato. The one place that this recipe diverges from most traditional recipes is the inclusion of Dry Sack, a Spanish dry Sherry. The Sherry gives the etouffee a great base flavor that just can't be replicated with stock. You never see wine in etouffee recipes, I am betting it is the "secret ingredient" in some of the best recipes for etouffee you will find - it certainly is in mine.

Shimp Curry Laksa

Shown here is Chicken Curry Laksa - the two recipes are very similar, being based on the same Laksa Paste recipe

In my opinion the height of Asian soups can be found in a fragrant bowl of curry laksa. The base of the soup is a Laksa Paste, time consuming to make, but well worth it - make extra and freeze it for up to 6 months, it is great to have on hand and will allow you to throw together a fabulous meal at the last minute.�

The recipe below is adapted from an Australian cookbook, "Spice" by Christine Mansfield, the chef and founder of Paramount restaurant in Sydney, changed mostly to accommodate for difficulty in finding specific Nonya ingredients in American groceries.

Making Curry Laksa is two part journey - the first part of the journey is acquiring the ingredients for making the paste, I have included some links for ordering the harder to find ingredients online. The second part of the journey is putting together the soup itself. Below I have listed the ingredients and instructions for making the paste followed by the ingredients and instructions for the soup.

A Commercial Laksa Paste made by Por Kwan is� available, however while convenient, they taste of fast food. Thus far I have found that the commercial pastes for Laksa are not nearly as flavorful and complex as a paste made from scratch.

Halibut A La Plancha With Jam�n Serrano and Garum (From Spain And The World Table)

"Garum is a distinctively Catalan condiment based on olives and anchovies that are pounded together with herbs, bread, and olive oil to make a pungent taste. The garum in this recipe is more like a sauce, and it makes a wonderful topping for grilled halibut." - from Spain and the World Table

The Margheritan: a Traditional Tomato, Basil, and Cheese Pizza

Today�s modern pizza of tomato sauce and cheese can be traced back to an Italian pizzario, Raffaele Esposito of Naples, owner of a tavern called Pizzeria di Pietro e Basta Cosi. In 1889, he created a pizza for the visiting Italian King Umberto I and Queen Margherita. He used tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese to represent the Italian flag�s colors of red, green, and white. The queen asked Raffaele what the dish was called and the smart chef replied, �The Margherita, after you, my Queen.� This recipe calls for two types of mozzarella: One is sold shredded in plastic pouches, available in any supermarket; the other is fresh, a soft, white ball that melts into milky pillows. I usually buy an 8-ounce (225g) ball called fior de latte, or �flowers of milk.� Fresh mozzarella has a shelf life of about two weeks.
From Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas by Chef Craig Priebe with Dianne Jacob

Spicy Date Chutney

A fiery, sweet and complex chutney that will make you stand up and take notice. Great with yogurt, on eggplant or pork dishes. Not for the faint of heart!

Chicken Curry Laksa

Serves 4

Smoky Chicken & Mushroom Paella

Cooked over charcoal and smoldering oak in our Weber grill, This rich and smoky paella harkens back to the flavors of traditional paellas, cooked outside over open fires.

Sofrito - Catalan style Tomato and Onion Sauce

There are as many recipes for Sofrito as there are Spanish and Latin American cooks, this recipe is a "New World" rendition of a sauce that is arguably the essence and foundation of Spanish cooking. I use Videla onions which add a bit of sweetness to the sauce, and New Mexican chile powder (I use Chimayo style chile powder) to add an earthy note and a touch more spice. Latin American sofritos often include annato, cilantro and tomatios, but in this case I am leaning more toward the Spanish classic, to be used in Paellas and other traditional Spanish Dishes.

Stacked Flounder Coins in Spiced Miso

Layered Steamed Flounder with Miso Paste & Black Sesame in a Spiced Citrus Miso Broth with Bok Choy, Shitake & Black Fungus

This is a dish that I came up with after some experimentation I have been doing with Asian spice broths. The broth is a complex affair with hints of citrus and four complimenting�spices that are wonderful with the light flaky flounder.

Ponzu Sauce

This is the classic Japanese sauce using yuzu juice. If you can�t find yuzu, lime juice is an acceptable substitute. Most Asian markets now stock bottled yuzu juice.

Ponzu is great on grilled meats, but you can use it to create a salad dressing with an Asian flair.