Casabel pepper- where do I find the pepper?

Bobby Flay has a recipe using Figand Casabel pepper. I usually don't use figs but I was interested in the pepper. I found he also had a Pineapple and Casabel pepper sauce. My first thought was to look for what was this pepper, how hot was it and where I could find a substitute for it or the substitute? I preferred to find a substitute in my recipe pantry.

I found it is roundish shaped and has a scoville rating of 4 so it is more fruity then hot. I found more information on websites particularly
http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--37661/cascabel-chile-pepper.asp
If no Cascabels are available, substitute 2 jalapeños are good but I think an even better one is the purplish black gaujillo which has a much more smokey and fruity flavor. I love gaujillo so check them out as well.

The recipe I found is here and I am posting it now because I don't know when I will get to it. Mahi and Mahi is a real ugly fish but it is a tasty one. This sauce is a real good one with pineapple. I could also see it being used for chicken or turkey or lamb etc .

If you try this recipe, the gaujillo or the sauce let me know.

PAN ROASTED MAHI MAHI WITH ROASTED PINEAPPLE-CASCABEL CHILE SAUCE AND CARAMELIZED PINEAPPLE-GREEN ONION SALSA
Serves 4

Ingredients for Roasted Pineapple-Cascabel Chile Sauce
1 medium whole pineapple,
1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
8 cascabel chiles, stems removed and soaked in hot water for 30 minutes until soft
2 teaspoons honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method for Roasted Pineapple-Cascabel Chile Sauce

1. Preheat broiler. Cut off the leaves and about a 1/2 inch of the top and bottom of the fruit. Do not peel the pineapple.
2. Place the pineapple on its side on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil the pineapple until it is blackened on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board and let cool slightly.
3. When cool enough to handle, cut off the pineapple skin by slicing down from top to bottom along each row of eyes (as revealed by your first cut). Your knife should be behind the eyes at approximately a 45-degree angle. Don't try to cut off too much of the peel at once or you will take a lot of good fruit with it. Coarsely chop the pineapple and set aside.
4. Combine the pineapple juice, cider vinegar, cloves, allspice, ancho powder and cascabel chiles in a large non-reactive saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the fresh pineapple and cook until the pineapple is very soft and starts to break down.
5. Transfer mixture to a food processor and process until smooth. Strain through a strainer into a saucepan and return to the stove over medium heat. Whisk in the honey and season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.

Ingredients for Pineapple-Green Onion Relish
1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into small dice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 green onion, thinly sliced (white and green part)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime

Method for Pineapple-Green Onion Relish

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place pineapple in a medium ovenproof sauté pan, add pineapple, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Roast in the oven until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Transfer pineapple to a bowl, add the green onion, cilantro and lime juice. Serve at room temperature.

PAN ROASTED MAHI MAHI

Ingredients
Four 8-ounce Mahi Mahi fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over high heat. Season fillets on both side with salt and pepper and place in the pan. Cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over, transfer pan to the oven and continue cooking until the fish is just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes longer.
3. Ladle some of the pineapple-cascabel chile sauce onto a large dinner plate. Top with a Mahi fillet and spoon some of the pineapple-green onion salsa on top.

Chili Chicken Salad Recipe: its more about the rice

This is more about the rice then the chili. Interesting read.

Chili Chicken Salad Recipe from


The #1 Problem in Cooking Indian Cuisines
http://www.asianonlinerecipe.com/recipes/chili-chicken-salad.php


Solve the mystery of cooking the most delicious cuisines. Add exciting and exotic new flavors to your cooking, with flair and creativity.

Chili Chicken Salad Recipe

Anyone who has traveled through North-east Thailand will have encountered this traditional dish, in which chicken is coated in a hot and sharp chili sauce. This cuisine uses glutinous rice (a short to medium grain rice) for the roasted ground rice. When preparing the rice, put it in a frying pan and dry-roast until golden brown. Remove and grind to a powder, using a mortar and pestle or a food processor. When the rice is cold, store it in a glass jar in a cool, dry place.



Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)

450 g/1 lb minced (ground) chicken

1 lemon grass stalk, trimmed

3 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped

4 fresh red chilies, seeded and chopped

60 ml/4 tablespoons lime juice

30 ml/2 tablespoon Thai fish sauce (nam pla)

15 ml/1 tablespoon roasted ground rice (see above for preparation)

2 scallions (spring onions), chopped

30 ml/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves

Thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves, mixed salad leaves and fresh mint sprigs, to garnish



Method:

Heat a large non-stick frying pan. Add the chicken and moisten with a little water. Stir constantly over a medium heat for 7-10 minutes until it is cooked. While the chicken is cooking, cut off the lower 5 cm/2 inches of the lemon grass stalk and chop finely.



Transfer the cooked chicken to a bowl and add the chopped lemon grass, lime leaves, chilies, lime juice, fish sauce, ground rice, scallions and cilantro leaves. Mix thoroughly.



Spoon the chicken mixture into a salad bowl. Sprinkle sliced kaffir lime leaves over the top and garnish with salad leaves and sprigs of mint.



Go Top

The #1 Problem in Cooking Indian Cuisines

Solve the mystery of cooking the most delicious cuisines. Add exciting and exotic new flavors to your cooking, with flair and creativity.

Chili Chicken Salad RecipeAnyone who has traveled through North-east Thailand will have encountered this traditional dish, in which chicken is coated in a hot and sharp chili sauce. This cuisine uses glutinous rice (a short to medium grain rice) for the roasted ground rice. When preparing the rice, put it in a frying pan and dry-roast until golden brown. Remove and grind to a powder, using a mortar and pestle or a food processor. When the rice is cold, store it in a glass jar in a cool, dry place.



Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)

450 g/1 lb minced (ground) chicken

1 lemon grass stalk, trimmed

3 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped

4 fresh red chilies, seeded and chopped

60 ml/4 tablespoons lime juice

30 ml/2 tablespoon Thai fish sauce (nam pla)

15 ml/1 tablespoon roasted ground rice (see above for preparation)

2 scallions (spring onions), chopped

30 ml/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves

Thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves, mixed salad leaves and fresh mint sprigs, to garnish



Method:

Heat a large non-stick frying pan. Add the chicken and moisten with a little water. Stir constantly over a medium heat for 7-10 minutes until it is cooked. While the chicken is cooking, cut off the lower 5 cm/2 inches of the lemon grass stalk and chop finely.



Transfer the cooked chicken to a bowl and add the chopped lemon grass, lime leaves, chilies, lime juice, fish sauce, ground rice, scallions and cilantro leaves. Mix thoroughly.



Spoon the chicken mixture into a salad bowl. Sprinkle sliced kaffir lime leaves over the top and garnish with salad leaves and sprigs of mint.



Go Top

Ming's good hint on using Thai bird chilies

I really like Ming Tsai's recipes and techniques. I tried some Thai bird chilies with recipes but they made things a little too hot. This week he was making a recipe. To give the chilies some heat in the recipe, he crushed it with side of his knife and then let the chili go into the stir try.

Good idea!

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Smoky Lime Dressing

I found this recipe at
http://familystylefood.com/
It is a simple quinoa salad recipe.

I added corn to it as an added crunch and color.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Smoky Lime Dressing
1 cup quinoa (II got mine from Wild Oats)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium teriyaki sauce or soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (on left)
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

Place the quinoa and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.

Lower heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in the green onions, black-eyed peas, and cilantro.

Puree the remaining ingredients together in a food processor; pour over quinoa and stir to coat with dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PS The adobo and chilies you can add as much or as little as you want. Give a nice smokey flavor to an dish including this one. Want more heat? Use the chilies minced.

Watching Super Bowl, I will try some of these recipes

These spicy-sriracha-chicken-wings from the new American Iron Chef Michael Symon sound great.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/spicy-sriracha-chicken-wings

I have known about him since he had some texmex recipes on the food channel.

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/super-bowl-blowout

So are some of these other recipes I found. Have fun!

http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/super-bowl

Avocado pepper soup- not sure? not bad at alll

It is winter here in Kansas but since we have avocados in the fridge, I thought a soup would be good. Something cold, avocado based and different. There were several in my database. I found this one from Ingrid Hoffmann on Food Network channel. I liked this one because it also added sweet peppers. My wife wan't so keen on it but it came out well and she liked it. I also added pepper cream to it (see recipe below from other recipe I found)

Show: Simply Delicioso with Ingrid Hoffmann
Episode: Spa Day
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 medium avocados, halved, seeded, peeled, and roughly chopped, see *Cook's Note
2 1/2 cups 2 percent milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound small raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional - I did not use)
Fresh basil leaves, finely chopped, for garnishing
Sesame seeds, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and peppers and cook until soft, about 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the dill, season with salt and pepper. Put the mixture in the blender jar.

Add the avocado, and milk and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the blender and puree. When completely smooth, transfer the puree to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until chilled.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until curled, pink and opaque, about 2 to 4 minutes. To serve, pour the chilled soup into small glasses or bowls, add a few of the shrimp to each glass and garnish with the basil, sesame seeds, and a drizzle of oil.

**AnchoCream***
1largedriedanchochile*
1/4cupwhippingcream

I first fried the 2 chilis for a few seconds in my wok and dumped them into a small bowl with cold water . I let them sit for 30 minutes then pureed the chilies and added the cream.