Southwestern Surf & Turf with Jalapeno-Cheddar Grits

And now on to the entree of our Southwestern-Themed dinner party:  Southwestern Surf & Turf with Jalapeno-Cheddar Grits!

I’m going to spare you with all the “OH-MY-GOSH, everything is so delicious but I need to describe it all in painful detail” because I’ve got a whole lot of recipes coming at ‘cha!  Trust me when I say this:  the sauce under the shrimp pairs fantastically with both the beef and the grits; the tomatillo salsa cools the palate and pairs with everything.  Put in the work on this meal and you will be extremely rewarded in the form of a flavor explosion!!!!  That is all....  On to the recipes!

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Tomatillo Salsa and Tomato Vinaigrette

Tyler Florence 

Serves: 4

Tomatillo Salsa:

6 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and cut in chunks

2 avocados, peeled and cut in chunks

2 jalapeños, cut in circles

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

1/2 red onion, diced

Juice of 3 limes

2 tablespoons canola oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tomato Vinaigrette:

1 ripe tomato, halved, seeds squeezed out

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo

1 garlic clove

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons canola oil

Shrimp:

20 large shrimp (about 2 pounds), peeled and deveined, tails on

10 bacon slices, halved

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish

Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

For the tomatillo salsa, toss the tomatillos, avocados, jalapeños, cilantro, and onion together in a large bowl. Add the lime juice and canola oil, and turn to coat; season with salt and black pepper. Turn the mixture over a few times until the avocados are slightly mashed and the salsa is creamy. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare everything else.

Puree the tomato, chipotle, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, sherry vinegar, sugar, and salt in a blender until smooth. Pour in the oil and puree again until emulsified and slightly thickened. Refrigerate.

Wrap each shrimp in a piece of bacon, overlapping the ends so they stick together. Place a large skillet over medium heat, drizzle with a 1/2-count of oil, and heat just to the smoking point. Lay the shrimp in the pan (do this in batches if it’s crowded) and sauté until the bacon is crisp, tossing so the shrimp cook evenly. To serve, spoon a mound of the tomatillo salsa on each plate. Drizzle a pool of the tomato vinaigrette and top with 5 shrimp. Garnish with green onion and cilantro leaves.

Chipotle Beef Marinade

1 (2 ounce) package dried ancho chiles

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons cumin powder

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

6 cloves garlic

3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/2 red onion, quartered

1/4 cup vegetable oil

One (3lb) beef tenderloin

Soak dry chilies overnight in water, until soft. Remove seeds. Add all

ingredients except meat in food processor. Puree until smooth.

Spread mixture over chicken, or other meats and refrigerate at least

one hour, up to 24 hours.

After marinating, heat grill to about 400 degrees F, or if cooking

inside, heat small amount of oil in skillet or grill pan over high

heat. Salt meat to taste (optional), and grill lightly, turning only

once, until done.

Jalapeno-Cheddar Grits (serves 4)

1 c. stone ground grits (not instant!)

2 c. low sodium chicken broth, more if needed

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

4 oz. cream cheese

4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

salt and pepper to taste

Combine grits and chicken broth in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir to combine and bring to a rolling simmer.  Decrease heat to low and continue to stir grits until most liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add minced jalapeno peppers and stir to combine. Test grits for done-ness.  If grits are not tender and creamy in texture, add a little more broth and continue stirring until grits are soft. {This can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes depending on your grits}.

When grits are done, remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese and cheddar cheese and stir until smooth.  If grits are very thick, add some more broth or water to loosen them up, if desired.  Test seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Southwestern Tuna Poke w/ Avocado-Mango Salsa

Ok, so we all know that I love to throw a good party -- but sometimes life gets in the way of parties and getting a whole mess of people together just isn’t happening.  Sad times....{if I had my way, this February I’d be throwing a Super Bowl party, Mardi Gras party, Oscar Night party and Valentine’s Day party...}

So when I’m getting a little tear in my eye from lack of party planning, I realize that I can throw a dinner party!  Getting just one other couple into my house constitutes me pulling out all the stops for dinner... it’s a sickness, I know, but I just live to cook for people!  Even though a dinner party isn’t a full blown party, it’s still nice to have a central theme and roll with it.  It just helps your meal to make sense as you move through the courses.  This week’s dinner party theme was Southwestern cuisine and I had a great time preparing this meal.  It’s a little labor-intensive but hey, it’s a dinner party, people, not 30 minute meals!  ;)

Today I’m showing you our appetizer -- Southwestern Tuna Poke w. Avocado-Mango Salsa.  A “Poke” is traditionally a raw fish salad -- do not be afraid to make this in your own home.  Here’s how I rationalize this....when I make Ahi tuna at home, I barely sear it and I’m shoveling it down, so why not just forgo the heat all together?  Really, as long as you’re buying fresh fish from a source that you trust, you can make this at home!  There are three components to this impressive appetizer: the tuna, the avocado-mango salsa and the mango-habanero sauce.  You can pile up these ingredients on a plate, or if you have a nice thick biscuit cutter, use it as a mold and you are good to go!

Southwestern Tuna Poke w. Avocado-Mango Salsa (makes 4)

Mango-Habanero Sauce: (makes 1 cup)

1 tbsp canola oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and chopped

1 habanero, chopped

1 cup white wine vinegar

salt

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic, mangoes, habanero and vinegar and cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.  Place mixture in a blender and blend until smooth.  If the mixture is too thick, add a few tablespoons of warm water or vinegar.  Season with salt.

Tuna:

2 (4 oz) ahi tuna steaks, chopped into a small dice

3 tbsp mango-habanero sauce

1 splash sesame oil

Lightly toss all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Avocado-Mango Salsa:

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced

1/2 small red onion, minced

juice of 2 limes

1 tbsp canola oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1 generous handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Lightly toss all ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Assembly:

Place biscuit cutter, cookie cutter or mold in the center of small serving plate.  Place 1/4 of avocado-mango salsa into mold and pack down.  Top with tuna mixture, pressing into mold.  Remove mold to unveil your gorgeous appetizer.  Serve with mango-habanero sauce and your choice of chips {I used baked wonton crisps but tortilla chips would be awesome as well!}

Best Guacamole You'll Ever Eat

I am a huge guacamole fan.  I could eat that stuff with a spoon or piled high onto pretty much anything.  I’ve followed many different guac recipes in my day but this is the recipe that my husband and I love the most: heavy on the tomatoes and the lime.  As beautiful as the avocado is, there’s nothing worse than bland guacamole.  I also love keeping the avocado chunky so my tortilla chip really needs to work hard to make it out of the bowl in one piece ... the chopped tomato helps keep it chunky as well!  So break out your sturdy chips or plop a dollop of this guacamole on your nachos, taco salad, burrito, or anything!  

ChowGals Best Guacamole You’ll Ever Eat

2 ripe avocados

1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered

1 handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1 large garlic bulb, finely minced or grated

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

juice of one lime

salt and pepper to taste

hot sauce {Frank’s} to taste

1. Remove pit and skins from avocados and add to medium sized bowl.  Roughly mash with a fork.
2. Add tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, onion and lime juice to avocados and stir to combine.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  If desired, add a splash of the hot sauce of your choosing.  Serve immediately.