Vogz: May 2006 Archives

The New Mexico state motto is "The Land of Enchantment," and we believe it. If you've ever had a batch of fire-roasted green chile from Hatch, New Mexico you believe it too. See, that state's big open sky and unimaginably arid climate make for the only proper place to grow authentic green chile--like what native medicine men used to use like crack, not the shit that comes on your Denny's omelet. And while it may make cooking with this New Mexican gold hard to do, fuck it. Cuz if you could grow this stuff anywhere, where would the enchantment be in that?

Here, we've fried up these critter-free fritters and served them with a cilantro aioli. The result is almost like a New Mexican hush puppy. If you can't take a road trip to the Land of Enchantment, don't fret. Use the wussy Ortega stuff with a roasted jalapeno to make up for it in spice.

Green Chile Fritters
1 tube polenta
6 cloves garlic
6 spears asparagus
1 yukon gold potato
1 cup green chiles, diced
1/2 white onion
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup beer (pale ale)
1 jalapeño
2 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. pepper
1 tsp. cumin
2 cups canola oil
2 eggs

Cilantro Aioli
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbs. water
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. mustard
1 bunch cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil and toss in the potato. After 5 minutes, toss in the asparagus and let boil for another few minutes, until they turn bright green. Remove, strain and set aside.

Roasting your jalapeño is simple: Turn on a gas burner and hold the pepper over a high flame with tongs, turning it slightly every 30 seconds. You want to char the skin. Once the entire pepper is charred black and bubbly (about 5 minutes) dump it in ice water, let sit for a minute and then remove the filmy pepper skin to reveal a dark green pepper. Chop finely.

In a large mixing bowl dump the polenta tube and mash aggressively until it resembles corn mush. Add salt, pepper and cumin. Chop the asparagus, potato, garlic and onion and add them to the mix (the smaller the chop the better). Add the chiles and the jalapeño. Stir thoroughly, then add the flour and beer in small increments until mixture is soupy but thick. Add egg and stir again. Heat 2 cups of canola oil in a wok or a deep frying pan. Should be sizzlin' before you start. Then drop big blobs of batter, about the size of a small fist, into the oil. Turn after 2 minutes, or when crispy. Remove and set on paper towels to blot. To make the dipping aioli, combine ingredients, whip and serve.

Beverage: Poleeko Gold Pale Ale
Soundtrack: The Sea and Cake's self-titled.

Summer is upon us. Gazpacho season. So get your blenders ready cuz it's about time to open fire. Everybody has their own recipe for that ubiquitous summer soup that's easy to make "well" but hard to get just right. So you also know that there is, without fail, always about 2 cups too much of the stuff lurking in the fridge three days after because everyone's tired of cold soup.
Invention is indeed the mother of necessity friends, and Hot Knives are like the Frank Zappa of leftovers (OK that analogy ran away from us).
Take your leftover Gazpacho--whatever recipe you swear by--and turn it into a whole other meal, in these easy steps...

2 cups leftover gazpacho
4 hamburger buns
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Condiments of choice

Throw the soup in a blender or food processor, especially if you're one of these chunky gazpacho dudes. Put soup on thorough blend for 1 minute. Place a sieve or fine mesh strainer over a large mixing bowl and dump the blended soup into it. Using a large spoon, masher or mallet, apply pressure to the mixture to press all the liquid out of the vegetable bits. This may take a few minutes, so be patient. The goal is to strain all the liquid into the bowl, leaving just a squishy mash of vegetable. Dump this into another large mixing bowl, and set liquid aside.

Add the onion, egg and bread crumbs to the veggie remains and form into patties. It should make 4 smallish patties. Season appropriately.

In a large skillet heat the oil. Gently slide patties into the pan and turn every 2 minutes with a spatula, being careful not to squish them. Fry twice on each side for a golden crispness. Then remove, blot, and serve on toasted bun with condiments of your choice.

The liquid you've saved is essentially a gazpacho couli (meaning any strained liquid) though you may want to give it another strain for good measure (if you have cheese cloth this is the time to use it!) Serve still chilled in glass cups.