A Night at the Hacienda G

The Menu

Red Wine Sangira

Spicy Shrimp Tamales with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce and Goat Cheese

Duck Carnitas

Pork Carnitas

Bacon and Tomoato Gaucamole

Simple Smashed Black Beans

Tortillas

Tomatillo and Avacado Salsa

Lime Pie with Chipotle Chocolate Sauce

This month's debacle: locating duck legs. (it can't be done.)

This month's culinary lesson: Hispanic grocery stores carry rendered pork fat. (We heart pork fat)

 Red Wine Sangria

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Ingredients

• 2 bottles red Spanish table wine
• 1 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup triple sec
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup simple syrup, or more to taste (equal parts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves, cooled)
• Orange slices
• Apple slices
• Blackberries
• Pomegranate seeds

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and let stand in a tightly sealed container or pitcher for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Spicy Shrimp Tamales with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce and Goat Cheese (Tyler Florence)

Serves:

2 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked

  1 white onion, peeled

• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 Anaheim green chiles, stems removed
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 2 cups prepared masa
• 6 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
• 1 bag dried cornhusks, cleaned and soaked
• 2 pounds jumbo shrimp, cleaned
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Place tomatillos, onion, garlic, and green chiles in a roasting pan and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor along with any juices that are at the bottom of the pan. Add the cumin, salt, and cilantro. Pulse the mixture until combined but still chunky. You may add a bit of water or broth if the mixture is too thick. Reserve half the sauce to serve with the tamales.

In a deep bowl, combine the masa and remaining half of the tomatillo sauce. Beat until fully incorporated and the dough is green. Fold in the softened goat cheese.

Set the cornhusks on a sheet pan covered by a damp towel. Lay the husk flat on a plate with the smooth side up and the narrow end facing you. Spread a thin, even layer of the masa mixture over the surface of the husk with a tablespoon that is dipped in water. Fold the narrow end up to the center then fold both sides together to enclose the filling. The sticky masa will form a seal. Pinch the wide top closed.

Stand the tamales up in a large steamer or colander with the pinched end up. Load the steamer into a large pot filled with 2-inches of water. The water should not touch the tamales. Lay a damp cloth over the tamales and cover with lid. Keep the water at a low boil, checking periodically to make sure the water doesn't boil away. Steam the tamales for 2 hours.

Coat the shrimp with cumin, chili powder, cayenne, coriander, salt, and pepper. Heat oil in a saute pan, cook the shrimp for 5 minutes until pink. To serve, unfold the tamales, top with the spicy shrimp and spoon the reserved tomatillo sauce over the top.

Crunchy Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa (Rick Bayless)

Salsa Verde Crujiente con Aguacate

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Recipe from Season 7 of Mexico - One Plate at a Time

---

Ingredients

8 ounces (about 4 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1/2 cup (loosely packed) coarsely chopped cilantro
Hot green chiles to taste (roughly 2 small serranos or 1 small jalapeño), stemmed and roughly chopped
1 ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin
1 small white onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Salt

---

Directions

Roughly chop half of the tomatillos and scoop them into a food processor with the cilantro and green chiles.  Measure in 1/4 cup water and process to a slushy, coarse puree.  Roughly chop half the avocado, add it to the processor and pulse until it is incorporated into the salsa.  Scrape into a serving dish.  Scoop the onion into a small strainer and rinse under cold water.  Add to the salsa.  Finely chop the remaining tomatillos and add them, too.  Finally, chop the remaining avocado into 1/4-inch pieces and stir them into the salsa.  Taste and season with salt, usually about 3/4 teaspoon.

Alternative Method:   Put all the tomatillos (quartered), cilantro and chiles through a meat grinder to chop them (no water necessary), then stir in finely chopped avocado and rinsed onion.                           

Duck Carnitas (Rick Bayless)

Carnitas de Pato

Makes 3 generous cups of coarsely shredded carnitas

Recipe from Season 7 of Mexico - One Plate at a Time

---

Ingredients

6 large duck legs (you need 2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
6 cups fresh, rich-tasting pork lard
8 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
Crunchy Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa

---

Directions

1.   Marinate the duck.  Lay the duck legs in a 13 x 9-inch non-aluminum baking dish.  Sprinkle with half the salt and oregano, then drizzle with half the lime juice.  Flip them over and sprinkle with the remaining salt and oregano; drizzle with the remaining lime.  Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning a couple of times. 
 
2.   Cook the duck.   Heat the oven to 300 degrees.  In a large (4-quart) saucepan, melt the lard.  Remove the duck from the baking dish and pat dry on paper towels.  Rinse and dry the baking dish.  Fit in the duck legs.  Pour the lard over the duck, making sure the legs are completely submerged.  Scatter the garlic cloves over the duck legs and nestle them into the lard.  Slide into the oven (you may want to do this on a rimmed baking sheet to avoid spills), and bake for about 2 hours until the duck is very tender.  Cool to lukewarm.

3.   Serve the duck carnitas.  Remove the duck from the lard.  Pull off the skin and set aside.  Pull the meat from the bone into large pieces.  Discard the bones.  Spoon 2 tablespoons of the lard into a very large (12-inch) skillet (preferably nonstick) and set over medium-high.  When hot, lay in the skin and cook, turning frequently, until very crisp, about 5 minutes.  Remove to a drain on paper towels.  Add the meat and cook, turning regularly, until browned and crisping in spots, about 7 or 8 minutes   Scoop into a serving platter.  Coarsely crumble the duck skin over the top and serve with the Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa and warm tortillas.