Coming up with a menu for the Arizona Cardinals game took a few twists and turns. We wanted to avoid the tired "Tex-Mex" standards and do something that was more focused on the "real" Southwest.
No ingredient influences Southwestern food culture more than the chili pepper. Clear choice: a chili relleno, stuffed with a pork and cheese mixture, breaded and fried. The problem: actually being able to pull it off while in tailgate mode (especially considering we have never attempted to make one in a regular kitchen). So...we decided to turn it inside out, and instead make a rolled pork loin.
Here's what we came up with:
Tomatillo Guacamole
We took four tomatillos, three avocados, two roma tomatoes, a little red onion, jalapeno and cilantro, chopped it and mixed it, and then spiced it up. Next time we will roast the tomatillos first, but they really added a good bite.
Spicy Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho
To cleanse our delicate and sophisticated palates, we made a spicy watermelon and tomato gazpacho. Chopped tomatoes, watermelon, cucumber, garlic, red onion, congo peppers were added to olive oil and red wine vinegar. After letting it set up, we pureed, strained and chilled.
Stuffed Southwestern Pork Loin
We butterflied a pork loin, slathered it with chopped poblanos and mushrooms and a blended shredded cheese mix. Rolled it up and grilled it. Noticeably missing: bacon. Won't make the same mistake twice.
Black Beans and Rice
There is a reason beans and rice are a staple side in cultures around the world...they are awesome together. Peas and carrots don't hold a candle to beans and rice (sorry, Forrest). We did ours very simply: black beans cooked in a slow cooker with chicken broth, onion, jalapeno and a few other spices; Zataran's Spanish Rice; and roasted red pepper diced tomatoes.
White Russian Sorbet with Vodka Soaked Cherry Slurry
We dissolved espresso powder into boiling water and sugar. After cooling, we added corn syrup, heavy cream, vodka and Kahlua. We chilled the mixture, and into the ice cream machine it went. The cherries were easy: a jar of maraschino cherries, replaced the juice with vodka, let soak for three days, and then ran them through our Yonana's machine (single purpose appliance my ass).
Cocktail
We didn't go crazy this week on the cocktail front...made some simple margaritas (tequila, triple sec, limeade and Diet Squirt). They definitely did the job, but we will try harder next week. Our friends brought a bottle of Licor 43 and made some "baby beers". We had never had these, or even heard of them, but in a word...dangerous.
