Cornmeal Crusted Rattle Snake With Cactus Corn Succotash Recipes

PASTELLES

Steps:

• For the corn dough: Add the cornmeal, coconut sugar and sea salt to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Turn the stand mixer to a low speed and add 3 1/2 cups water followed by the melted butter. Once it starts to come together, turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap touching the dough and allow to rest for 1 hour at room temperature. Once the dough has rested, make 24 equal-size balls, approximately the size of an ice cream scoop. Place all on a tray and cover with a damp towel to prevent drying out.
• For the filling: While the dough is resting, preheat a large rondeau pan to high heat. Add the vegetable oil and immediately add the ground meats. Saute until half-cooked, breaking up the meat as small as possible using a potato masher. Reduce the heat to medium-high, and then add the onions and saute for a couple of minutes until they start to soften. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute. Add the dried herbs and chiles and saute for 1 minute. Add the olives, raisins, chicken stock, tomato paste, capers and Worcestershire, and simmer over medium heat until the liquid is almost fully reduced and the meat comes to a paste-like consistency. Season with salt and then allow to cool fully.
• For assembly: Cover your prep surface with several layers of newspaper (this can be a messy job). Using an 8-inch pastelle/tortilla press, place a piece of a 16-inch long aluminum foil strip on the bottom of the press and top with a banana leaf. Lightly coat the banana leaf with oil and place a dough ball on top, rolling the ball over the leaf to coat it in oil. Brush a square of aluminum foil liberally with some vegetable oil and place on top of the corn dough ball. Press the dough using the pastelle/tortilla press until it becomes a flat, round piece of dough. Set aside the top square of foil to reuse.
• Remove the bottom piece of aluminum foil, banana leaf and flattened dough to a flat surface and place approximately 2 heaping tablespoons of the cooled meat filling on half of the dough, starting from the center out towards the edge, making sure to leave about a 1/2-inch rim of dough around the edge. Fold the half-moon of uncovered dough over the meat using the banana leaf and aluminum foil and press the edges together. Fold into a rectangular package, by first rolling it then sealing the ends by folding with the banana leaf and foil. Repeat until all the packages are complete.
• Bring a large pot of water to the boil and place as many packages as you want in the water until fully cooked and heated through, about 20 minutes. Remove from the water with tongs and place on a tray to cool enough so you can handle it, approximately 2 minutes.
• For the avocado cilantro root puree: Put the avocado, lemon juice and cilantro root in a food processor and process until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and then transfer to a non-reactive bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Serve the pastelles hot with the avocado cilantro root puree.

SUCCOTASH

Steps:

• In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and green pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with washed blossoms.

BARBECUED CORN SUCCOTASH

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the oil and add the bacon. Cook until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes, and then add corn, letting the sugars develop and caramelize at the edges. Add the garlic, onions, bell peppers and jalapenos, and cook 2 to 3 minutes to soften. Add the stock, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire and tomato sauce. Simmer to thicken the sauce, then add the edamame and stir in Sriracha to taste. Reduce the heat to low until ready to serve, adding a little more stock or water if the dish gets too thick. Garnish with scallions to serve.

CAJUN CORNMEAL CRUSTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven 350 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of the flour with the cornmeal, Cajun spice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Put the remaining 1 cup flour, buttermilk, and the cornmeal mixture respectively in 3 shallow dishes. Season the buttermilk with hot sauce, to taste.
• With the flat side of a cook's knife or the smooth side of a meat-pounder, pound each breast to equal thickness. Pat the chicken breasts dry and season with salt.
• Lightly coat each breast in flour and shake off any excess. Dip each breast into the buttermilk to coat and remove, shaking slightly so the excess buttermilk drains back into the bowl. Dredge the chicken in the cornmeal mixture, shaking off any excess coating. Lay the chicken on a piece of waxed paper.
• Heat a large (12-inch) cast iron skillet over medium heat with about 1/2 inch of oil. Lay 2 chicken breasts smooth-side down in the pan and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Drain chicken on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining chicken.
• Place all chicken breasts on a rack over a baking sheet and bake until firm to the touch, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt, and serve immediately with mustard mayonnaise or sliced tomatoes.

SUCCOTASH

Steps:

• Put the beans in a saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer until tender, several minutes for frozen beans, about 25 minutes for fresh. Drain, reserving the cooking water. Add the corn kernels to the pan with the butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and enough of the cooking water to barely cover. Cook gently for 3 minutes, then stir in the scrapings. Turn the heat to low and cook, without stirring, until most of the liquid is cooked off, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with pepper, pour into a serving dish, and add the parsley and a dash of paprika. Serve right away.

SWEET CORN SUCCOTASH

Steps:

• In a medium size skillet, heat up the olive oil on high heat and sear the scallops for approximately 2 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm.
• Using a sharp knife cut the corn kernels off of the cob and put through a vegetable juicer. Place the corn juice into a small saucepot and bring to a simmer. Cook the corn sauce until it starts to thicken. Set aside and keep warm.
• Heat the grapeseed oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the shallots and saute until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for 4 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and saute until heated through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the Sauteed vegetables into a medium-size mixing bowl and toss with the warmed sweet corn sauce and chervil. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, place the succotash in the center of the plate, top with a few seared scallops, and drizzle some of the corn sauce around the plate.

SWEET CORN DOUGHNUT HOLES

Steps:

• Heat 3 to 4 inches of oil in a medium pot until the oil registers 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• Whisk the flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Add the buttermilk, butter, eggs, honey and vanilla and mix first with a whisk, then with a silicone spatula as the mixture combines and becomes thicker. Fold in the corn kernels if using.
• Place a generous amount of confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl. Working in batches, drop 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into the hot oil (a small cookie scoop makes a rounder doughnut, but you can also use 2 spoons to drop in the batter). Drop in 3 to 5 doughnuts at a time, depending on the exact size of your pot. Fry until they are deeply golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove the doughnuts from the oil using a slotted spoon and drain on the paper towels. While they're still hot, toss them in the confectioners' sugar to coat and transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Repeat with the remaining batter-frying, draining and dredging in confectioners' sugar-until you've fried all of the dough. Serve immediately.