Tomato Jalapeno Granita Recipes

FIDEOS IN A ROASTED JALAPENO AND TOMATO BROTH

Steps:

• Heat a dry cast iron skillet (or ungreased skillet) over medium-low heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Place the tomato and jalapeno in the pan and cook turning frequently, until the skins are blistered all over, about 15 minutes. Remove the tomato into a mixing bowl to catch the juices. Place the chile in a paper bag and let rest for 10 minutes.
• When the chile is cool enough to handle, peel of the charred skin. Place the tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, and chile in a blender, or food processor, and process until smooth, about 1 minute, set aside.
• Pour the oil into a dutch oven or medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it ripples, add the pasta and cook, stirring constantly, until golden. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil, add the pureed tomato and chile mixture, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continually. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Serve with shredded cheese.

TOMATO JALAPENO SALSA

Steps:

• Rinse and de-stem the tomatoes. Roast the tomatoes in the oven at 400F for 20-30 minutes.
• Add the roasted tomatoes to a blender along with 1/2 onion, 1 garlic clove, and only 1/4 of the jalapeno. Pulse blend until combined.
• Taste for heat level. Add another 1/4 of the jalapeno if you want additional heat. Keep adding additional quarters of the jalapeno until you find a heat level that works for your taste buds.
• Salt to taste. Serve immediately.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

ROASTED JALAPEñO-TOMATO SALSA WITH FRESH CILANTRO

Steps:

• 1. Heat the broiler. Lay the whole tomatoes and jalapeños out on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Set the pan 4 inches below the broiler and broil for about 6 minutes, until darkly roasted - even blackened in spots - on one side (the tomato skins will split and curl in places). With a pair of tongs, flip over the tomatoes and chiles and roast the other side for another 6 minutes or so. The goal is not simply to char the tomatoes and chiles, but to cook them through while developing nice, roasty flavors. Set aside to cool.
• 2. Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Separate the onions into rings. On a similar pan or baking sheet, combine the onion and garlic. Roast in the oven, stirring carefully every couple of minutes, until the onions are beautifully browned and wilted (even have a touch of char on some of the edges) and the garlic is soft and browned in spots, about 15 minutes total. Cool to room temperature.
• 3. For a little less rustic texture or if you're canning the salsa, pull off the peels from the cooled tomatoes and cut out the "cores" where the stems were attached, working over your baking sheet so as not to waste any juices. In a food processor, pulse the jalapeños (no need to peel or seed them) with the onion and garlic until moderately finely chopped, scraping everything down with a spatula as needed to keep it all moving around. Scoop into a big bowl. Without washing the processor, coarsely puree the tomatoes - with all that juice that has accumulated around them - and add them to the bowl. Stir in enough water to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency. Stir in the cilantro.
• 4. Taste and season with salt and vinegar, remembering that this condiment should be a little fiesty in its seasoning. If you're planning to use your salsa right away, simply pour it into a bowl and it's ready, or refrigerate it covered and use within 5 days.

GAZPACHO GRANITA WITH CHOPPED GAZPACHO SALAD, AVOCADO AND FLAME GRILLED SHRIMP IN JALAPENO CILANTRO OIL

Steps:

• Granita: Add all the granita ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree. Strain the puree through a sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer the chilled puree into a wide, shallow, heavy-bottomed container. (The shallower and wider the container, the more room you give the granita to freeze quickly.) Cover with foil or plastic wrap and freeze until it begins to appear solid around the edges, about 1 hour. Using a fork, scrape the ice from sides, mixing in from the edges into the center. Repeat this scraping and mixing process every 30 minutes, until the entire mixture has the consistency of shaved ice. Put back in freezer until ready to use.
• Chopped salad: Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Shrimp: Combine the cilantro, lime zest and juice, jalapeno and olive oil in a blender or food processor. Set aside.
• If using a gas grill, preheat the grill to high, direct heat. If using coals, allow the coals to burn down to glowing white embers. The grill is hot enough when you can hold your hand about 1-inch over it for only 1 second. Lightly grease the grill with olive oil to prevent sticking. Lightly salt the shrimp and thread each skewer with 3 shrimp. Grill shrimp approximately 2 minutes per side, basting with cilantro oil twice. Remove the shrimp from the grill and add the remaining cilantro oil to a small pan. Heat the oil until bubbling.
• Add the avocado to a small bowl and drizzle with lime juice.
• To serve, spoon some of the chopped salad on each serving plate and top with some granita. Add a few teaspoons of avocado, a skewer of shrimp and a drizzle of the hot cilantro oil. Serve immediately.

CAPRESE GRANITA

Steps:

• Add the tomatoes, water, vinegar, sugar and salt to the pitcher of a blender. Blend on high for 2 minutes. Pour into an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Discard the seeds and any solids. Freeze for 2 hours.
• After two hours, use a fork to scrape and break up the mixture. Stir to distribute the ice crystals and return to the freezer until frozen solid, about 2 hours more.
• Use a fork to scrape the desired amount of large shards of ice into small bowls. Top each serving with basil, mozzarella quarters and pine nuts. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve.