November 2010
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SOUTHWEST FLAVOR
Get Grilled
Give thanks with a New Mexican–inspired feast prepared on the grill
Story by Wendy Sue Gist, Photography by Douglas Merriam
This Thanksgiving, I’m giving thanks for my grill. Although I like to honor the Thanksgiving tradition, sometimes in my harried life I dread all the cooking and cleanup this holiday involves. This year, Santa Fe–based grill geek Steve Collins has freed me from slaving over a hot stove with his grilled versions of Thanksgiving favorites, all with Southwestern twists. Though I may be slow (why didn’t I think of this years ago?), I do persevere.
As luck would have it, where there’s smoke, there’s Chef Collins—a multitalented gentleman who teaches “in home” cooking lessons, writes a monthly column for The National Barbecue News, and, with his wife of 36 years, Billie, operates The Santa Fe Traveler, a trip-planning service for Santa Fe visitors.
Today, I am thrilled to [ahem] grill Collins about cooking up a fun and festive feast. During my grilling lesson, Collins generously shares the art and science of grilling and smoking Thanksgiving dinner. First, a safety refresher: “Grill in an open, well-vented space; never use a charcoal grill indoors (unless you’re aiming for a Darwin award); and clean preparation surfaces after each food.”
Blessed as we are in New Mexico with beautiful fall weather, cooking outdoors, even in the crisp air of November, is usually a practical affair. I live in Deming, New Mexico, a.k.a. the Kingdom of the Sun; here in the borderlands about 60 miles west of Las Cruces, near the U.S./Mexico border, snowbirds and residents alike can grill year-round. Collins says the only time he won’t fire up his grill is during an ice storm. (My husband, who has a somewhat primordial urge to cook meat, might try it even then.)
At my casa, I’m charged with doing the shopping and advance prepping—I leave it to my hubby to fire up the grill. According to Collins, advance preparation is the key to a successful feast. (I won’t impart this wisdom to my husband.)
Thanksgiving Menu Pecan Stuffing (made with Jalapeño Corn Bread) Collins's Apple-Smoked Turkey Breast (with Apple Glaze) Cranberry-Chipotle Relish Calvados Sauce (optional topping for smoked turkey) New Mexico Goat Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Peppers Ancho-Dusted Grilled Butternut Squash Grilled Asparagus with Lime-Chile Butter Collins's Mulled Apple Cider Pumpkin Empanaditas Serves 6 comfortably. |
“I like to shop at a farmers’ market, since we have an excellent one in Santa Fe,” says Collins, who is grateful for New Mexico’s magnificent foods: “What I enjoy most about grilling a Thanksgiving dinner is the opportunity to take advantage of the local bounty.”
Local foods have fresher, more vibrant tastes that the grill only accentuates. Here in the sun-blessed Mimbres Valley, nearly 300 miles from Santa Fe, the idyllic high-desert growing conditions will dress my table with an overflowing cornucopia of regional crops. I head to the Luna County Farmers’ Market, where, until first frost, I can gather homegrown butternut squash, succulent apples to add zing to everything from calvados sauce to spiced drinks, and our state’s famous chile peppers. Pining for pecans? These meaty nuts are plentiful in our state and at my local market. In fact, New Mexico has the largest concentration of pecan orchards in the world. Other local finds, such as aromatic pecan and apple woods, are also bountiful, and provide secret seasonings for smoking on the grill.
Although your recipes might involve rugged outdoor cooking, you can still celebrate with an elegant table presentation. “This is the time to get out the good china and silver—I think of Thanksgiving as a time to eat indoors,” says Collins. While your grill master turns these recipes into reality, lay your table with fine china and a fall centerpiece of gourds, dried autumn flowers, golden mums, and candles, to set the mood for an enchanting meal.
With the table overflowing with the riches of a New Mexican Thanksgiving, toast the season with hot, mulled apple cider or a wonderful New Mexico wine pairing. With this menu, Collins recommends Pinot Noir: “Gruet makes a very nice one, best served at room temperature.” St. Clair Winery’s Gewurztraminer, grown in the Mimbres Valley, has notes of “apricot, spice, and hints of green apple,” and is the perfect aperitif.
Deming-based freelance writer Wendy Gist and her husband plan to celebrate with a grilled feast this Thanksgiving.
Prep-Duty and Grilling Instructions
Preparation: Gather your tools.
You’ll need an instant-read meat thermo-meter, a mesh grill sheet (or disposable aluminum cookie sheet), cheesecloth, a gas or charcoal grill (it’s up to you), and the seasoned wood chips of your choice (available at www.thehomechef.net).
If using propane, have enough fuel on hand for 3–4 hours of cooking. If using charcoal, buy charcoal briquettes like Kingsford or all-natural coals. (Note: Do not use charcoal that has been soaked in lighter fluid.)
Two days before Thanksgiving: Make Pumpkin Empanaditas and refrigerate.
One day before Thanksgiving: Prep.
Make these recipes the day ahead: Festive Brine, Cranberry-Chipotle Relish, and Jalapeño Cornbread. For use in the Pecan Stuffing, jalapeño cornbread and 2 slices whole-grain bread should be cut in cubes and dried overnight.
Wash and trim asparagus.
Thaw turkey in refrigerator, soak in brine, and leave overnight.
Thanksgiving Day: Prepare grill and smoke turkey.
For a charcoal grill: Prepare grill for indirect cooking. Set up with a pile of coals on each end of the grill, leaving an open space in the center. Light coals externally with a chimney starter or electric starter. Make sure coals have burned to white. Set 9-inch-square metal pan filled with water between the two piles of coals. Put handful of presoaked apple woodchips on each pile of coals. (Soak 4 cups woodchips in water at least 30 minutes before applying to grill.) Place mesh grill sheet over water pan and coals.
For a propane grill: Make sure outside burners are well heated.
Set 9-inch-square metal pan filled with water between the two burners. Place cooking grate over water pan and burners. Put apple woodchips in small metal boxes directly over the burners on each side. (Photo above demonstrates grill set up.)
No matter what kind of grill you’re using, the idea is to create a steam-smoking oven at approximately 250 degrees.
Make Pecan Stuffing and Apple Glaze. Prepare these side dishes for grilling: New Mexico Goat Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Peppers, Ancho-Dusted Butternut Squash, and Asparagus with Lime-Chile Butter.
Prepare and smoke turkey according to recipe instructions. A 6-pound breast with stuffing will take about 3½ hours to smoke; an 8-pound breast will take about 5 hours.
While turkey is resting, grill side dishes and prepare Collins’s Mulled Apple Cider. Enjoy!
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RECIPES
Festive Brine
To season the bird with terrific tang, this brine combines sugar, spice, local apple juice, and a splash of citrus.
1 quart water
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup salt
1 tablespoon allspice berries
1 quart apple juice
1 orange, sliced
Bring water to boil with sugar and salt. Stir to dissolve. Remove from heat. Let cool thoroughly. Stir again.
Add allspice berries and apple juice. Put turkey breast in smallest container possible that will hold it. Cover with brine solution and orange slices. Add enough water to cover turkey. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Cranberry-Chipotle Relish
Savory, smoky, and tangy, this relish delights dinner guests with a dazzle of fall harvest.
1 pound fresh cranberries
1–3 tablespoons chipotle peppers, coarsely chopped, from canned chipotle in adobo (available in most markets)
½ cup sugar
2 oranges, juice and zest
Rinse cranberries. Put all ingredients in saucepan and cook until cranberries begin to pop. Chill mixture in refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.
Jalapeño Corn Bread
To use in the Pecan Stuffing, let this Southwest-spiced corn bread dry overnight.
1 cup white flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed, finely diced
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Thoroughly blend flour, cornmeal, and baking powder in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together butter, egg, and milk. Add diced jalapeño to liquid ingredients, then stir mixture into dry ingredients. Pour into buttered, 9-inch-square baking dish. Bake 25 minutes. Remove and let cool.
For use in Pecan Stuffing: Cut in ½-inch cubes and spread on cookie sheet. Dry overnight.
Pecan Stuffing
Chef Collins prefers a lower-fat chorizo because it’s less greasy than some conventional chorizo sausages. Toasting the pecans enhances the nuts’ flavor. Cube and dry the cornbread and whole-grain bread overnight before preparing.
¼ pound chorizo, browned
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup onion, diced
¼ cup celery, diced
¼ cup New Mexico pecans,
coarsely chopped, toasted
3 cups jalapeño corn bread,
cubed or crumbled (store-bought
cornbread can be used)
½ cup rye or whole-grain bread,
cut in ½ cubes and dried overnight
¼ cup chicken stock or water
In sauté pan, brown chorizo over medium heat. Remove chorizo and set aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat.
Melt butter in pan, add onion and celery. Cook 5 minutes, until soft. Remove from heat. Add pecans.
Put cubed corn bread and rye or whole-grain bread in large bowl. Pour onion-pecan mix over bread. Add browned chorizo, and just enough chicken stock to hold dressing together. Mix. Set aside.
Fill turkey breast with stuffing. Just before serving, bake remaining stuffing in kitchen oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
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Apple Glaze
Count on this simple but elegant, red-hued glaze for juicy fall flavor.
¼ cup apple jelly
2 tablespoon apple brandy.
Mix together and set aside. Apply to turkey as it cooks (see Step 2 below).
Collins’s Apple-Smoked Turkey Breast
Follow these instructions for juicy results.
Step 1: Prepare turkey for smoker.
Remove turkey from brine. Discard brine immediately. Rinse turkey well and pat dry. Place turkey on a cookie sheet, backbone down. Fill cavity of turkey with pecan stuffing. Press piece of cheesecloth over stuffing and tuck edges into the cavity. (Aluminum foil works too.) This keeps the stuffing from falling out during grilling.
Step 2: Place turkey on grill.
If you have a rectangular mesh grill sheet (similar to a cookie cooling rack), place prepared turkey on that. Set mesh sheet on cookie sheet to carry turkey to grill. Put mesh sheet (or cookie sheet) with turkey on cooking grate over water pan between heat sources. Brush turkey with Apple Glaze (recipe above). Cover grill.
Step 3: Grill turkey.
If using charcoal, you’ll need to add more coals about every hour. The best way is to save a few coals in the bottom of a chimney starter and fill chimney with charcoal. You can start extra coals in a second grill, but it’s more cumbersome to transfer the hot coals. A chimney is worth the minimal expense (under $15).
Don’t be a lid-lifter—you’ll lose accumulated heat. Check about once an hour, each time brushing on more Apple Glaze.
Turn turkey for even cooking. Add more coals as needed to maintain heat.
A 6-pound breast with stuffing will take about 3½ hours. An 8-pound breast will take about 5 hours. About ²/³ of the way through the cooking time, begin checking temperature with an instant-read internal meat thermometer. Check in two or three different places; when done, the turkey should be at 165 degrees.
Remove turkey from grill. Cover loosely with foil. Let rest.
Step 4: Grill side dishes.
While turkey is resting, grill the New Mexico Goat Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Peppers, the Ancho-Dusted Grilled Butternut Squash, and Asparagus with Lime-Chile Butter (recipes below).
Calvados Sauce
Serve this sauce as a side offering for smoked turkey instead of traditional gravy.
1/2 cup calvados (French apple brandy)
2 cups apple cider
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter in 1/2-inch cubes
Put calvados, cider, and shallots in saucepan. Bring to rapid boil and simmer until volume is reduced by half. Strain shallots into bowl. Return liquid to pan and bring to boil. Whisk in cream and butter. Remove from heat.
New Mexico Goat Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Peppers
These grilled stuffed-pepper starters are a sure-fire crowd-pleaser. Serve with chutney.
3 Anaheim, New Mexico, or Poblano chiles (halved lengthwise, seeds removed)
Stuffing
4 strips apple-wood–smoked bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 8-ounce goat-cheese log from local New Mexico farmer
1/4 cup New Mexico pecans, coarsely chopped
In pan on stovetop, brown and drain bacon. Crumble bacon and set aside.
Wipe pan clean, add olive oil, and heat over medium heat. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add onion and cook until soft (about 5 minutes). Add oregano and cumin and cook 1 minute more. Let cool.
Add mixture to goat cheese. Stir in pecans and mix well, then add crumbled bacon and mix well. Fill prepared chiles.
Put stuffed chiles on grill directly over heat. Cook 12 minutes, then remove from grill and let rest 10 minutes.
Ancho-Dusted Butternut Squash
“I like ancho chile because it has a smoky flavor and a sweet hotness that doesn’t overpower the flavor,” explains Chef Collins.
2 tablespoons ancho chile, ground
1 teaspoon coriander seed, ground
1 teaspoon cumin seed, ground
1 butternut squash, halved, peeled, seeds removed, sliced in 1/4-inch pieces (lengthwise or across)
extra-virgin olive oil
Remove stems and seeds of 2 or 3 ancho chiles. (Note: An ancho chile is a dried poblano.) Heat de-seeded chiles in dry sauté pan 2 minutes. (Don’t let chiles burn.) Add coriander and cumin. Cook 1 minute. Transfer everything to blender, spice grinder, or mortar and pestle. Grind chiles and spices to powder.
Option: If you can find all spices in powdered form, and you like a milder flavor, just mix them together and sprinkle them on the squash. If you can’t find ancho chile, you may substitute your favorite chile.
Finally, brush squash slices with oil, sprinkle with chile-and-spice mixture, and place on grill over fire. Cook 3 minutes, turn slices over, cook 2 minutes more. Transfer to plate and keep warm until serving time.
Asparagus with Lime-Chile Butter
Now available year-round, asparagus isn’t just for spring anymore, but broccoli spears can be substituted if desired. If using broccoli, blanch by plunging into rapidly boiling water for three minutes. Remove and run under cold water.
2 pounds asparagus (or broccoli)
1 stick butter
juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons ancho chile, powdered (add more if you like it hot)
Break off woody ends of asparagus spears where they naturally snap. Don’t blanch. Heat butter in pan on stovetop until melting. Stir in lime juice and chile powder. Brush vegetables with mixture.
Place spears on hot grill and cook 3 minutes. Turn, brush with more lime-chile butter, and cook 3 minutes more. Remove from grill and keep warm. Serve with remaining lime-chile butter on side.
Collins’s Mulled Apple Cider
Chef’s secret ingredient: cider from Dixon Orchards, near Cochiti Lake (when available; www.dixonapples.com). Adults can add a hint of apple brandy or rum.
1/2 gallon of apple cider
1-inch knob fresh ginger, whole
1–2 2-inch sticks canela (available at ethnic groceries)
2 allspice berries
5 whole cloves
pinch nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in saucepan and heat through, then let simmer at least 5 minutes before serving. To serve, pour or ladle through strainer. Serve hot as the sweet-spice scent fills the air.
Pumpkin Empanaditas
Mmmm . . . this divine New Mexican pumpkin dessert completes a Thanksgiving feast. Top with whipped cream or ice cream.
Filling
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger, ground
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1/4 teaspoon cloves, ground
1/4 cup New Mexico pecans, chopped
Combine in saucepan all ingredients except pecans. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens (8–12 minutes). Let cool completely (45–60 minutes). Stir in pecans. Set mixture aside.
Pastry
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 stick cold butter, chilled, cut in 1/4-inch cubes
3 tablespoons cream cheese, chilled, cut in 1/4-inch cubes
8–10 tablespoons cold water
Combine flour and sugar in bowl of food processor. Add butter and cream cheese. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in enough water until flour is just moistened. Form into two balls of equal size and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Roll out one ball of dough on lightly floured surface (keep remaining dough refrigerated), to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 21/2-inch round cookie cutter. Place rounded 1/2 teaspoon of filling in center of each circle. Fold one side of circle over the other to form a half-circle and lightly pinch together to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and press edges together with tines of fork to seal.
Egg Wash
1 egg
1 teaspoon milk or water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Beat egg with water. Brush empanaditas with egg wash. Mix together sugar and cinnamon. Dust empanaditas with sugar mixture. Bake 15 minutes.
