Wednesday, April 8, 2009

It's all about the sauce

Time for another What's for Dinner? Wednesday. Mexican food is a staple in our home. We love it for all the bold flavors and combinations of spices. In addition, most Mexican food is naturally or easily made gluten free. When my wife and I were first dating, we ate at Chevy's Mexican Restaurant frequently. I even bought a Chevy's cookbook they were selling at the restaurant. Chevy's makes a great jalapeno jelly that is served warm with some of their menu items. Jalapeno jelly is a great combination of sweet and spicy that can enhance Mexican dishes. Thanks to my handy cookbook, I can replicated it at home. So this week we had chicken and steak fajitas. I'm sure you can all figure out fajitas: saute onions and peppers-check, cook meat in Mexican spices-check, warm tortillas up-check, the real magic is in the jelly.

Sweet Hot Jalapeno Jelly:
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 of 1 seeded and diced jalapeno pepper (the sauce is very mild, if you want more heat try adding some canned diced jalapenos)
1-1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
2 Tbs Certo liquid pectin
Makes about 1-1/2 cups.

Dice peppers

In a sauce pan combine: peppers, jalapenos, sugar, vinegar, and lime juice. Heat until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and blend the mixture in a blender or food processor for about 5-10 seconds. Return mix to the sauce pan and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam on the surface. Once the mix comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the pectin, bring mix back to a boil. Once it boils again, remove from heat and let it cool.

The jelly will set as it cools. While it's warm it should have the consistency of honey. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or it can be sealed using canning/preserving methods. Give it a try, it's easy to make and it compliments many dishes. Enjoy!!!

9 comments:

  1. Wow, this looks amazing! Great recipe idea. It actually does sound pretty straight-forward. Thanks!

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  2. Beautiful dicing and photos. Looks like it's worth the effort, too.

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  3. I'm not sure my family would go for that, but it looks so great! You're right about Mexican food easily being made gf. We've eaten a lot more Mexican in the years since I've been diagnosed.

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  4. You're right, a sauce can make or break a meal. I have never had Jalapeno jelly. Maybe I'll try this, it sure looks tasty.

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  5. I've never made jelly so this might sound like a silly question: can it be made without pectin and can agave replace the sugar? It looks divine!

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  6. The pectin helps it gel but doesn't change the flavor so I suppose it could be omitted. As far as the agave, I have never used it before but I don't see why it can't be used. The thicker consistency might help offset the lack of pectin.

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  7. Man I love mexican food! Your pictures are great! Jalapeno's are good in most anything. My husband and I often keep them in a tupperware with water and then just use the water to flavor stuff (the kids will eat it that way).

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  8. Thank you so much! Our family loved Chevy's flautas and pepper jelly. we live right outside of New Orleans, and when Chevy's left town, we were really sad. Thanks to this recipe, I can at least try to replicate our favorite dish. And it would never be the same without this sauce. I am making it tomorrow!! Thanks, Brian!

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  9. Made it tonight. Came out perfect!! It was exactly the same as Chevy's. Thanks again, Brian!

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