Bismarck, North Dakota - News

There's a theory that people raised in hot climates eat spicy foods to keep cool. It sounds counter-intuitive, but maybe there's something to it, the theory of fighting fire with fire.

When it's hot, if we feel ornery and contrary enough to say, "bring it on," we holster up the hot sauce, pour on the salsa and peppers and steam up the kitchen with a big pot of something thick and hot.

All we need is a roll of paper towels on the table to mop our brows. As John Mellencamp has sagely pointed out, there are occasions when what we really crave is something that hurts so good.

Salsa Verde Pork and Pepper Stew

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1½-inch pieces

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 jar (16 ounces) salsa verde

2 large red and/or green peppers, diced (about 2 cups)

3 large carrots, thickly sliced (about 1½ cups)

Chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Hot cooked rice

Place the pork into a large bowl. Add the flour and toss to coat.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook in 2 batches until well browned. Stir in the pork, salsa, peppers and carrots in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or until the pork is fork tender. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve with the rice. Serves 6.

This recipe and the following three are courtesy of Pace Foods.

Pico De Gallo Tortilla Soup

1 jar (16 ounces) pico de gallo

2 cups chicken broth

1 large zucchini, diced (about 2 cups)

1 cup diced cooked chicken

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

3 corn or flour tortillas (6-inch) cut into thin strips

Heat the salsa, broth, zucchini and chicken in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Stir the cilantro and tortilla strips into the saucepan.

Tip: To cut the tortillas into thin strips more easily, roll them up first, then cut them crosswise into strips. Makes 4 servings.

Tequila Lime Chicken Wraps

1 cup tequila lime salsa

2 cups diced cooked chicken

1 large red pepper, diced (about 1 cup)

1 large ripe avocado, diced (about 1 cup)

½ cup sour cream

4 flour tortillas (10-inch), warmed

2 cups shredded lettuce

Stir ½ cup of the salsa, chicken, pepper and avocado in a large bowl. Stir the remaining salsa and sour cream in a small bowl. Spread ¼ cup of the sour cream mixture onto each tortilla. Top each with 1 cup of the chicken mixture and ½ cup of the lettuce. Fold the sides of the tortillas over the filling and then fold the ends to enclose the filling. Cut each wrap in half before serving. Makes 4 wraps.

Tip: To boost the nutrition and cut calories, substitute torn spinach leaves for the lettuce and use reduced-fat or fat-free sour cream.

Queso Potatoes au Gratin

1 jar (16 ounces) salsa con queso

¾ cup chicken broth

¼ cup heavy cream or half-and-half

3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)

Stir the queso, broth and cream in a medium bowl. Put half the potatoes in a 2-quart casserole dish. Pour half the queso mixture over the potatoes. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and queso mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serves 6.

Gumbo and jambalaya are thick, one-pot meals. Both use the classic New Orleans "holy trinity" of chopped onions, green peppers and celery, and are thickened with a roux - fat and flour cooked to brownness - with file powder, made from ground sassafras leaves, or okra, a vegetable of African origin.

Gumbo is often classified as Creole. The cooking techniques are French, but the flavors are influenced by Africa and Native and Latin America.

By contrast, jambalaya is often classified as Cajun (a Creole version uses tomatoes). Cajuns are the descendents of French-speakers who came to Louisiana from Acadia, now Nova Scotia. Jambalaya, a New World version of paella, is often served over rice, combining French and Southern cuisines in a more down-home style.

Chicken Gumbo

2 pounds chicken parts, cut up

4 tablespoons vegetable oil for sauteing

6 ounces Andouille sausage

Roux:

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 tablespoons flour

1 cup diced onion

½ cup diced celery

½ cup diced green pepper

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon purchased Cajun seasoning spice mix, more or less to taste

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper, or to taste

½ cup chopped green onions

For serving:

File (fee-lay) powder

4-6 cups cooked rice

Warm oil in a large shallow pan or Dutch oven. Add chicken and brown over medium heat. Add sausage to pot and saute with chicken. Remove both from pot and reserve.

In same pan, heat oil for roux. Add flour and cook over medium low heat until flour is desired color - the darker the roux, the darker the sauce. Add onions, celery, and green pepper. Add garlic to the mixture; stir continuously. When vegetables reach desired tenderness, about 7-8 minutes, return chicken and sausage to pot and cook with vegetables, continuing to stir frequently. Gradually stir in liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for an hour or more. Season with Cajun seasoning, adding 1 teaspoon at a time to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Approximately 10 minutes before serving, add green onions. Serve gumbo over rice or alone, accompanied by French bread. Serves 4.

This recipe and the one following are courtesy of New Orleans School of Cooking, National Chicken Council and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.

Chicken Jambalaya

1 to 1½ pounds chicken breast and thigh meat, boneless and skinless, cut into chunks

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¾ pound sweet Italian link sausage, sliced in ¼-inch rounds

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped green pepper

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

2½ cups chicken stock*

1 heaping teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste

2 cups long grain rice

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper, or to taste

1 cup chopped green onions and/or tomatoes (optional)

In large Dutch oven, warm oil. Add chicken and saute over medium high heat until browned. Add sausage to pot; saute with chicken. Remove both from pot. Add onions, celery, green pepper and garlic; saute until tender, about 9-10 minutes. If making red jambalaya, add paprika. Return chicken and sausage to pot. Add stock (or stock and tomato juice, or Bloody Mary mix if making red jambalaya) and Cajun seasoning and bring to a boil.

Add rice and return to boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 25 minutes. After 10 minutes of cooking, remove cover and quickly turn rice from top to bottom completely. Continue cooking for remaining time. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add green onions and chopped tomatoes, if desired. Serves 4-6.

*For red jambalaya: Add 1 tablespoon paprika and substitute tomato juice, Bloody Mary mix or vegetable juice for half of stock.

Cook for a total of 25 minutes, turning completely after 10 minutes. If using an electric stove, reduce cooking time by 3-4 minutes.

Jambalaya comes in a red version - tomatoes, shrimp and ham - popular in New Orleans, and a brown version - caramelized onions, chicken and sausage - popular west of the Mississippi. For best results, add the pepper sauce at the same time as the rice, and avoid stirring the pot once the rice is added, as it tends to break up the grains. Here, this version from the McIlhenny Company, is called "jumbolia."

Creole Jumbolia

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound fresh, pure pork sausage, removed from the casing

1 fryer chicken (3½ to 4 pounds), cut into serving pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1¼ cups long-grain rice

1½ cups canned diced tomatoes

2 cups beef broth

2 teaspoons pepper sauce

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring to break the meat up, until all pink has disappeared, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Season the chicken pieces with the salt. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add the chicken and brown evenly on all sides. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully drain off any excess oil that has accumulated in the pot.

Add the sausage, rice, tomatoes, broth and pepper sauce. (If using the garlic-flavored oil, add here.) Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and simmer until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve warm from the pot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

For the garlic oil:

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 head garlic (about 10 garlic cloves), skinned and thinly sliced

Heat the vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is very brown. Strain and use according to taste.

(Reach reporter Karen Herzog at 250-8267 or karen.herzog@;bismarcktribune.com.)