Hatch Chile Mini Cornbread Muffins
prep: 15 minutes
bake: 20 minutes

makes 24 muffins

you’ll need…
¾ cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
⅓ cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ cup roasted, peeled, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped Hatch Chile

let’s get to it…
Place oven rack in the middle and heat to 425°F. Spray 2 mini-muffin pans (12-count each pan) with cooking spray; set aside.
Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the milk, honey, egg and oil until blended. Stir the milk mixture into the cornmeal mixture until combined. Fold in the chopped chiles.
Spoon into mini-muffin pans. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.

Shrimp and Sweet Onion Pickle

prep: 10 minutes
cook: 4 minutes
chill: 4 hours or overnight

serves 8

you’ll need:
1½ pounds (26-30 count) medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon celery seeds
1 cup olive oil
½ cup lemon juice
¼ cup white vinegar
½ cup finely chopped parsley
6 dried bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ teaspoon red chile flakes
1 sweet onion (about 8 ounces) thinly sliced lengthwise

let’s get to it…
Boil 10 cups of water in a large saucepan or stockpot. Add Old Bay and shrimp to the boiling water. Reduce heat to low and cook shrimp 2 to 4 minutes or until pink. Drain in a large colander. Place ice cubes on top of the shrimp to cool.
Grind salt,mustard seeds, cumin seeds and celery seeds in a spice grinder or blender container; pour into a large bowl.
Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, parsley, bay leaves, minced garlic and chile flakes into large bowl with the ground spices.
Layer shrimp and sliced onions in 8 half-pint mason jars or into a large, sealable container. Pour oil mixture over layered shrimp and onions. Cover with lid. Chill at least 4 hours (although overnight would be best!).

Baked Ziti with Mini Meatballs

prep: 30 minutes
bake: 55 minutes

serves 6 

for the meatballs you’ll need…
⅓ pound ground beef
⅓ pound ground veal
⅓ pound ground pork
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced or pushed through a garlic press
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon red chile flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

for the ziti you’ll need…
1 pound ziti pasta
5 cups pasta sauce or homemade tomato sauce
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces ricotta
8 ounces mozzarella, diced

let’s get to it…
Combine the meats, breadcrumbs, eggs, garlic, Parmesan cheese, parsley, red chile flakes (if using), salt and ground pepper in a large bowl. Mix together (I like to use my hands to mix). Shape the meatballs into tiny balls, about the size of a grape (or any size you want).
Heat the olive oil on medium high in a large skillet. Add the meatballs in batches and brown on all sides. Remove from skillet; set aside. (They will not be cooked through but will finish cooking when you bake the ziti.)
Place oven rack is in the middle of the oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Coat a 3½-quart baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. (You can also make these in individual serving dishes like I did in the images.)
Prepare ziti according to package directions until al dente. Drain. Return ziti to the cooking pot and toss with 3 cups of the pasta sauce and the meatballs.
Pour half of the ziti and meatballs into the sprayed baking dish. Spoon and spread the ricotta on top of the ziti. Sprinkle on half of the diced mozzarella, another cup of the pasta sauce and half the Parmesan cheese.
Add remaining ziti and meatballs to the baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella, pasta sauce and grated cheese; cover with foil.
Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer or until center is hot, cheese is melted and sauce bubbles around the inside of the baking dish. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Red Chile Sauce (Salsa de Chile Guajillo)
prep: 60 minutes
cook: 10 minutes

you’ll need…
24 dried Guajillo or red chile pods
1½ quarts boiling water
3 cored tomatoes, cut in half
½ onion
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 tablespoon canola oil
salt to taste

let’s get to it…
PUT ON GLOVES then remove the stems, seeds and veins from the chilies.
Rinse in warm water; shake off excess water. Heat a skillet on medium high heat and toast the chilies on each side for about 1 minute; set aside. You’ll probably have to do this in batches. Don’t burn the pods or the sauce will be bitter.
Place toasted chilies in a large bowl and cover with boiling water; soak for 30 minutes.
Toast tomatoes, onion and garlic in skillet on medium high heat until golden brown; set aside.
DO NOT DISCARD SOAKING WATER. Taste the water. If it’s bitter, discard and use tap water. Remove chilies from water and place in a food processor or blender container along with the tomatoes, onion and garlic. Add soaking water ½-cup at a time until you reach your desired sauce consistency.
Heat oil in skillet for 1 minute; pour sauce from blender into skillet and bring to a boil. Remove from heat; use immediately or cool and store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.