I flew Suzen 3000 miles, rented a car, and drove her to a sacred place. Near my boyhood home was, and is, the greatest hot dog stand on the planet. Now known as Roakes, it was The Foot Long, when I grew up in Portland. Long dogs, onions, and the sauce from heaven.

We’d been married for a decade and I had talked and talked about this hot dog stand. Now we were there.

I bought her one, brought it to her, placed it respectfully in front of her, and waited.

Suzen picked it up, smelled it, sighted down the whole length like a rifle barrel, puckered her mouth, took a bite, and chewed. And chewed. And swallowed.

“It’s not Nathan’s,” came her verdict.

I do love her, and I have forgiven her. But I will never forget.

I’m now on a crusade to find a recipe for that sauce. The Foot Long, aka Roakes, won’t give it up. I’m researching on the web and finding lots and lots of recipes. You can search for “hot dog sauce” and “Coney sauce.” Of the ones I have found, this one is the best. I’ve modified it significantly to give the chili punch my memories say are needed. This sauce is delicious and I will use it, while I search for how to modify it to reach the Roakes pinnacle.

If you have a Roakes recipe, please share it. In the meantime, this sauce will make your dogs sensational. Made with all these spices, it is a deep, dark red and actually sticky because of all the spices. Its aromatic richness is the perfect adornment for a dog grilled until it is black and cracked.

Classic Coney Sauce

Yield: 2 quarts of sauce

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup sugar
½ cup vinegar
¼ cup mustard [standard yellow]
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder

Preparation:

Place the ground beef and onions in a large skillet. Cook over medium high heat until the meat is browned. Turn the meat and separate it with a wooden spoon while cooking.

Pour off any fat that has separated during the cooking process.

Add the remaining ingredients, stir to mix thoroughly, and cook over medium heat for 10-20 minutes. Taste test for doneness to please you and to adjust the seasonings.

Source: Brian O’Rourke

I love this recipe for fried chicken with chile flavor augmented by a superior gravy. Look, this dish is so good, so satisfying, that your craving for fried chicken will be met for days. Or hours.  So, net net, you come out ahead eating great fried chicken versus just plain gooped up, ordinary fried chicken. A little chile fire creates a wonderful flavor.

Seriously, fried chicken eaten in moderation is not a hazard to your life span. And a long life depends, in good part, on having a high level of gastronomic satisfaction. I guarantee this recipe will have you smiling. I’m not saying this chicken will save your life, but it will make it better.

Red Chile Fried Chicken

Yield: serves 5

Ingredients:

1 whole broiling chicken, cut up
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup AP flour
½ Panko or dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon Chimayo chile powder
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup corn or other vegetable oil

Preparation:

Wash and dry the chicken pieces and put it a glass baking dish.  Pour the buttermilk over the chick and turn to coat.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  Mix the flour with the bread crumbs, salt, and spices in a large plastic bag.  One at a time, remove the chicken from the buttermilk and drain, then drop into the seasoned flour and shake to coat thoroughly.  Put the chicken pieces on a rack to dry.

In a large, heavy skillet heat the oil until hot.  Brown the chicken pieces on both sides, about 15 minutes, then reduce the head, add 2 tablespoons of water ad cover the skillet tightly.

Continue cooking about 30 minutes (checking frequently to guard against scorching), then remove the cover.  Continue frying the chicken another 10 to 15 minutes until the coating is crispy and meat is cooked through.

[If you want gravy, use the Southern Fried Chicken recipe on page 217 of The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook].  The gravy recipe follows.

Ingredients:

¼ cup flour
1 cup milk
1 ¾ cup chicken broth
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper.
1 cup

Prepare the gravy.  Spoon 2 tablespoons oil from the skillet into a 2-quart saucepan.  Over medium heat, with wooden spoon, stir ¼ cup flour into the oil until blended.  Cook, stirring constantly, until flour is lightly browned.  Gradually stir in1 cup of milk, 1 ¾ cups chicken broth, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until gravy has thickened and boils.  Make 2 ⅔ cups gravy.

Source: Red Chile Bible by Kathleen Hansel and Audrey Jenkins

Miller’s recipes are spicy, authentic, and appealing from the first glance. In his new book, Tacos, Miller offers many recipes you’ll enjoy, but this one is Suzen’s favorite. The word charro refers to the original New World cowboys. These Mexican and Spanish men needed serious food at the end of their day, and they had one pot to make it in.

This dish will remind you of chili, but it’s something different. The spicy aromas will fill your kitchen. As you peer into the pot, the combination of beans and spices will form a broth quite unlike what you’ve seen before: rich, thick, dark red, and obviously potent.

You can serve this with tortillas as Miller suggests, put it in bowls and garnish with sour cream, or do what Suzen and I did: heap it into a large baked potato and savor the combination of mellow potato and outrageously spiced beans.

Charro Beans with Blacked Tomatoes

Yield: 8 tacos worth

Preparation Time: 2 ½ hours

Ingredients:

1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed 3 times and picked over for rocks
3 cloves garlic
1 small white onion, halved
6 ½ cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably Spanish)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno chiles, dry-roasted
1 pound tomatoes, blackened and cut into ¼—inch dice [directions below]
1 teaspoon tomato paste
¼ teaspoon chipotle puree
½ teaspoon smoked salt
¼ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
8 (5 ½-inch) soft yellow corn tortillas, for service

Garnish: strips of soft beef or game jerky

Preparation:

To cook the beans, in a large pot, simmer the beans, garlic, ½ onion, and the 6 ½ cups of water over medium=low hat, partially covered, until the beans are almost falling apart, 2 to 4 hours. Add water as necessary during cooking so the mixture does not dry out. After the beans are cooked, drain the bean liquid into a saucepan and return the beans to the large pot. Over medium heat, reduce the liquid until it is thickened (not too much liquid will be left), about 10 minutes; reserve.

Meanwhile, cut the remaining ½ onion into ¼-inch dice. Ina skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the diced onion until it begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30n seconds (don’t let the garlic burn); set aside.

Into the ;pot of cooked beans, stir in the sautéed onion and garlic, chiles, tomatoes, tomato paste, chipotle puree, smoked salt, oregano, cilantro, and the thickened bean juice, and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve immediately, or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.

To serve, the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with salsa and jerky strips. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand Spoon on some filling, top with salsa and jerky strips, and eat right away.

To blacken the tomatoes, preheat a heavy skilled, cat-iron preferably, over high heat. Add the whole tomatoes and cook, turning occasionally until the tomato skins split and are blackened, about 5 minutes. Remove and let cool.  Peel the tomatoes, discard the stem ends and coarsely chop the tomatoes.

Source: Tacos by Mark Miller

Monday:                 Texas-Style Chili
Monday:                 Sublime Citrus Sugar Syrup
Tuesday:                Brian’s Super Chili Nachos
Tuesday:                Frozen Mango Daquiri
Wednesday:          Two Super Crab Cakes
Wednesday:          Classic Cookie: Grandma Rose’s Chcoloate Layer Cookies
Thursday:              Spicy Mango Salsa

To find easily find a blog,  just use our tag cloud in the right column.

According to Kate Heykoe, author of Macho Nachos, these addictive treats are a fairly recent creation from our southern neighbor.  In 1943, a Mexican chef invented the dish on the fly to please some visiting American wives.  And supposedly he even used Wisconsin cheddar cheese!

Nachos can be a snack or meal.  You’ve probably had plenty of bland plates of overworked chips and the fast food versions are rarely exciting.  In contrast, Kate’s book is filled with interesting variations: some honest basics, versions that can be speedily created, and even breakfast and dessert varieties.

The nacho recipe below is mine, but I do want to credit Kate for its inspiration.  And, to accompany the nacho, I’m adding Kate’s recipe for Avocado Creama, a beautifully cooling side to balance the heat of the nachos.

Heat.  Yes, my nachos offer some heat.  They won’t burn your mouth, but they are definitely warm.  I suggest using two key ingredients.  The first is chili, and there is no better chili to use than our recent blog, Texas-Style Chile [http://www.cookingbythebook.com/blog/recipes/texasstyle-chili-super-disk-super-bowl/].  This Tom Valenti recipe really elevates this dish from a “snack” to a full meal.

The second ingredient is the jalapenos to use.  Nacho lovers can endlessly debate just what to do here.  The great divide is over fresh jalapenos — that you simply slice and add — versus something in a jar.  I am a jar man, but not just any jar.  There is a product that will provide a striking new dimension to your Mexican and Southwestern dishes: candied jalapenos.  I use the brand Los Tios from Houston, Texas.  You may be able to find candied jalapenos in your local megamart and there are web-recipes to make them yourself.  I’ll be checking out those recipes for you and will blog the results.

Here is my nacho recipe followed by Kate’s creama recipe.  Whether you make these for snacks or a full meal, you are in for a treat.

Brian’s Super Chili Nachos

Ingredients:

5 ounces corn tortilla chips
8 ounces grated cheddar cheese [or Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack]
¾ cup candied jalapenos, or more depending on your tolerance
1 large onion finely diced
2 cups chili [ideally Tom Valenti’s Texas-Style Chili]
Sour cream, avocado creama, diced tomatoes, or additional grated cheese as garnishes

 
Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 475°.

Spread the tortilla chips evenly over pan [half-sheet] lined with foil.  Cover evenly with the grated cheese.  Evenly sprinkle the jalapenos and diced onions.

Top with the chili.  This is best done a spoonful at a time.  Just try to cover in bite size globs.  Spreading the chili evenly over the other ingredients is not easy, and not necessary.

Bake the nachos for about 7 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted.  If the chili is leftovers and has been refrigerated, it may take about 10 minutes to fully heat the dish.

Remove from the oven and serve with the garnishes.

Source: Brian O’Rourke

Avocado Crema

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado, peeled and pit removed
½ cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon salt
Variations: add chili powder, garlic, chives, cilantro, or green chili

Preparation:

Puree all the ingredients in a blender or food processor for one or two minutes.  Sample the taste and add additional seasoning — salt or white pepper — to suit your palette.

Source: Macho Nacho by Kate Heykoe