All-Star Eats
It’s that time again…NBA All Star Weekend! This year it’s in Houston, which promises not only All-Star, on-the-court antics, great fan interaction sites, but also tasty Houstonian food! (I’m thinking Tex Mex et al). My mouth is just watering at the thought….
Fans at this year’s NBA All-Star Game are literally in for a treat — or many — at the Toyota Center, courtesy of Rockets’ Executive Chef Eddie Romero and his All-Star chef friends. Arena options feature vibrant, authentic Texan cuisine including slow-cooked BBQ, fresh, savory seafood straight from the Gulf and other yummy Tex Mex dishes. From lobster to a candy kiosk, there’s so much to sample, including:
Bacardi Limon Gulf Shrimp & Lobster Ceviche: Chunks of sweet lobster and poached gulf shrimp in cocktail sauce with diced tomatoes, drizzled with Bacardi Limon and topped with crispy tortillas
BBQ Brisket Stack: Slab of sweet corn bread, slow smoked brisket, spicy homemade BBQ sauce, topped with creamy jalapeno cilantro slaw
Giant Texas Cheese Steak: Topped with red jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, BBQ aioli and homemade BBQ Potato chips
Pan-Seared Gulf Shrimp Tacos: Warm corn tortillas, chile de arbol sauce and scallion jalapeno slaw
Short Rib Nachos: Short ribs smoked for 17-hours, sharp cheddar , fresco and jack cheeses with fresh jalapenos, caramelized onions, tomatoes and pepperoncini
Super Nacho Surf N’ Turf: Big enough for two and topped with lobster and ribeye Texas Chili, homemade seafood bisque cheese sauce, sour cream, cilantro crème and green onions
Texas BBQ Bacon Foot-Long Hot Dog: Foot-long dog with avocado Pico, smoked bacon and pickled candied jalapenos
Candy Shoppe: Nostalgic candy available by the quarter pound, and frothy, delectable root beer floats
At the Cantina, you can also find:
Homemade Green Chicken Tamales: Salsa roja, sour cream, queso fresco, cilantro and blue corn tortilla hay
Texas Steak ChiliBowl: Rustic bread bowl, sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese and chives
Craft beers from Mexico and Texas: Corona, Dos XX, Indio and Modelo from Mexico; Lone Star, Rahr and Sons, Shiner and Seigenbock from Texas
Hand-Shaken Margaritas: Watermelon Rita and traditional lime
And Stand 115 is featuring some of Houston’s biggest culinary All-Stars preparing the dishes that made them famous:
Chef Hugo Ortega’s Chile Relleno: Stuffed poblano pepper with roasted chicken and asadero cheese, topped with pipián verde and served with arroz Mexicano
Chef Chris Shepherd’s Famous Pork Belly: Slow-roasted pork belly, steamed buns with hoisin sauce and cucumber salad
Executive Chef Romero‘s Seared Scallops: Iron skillet seared scallops, sweet corn bread, with cascabel cream and molasses reduction
If you aren’t going to make it to Houston this weekend, here is Chef Hugo Ortega’s very own recipe for his Chile Relleno! Combine this great recipe with a big flat screen TV airing the dunk contest, the three-point shoot out, and the game, and you’re as good as in Houston (and even more comfortable…and with all your friends and family)!
Chile Rellenos con Pipian Verde
( Serves 8 )
Salsa de Tomate
1/2 cup corn oil
1–1/2 pound roasted tomatoes, pureed
2 bay laurel leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons garlic oil
2 onions, finely diced
Salt to taste
Chiles Rellenos:
8 poblano peppers, roasted, seeded and skinned with stem intact
1 ½ pound cooked and shredded chicken
Salsa de Tomate — recipe follows
1 pound queso asadero
1 cup flour
1 cup grated cotija cheese
½ cup corn oil (for searing the peppers)
To prepare salsa de tomate: In a saucepan over medium flame, heat oil and sauté the onions until translucent. Add pureed tomatoes, laurel leaves, black pepper, garlic oil and salt. Simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Chiles rellenos: Place shredded chicken in a large bowl and add salsa de tomate; toss to coat chicken with sauce. Stuff each pepper with the chicken mixture and asadero cheese.
Place flour and cotija cheese in a bowl and toss to combine well. Working one at a time, dredge each poblano pepper through the flour-cheese mixture and shake off excess. Transfer to a sheet pan.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and preheat 1 minute. Sear each poblano, 1 minute per side and return to sheet pan. Repeat this process with the rest of the chiles rellenos.
Place chiles rellenos in oven for 5 to 8 minutes to soften skin and heat through. Serve with Pipian Verde (recipe follows) and rice. Garnish with pumpkin seeds on top of sauce.
Pipian Verde
2 tablespoons manteca, divided
5 ounces pumpkin seeds (reserve a few for garnish)
1 pound tomatillos
2 tablespoons diced onions
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup cilantro
1 herba santa leaf
4 serrano chiles
1 poblano pepper, seeded, roasted and peeled
5 ounces chicken stock
Salt to taste
Fry pumpkin seeds in one tablespoon of manteca. In blend, mix together the serranos, tomatillos, onions, garlic, cilantro, herba santa, serranos and poblano. Add chicken stock to the pumpkin seeds and blend. Combine pumpkin seed mixture and pepper mixture. Add remaining manteca to saucepan and “fry” the sauce. Season to taste.
