Recipes

Every household that cooks regularly has a set of house recipes. Those dishes you cook on a regular basis – usually at least once a month – and that (if you’re like me) have evolved over time. One of the OAB house staples is something we call Tortilla Lasagne.

I first ran into the original recipe about 15 years ago. Ive tweaked this so many times that I don;t even bother referring to that original recipe. Last year, I added the latest twist: cooking this on the grill.

The recipe itself is dead simple. It’s essentially a “mix everthing together – layer it – and cook it”. I would recommend choosing your peppers well for this. Fresher the better (always true) but also get a mix of hot and sweet going.

If the grill is not an option, this will work fine in a 350º F oven.

Oh…a beer Grilled Tortilla Lasagne

Filling:
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 cubanelle pepper, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
8 oz tomato sauce
15.5 ounce can of black beans
1 TBS cider vinegar
! tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper

4 – 6 10″ tortillas
8 oz pepperjack cheese

13 x 9″ pan (I use foil grill pans)

1. Set up your grill for indirect grilling and pre-heat to 350º F

2. Take a 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce and spread evenly in the bottom of your 13 x 9″ pan

3. Combine the remaining tomato sauce with the rest of the filling ingredients. Stir to combine.

4. Cut the tortillas into “noodles” by cutting them in thirds. You’ll have two rounded side pieces and the rectangular center piece. Line the bottom of the pan with one layer of tortilla. Spoon 1/3 – 1/2 of the filling over the tortilla. Top with 1/3 – 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat with more tortillas until all of the filling is used. The goal is to end with filling and cheese.

5. Cover the pan with foil and place on indrect area of grill for 20 minutes.

6. Remove foil and continue to cook on grill until cheese and melted and slightly browning/bubbly. 15 – 20 minutes.

7. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting.

We like to serve this with some Salsa For Grown-ups, hot sauces and sour cream. It keeps quite nicely in the fridge and re-heats well in the microwave. If you decide to make this, please drop back by and let me know how it went. Also let me know if you make any tweaks. I’m always looking for ways to modify this.

Many years ago, Mrs. Ohabeer and I discovered a great little Tex-Mex place in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Lobo had only recently opened and it was a quiet afternoon. We took a seat at the bar – a usual practice of ours as we love talking to bartenders – and ordered a couple of house margaritas. At the time, Lobo had THE best margaritas in the Cobble Hill/Carrol Gardens/Park Slope area of Brooklyn. A great fresh juice blend was actually created to balance and compliment the well tequila making for an excellent – and cheap – margarita. The food was simple Texas diner Mexican. Slightly greasy but full of simple flavor.

As the afternoon progressed, we discovered our bartender was actually the owner, Sean Patterson. Things had gotten friendly – a few margaritas and some food will do that – so Sean asked if we were interested in a shot of Ancho infused tequila. Always up for adventure – not to mention free booze – we took the shot. Smokey peppery and pretty much undrinkable. Sean actually used it in margaritas, but I could never bring myself to try.

A few weeks later, we arrive and Sean sets two shot glasses in front of us. He grabs a bottle filled with ruby colored liquid and pours. Immediately we smell the most heavenly scent of liquid cinnamon. Raising the glasses, we take for the first time one of the now standard fares in the Ohabeer liquor cabinet…

Cinnamon Tequila – candy in a glass!

We continued to frequent Logo during our time in Brooklyn – often turning friends and visitors on to the cinnamon bliss. Discussions with Sean gave us the basic idea of how to make this ruby goodness ourselves. Good thing – as we ultimately moved to the Catskill Mountain fortress that now houses Ohabeer (and foamyindustries) and we would never again have this if we had to rely on our local drinking establishments. (On a side note, sadly our last trip to Lobo while wisiting NYC in 2008 was less than stellar. We’re hoping it was just an off day.)

the ingredients

How to make cinnamon tequila
Of course, I failed to take a photo of the actual ingredients for this batch, but this graphic will do. Shopping list is very simple:

1. 750 ml bottle of Hornitos Reposado
2. 10 cinnamon sticks
3. 750 ml bottle for decanting

The choice of tequila is important. The oakiness and flavor of Hornitos Reposado blends best with the cinnamon. It is possible another reposado might work, but this has proven best for us over the years. Also, get good cinnamon sitcks. Not something that has been hanging out on the shelf of your local megachain supermarket. Hunt down a good spice store or artisanal market or order online.

Once you have the ingredients, you need to put the sticks into the bottle. This will require drinking a bit of the tequila, so I recommend putting this together around happy hour. Once the sticks are in the bottle, turn it upside down a couple of times and place it in a cool dark place.

Each day for the next 10 days, you’ll need to take the bottle out and turn it upside down a couple of times. The goal is to mix but not shake. You do not want the sticks to break up. After 10 days, the tequila will have taken on an incredible ruby color.

Now it is time to decant. Trust me here – you do NOT want to leave the tequila in the bottle with the sticks. You will eventually get something akin to mouthwash from hell. Plus it will have the grittiness of a Sahara sand storm. Carefully pour the tequila into your decanting bottle making sure to not stir up the sediment or the sticks. You’ll end up leaving a bit of the tequila behind, but that’s the sacrifice made for non-gritty booze.

10 days and done

sacrifice for non-grtty booze

ruby goodness decanted

Put a cork in it – it’s done! True – it seems fairly simple (and really is) but there are a few cautions. As stated, do not leave the tequila in the infusing bottle. It will get very harsh. Same holds true for more than 10 days of infusing. You will also find this continues to age and settle even in the decanter. This will intensify over the next couple of weeks. Plus the final few shots are often undrinkable – though they work nicely in home made apple sauce and cinnamon tequila cookies.

I’ve found this drinks best as a shot with strong ales and the occasional stout. It also is a great addition to any sangria. Given it’s warmth and strong cinnamon candy flavor, we rarely drink this in the summer. On the other hand, you’ll rarely find Ohabeer HQ without a bottle in the winter.

So there you have it. Now go and make your own ruby goodness. If you do, leave me a comment and perhaps consider buying me a beer by using the button below to donate via Paypal. You certainly do not have to, but it would be appreciated.

I am an avid barbeque & grill jockey. I believe firmly in a few grilling tenets:

1. NEVER use propane. It’s wood or charcoal ONLY. Otherwise, you might as well be cooking indoors.
2. Seasons are NOT a factor. Snow-b-quing is one of life’s perfect pleasures. Plus, nothing is better for a weary winter soul than chargrilled steaks or burgers. (BONUS: you have an easy way to keep your beer cold.)
3. Making it fresh is ALWAYS better. There are many fine craft sauces and rubs on the market (most NOT found in big supermarkets), but taking the time to make your own rub and sauce gives you control over the whole meal.
4. Beer has the power to make almost any suace better.

So, when I set out two years ago to develop a BBQ sauce, it was only natural I use beer as a component. This current recipe is somewhere in the 10th version area. Little tweaks here and there. I’ve settled on Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout – a good balance of sweet and bitter – giving the sauce a nice depth. Unfortunately, Black Chocolate is seasonal so either cellar a case, bottle a lot in winter or play around with what’s available in spring + summer. I’ve found milk stouts also work nicely in this. (The original sauce used Keegan Mother’s Milk stout and I still make batches with that in the summer.)

The only other specific element to this recipe is the hot sauce. I use Ring of Fire® Hot Sauce “Chipotle & Roasted Garlic”. It adds both the heat and a bit of smokiness. You can use whatever hot sauce you favor.

Oh…a beer Beer-B-Que Sauce
1 bottle Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate stout
2 cups organic ketchup
1 cup buckwheat honey
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup Ring of Fire Hot Sauce “Chipotle & Roasted Garlic”
1/3 cup dijon mustard or stone ground mustard
2 limes, juiced
2 medium onions, chopped fine in food processor
2 TBS butter

1. Chop onions very fine in a food processor. Unless you have the knife skills of Ferran Adria, I suggest the food processor method otherwise you’ll not get the onion fine enough. Once chopped, drain any accumulated onion juice.

2. Saute the onion lightly in the butter. Just until slightly cooked and starting to brown a little.

3. Put onions and remaining ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. You could also do this on the stove, simmering for 8 hours.

If you make this recipe, leave me a comment and perhaps consider buying me a beer by using the button below to donate via Paypal. You certainly do not have to, but it would be appreciated.