Grilled Elotes (Mexican Street Corn)
Serves 4
This popular Mexican street food consists of sweet corn slathered in a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream and dusted with a cotija (or feta) cheese crumble with cilantro, lime wedge and Fire Salt garnish made from freshly toasted cayenne peppers, a dose of Hungarian sweet paprika and a high-quality Pacific Ocean sea salt.
Ingredients:
4 ears of corn (husked and cleaned)
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
Calicutts Spice Co. Fire Salt spice blend (for sprinkling)
Cotija cheese (or try feta or parmesan)
Directions:
1. Mix mayonnaise and sour cream together and set aside.
2. Grill corn until done and slightly charred, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Once cooked, slather mixture on corn, and then sprinkle with cheese and Fire Salt.
4. Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime juice.
Cocoa & Ancho-Rubbed Tri Tip
Serves 4
Tri-tip is a lean, densely flavorful beef steak cut from the bottom sirloin. While it is incredibly popular in Southern California (especially within Santa Maria barbecue), it gets almost no love on the East Coast. This Cocoa & Ancho spice blend (inspired by the flavors found in a Mexican mole, made from cacao nibs from Brazil’s Amazon rainforest and ancho chiles from Guanajuato, Mexico) creates a deeply flavorful marriage of Mexican and Californian cuisine.
Ingredients:
Tri-tip steak, about 2 pounds (if you can’t find tri-tip, try a top sirloin steak)
2 tablespoons Calicutts Spice Co. Cocoa & Ancho spice blend
Olive oil (for drizzling)
Sea salt (pinch)
Directions:
1. Season steak on both sides with a pinch of sea salt.
2. Add spice blend to both sides and massage into meat.
3. Lightly drizzle both sides with olive oil.
4. Grill until desired doneness (145ºF for medium, 160ºF for well).
5. Let rest for 5 minutes, then slice meat against the grain.
6. Garnish with salsa verde (see recipe) and fresh cilantro.
Leftovers? Turn them into quick and tasty steak sandwiches by adding some steak slices onto a chewy ciabatta roll with avocado, pico de gallo and salsa verde.
Salsa Verde
Yields 12 ounces
Salsa verde is a popular Mexican condiment made with tomatillo, onion, garlic, jalapeño and cilantro. This one kicks it up with a Chipotle and Honey spice blend made with a base of honey granules and toasted morita chipotle chiles, cumin, garlic, peppercorn and oregano. Try it with the spice-rubbed tri-tip or as an appetizer with chips.
Ingredients:
5 tomatillos (husked)
4 cloves garlic
¼ wedge onion
1 jalapeño pepper (stemmed)
6 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon Calicutts Spice Co. Chipotle & Honey spice blend
1 tablespoon canola oil
Directions:
1. Add tomatillos, garlic, onion and jalapeño to a mixing bowl. Drizzle oil over and toss to coat. Sprinkle spice blend over and re-toss to coat.
2. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast under a broiler for 4-5 minutes until slightly charred.
3. In a blender, combine the ingredients with the cilantro and coarsely blend.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Tip: Make the salsa verde a few days before you grill to save on cooking effort. Plus the extra few days will allow all of the flavors to marry.
Robert Orth co-owns Calicutts Spice Co. in Lemoyne
Calicutts Spice Co.
226 S. 3rd St., Lemoyne, PA
calicutts.com | 717-480-2146
