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I was told by our waitress at Mexicana Mama the other night that for their warm Habanero Salsa they simply roast tomatoes, onion, and garlic, blend with canned habanero peppers, and use soy oil to emulsify.  I’ve been looking everywhere in NYC for soy oil and I have yet to come across it, so I ended up using grapeseed oil, which is similar to soy in that it has a neutral flavor and high smoking point.  I also used fresh habaneros instead of canned.

Ingredients:

• 1 small yellow onion
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 3-4 fresh tomatoes or 1 small can of whole peeled tomatoes
• 1-4 habanero peppers, depending on how spicy you want the salsa
• ~1/3 cup soy or grapeseed oil

Prep:

1. Roast onion, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers at 425 for about 20-25 minutes.
2. Blend and add oil slowly.  Taste for salt and pepper.
3. Server warm.

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• 1 rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup Mexican Chipotle Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
• 3/4 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese
• 4 brioche buns (we found decent ones on Fresh Direct)

Strip the chicken of all meat and shred, leaving some decent sized chunks (see above).  You won’t need all of it, so reserve the breast meat for  another use.

Mix shredded chicken, chipotle sauce and BBQ sauce in a medium pot over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes.

Toast buns under oven broiler.  Add chicken and cheese to buns and place under broiler again until the cheese is melted and buns are fully toasted.

The idea for these tacos came from this incredible dish that Nobu serves with tuna sashimi and thinly sliced jalapenos.  The tuna should be very high quality and seared just a bit to keep the inside raw.

• 1 sashimi-grade tuna steak, cut 1 inch thick
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 hot sauce
• 2 T honey
• 1 cup mayo
• 2-4 chipotle peppers
• 1 small head of chicory, very roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 avocados, thinly sliced
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T champagne vinegar
• 6 corn tortillas
• pickled jalepenos to garnish
• 1 cup Lamb Chopper cheese, thinly sliced (Sheep’s milk, Cypress Grove Chèvre, Caliornia)

Cut tuna into 1″ x 1″ strips.  Mix with soy sauce, hot sauce, and honey and marinade for a few hours.

Blend 2-4 chipotle peppers with the mayo.

Toss the chicory, cilantro, avocados, oil and vinegar in a small bowl.

Grill the tuna strips over high heat just until the outside is seared.

To finish, warm the tortillas on the grill or in the oven, spread a thin layer of chipotle mayo on the tortillas and add chicory avocado salad, cheese, tuna and pickled jalapenos.

By slicing the peppers very thinly with a mandolin, they are able to pickle much faster.

• 4-5 large jalapenos, sliced very thin
• 2 cups vinegar — apple cider or champagne both work well
• 1 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 2 large bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.  Cook for about 10 minutes until peppers start to soften.

Remove from heat and allow to steep for 20-30 minutes.  Remove bay leaves.

Place mixture in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least a couple days.