Pumpkin Soup from Mesa Grill

My husband and I took a work trip to Las Vegas a few years ago.  MY goal for the trip was to try as many Food Network chefs  as possible.  On day 2, after shopping most of the morning and looking forward to a relaxing meal and drink, our first stop was lunch at  Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill, located right at Caesar's Palace. We wanted to experience as much of  the menu as we could, so we ordered one item at a time and shared.   It was one of the best dining experiences  I ever had. Bobby Flay is able to to take a recipe and give you so many layers of flavor, each distinguishable in every bite. His soups are a perfect example of how he cooks. 

BTW...the evening was spent at Emeril Lagasse's Delmonico Steakhouse at the Venetian Hotel/Casino. 

From Bobby Flay / Mesa Grill

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 stocks celery, coarsely chopped
• 7 cups vegetable stock, or water
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (not flavored pie filling)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground Mexican cinnamon, plus 1 teaspoon (canella)
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons chipotle puree
• 3/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Garnish: 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Directions

1. Heat the butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat. 
2. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook until soft. 
3. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. 
4. Strain the stock into a clean medium saucepan and whisk in the pumpkin puree until smooth. 
5. Bring to a simmer and add the 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, spices, honey and chipotle.
6. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. 
7. Add water, if the soup is too thick. 
8. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of the creme fraiche and season with salt and pepper to taste. 
9. Mix together the remaining creme fraiche and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon until combined. 
10. Divide the soup among 4 bowls and garnish with the cinnamon creme fraiche and a handful of pumpkin seeds.

Carribbean Salad With Passion Fruit Vinaigrette

One of my favorite summer-time salads.  Fixed just about every week, we serve it with grilled chicken & steak.  the vinaigrette is used as a marinade or on top of any favorite salad.

• 4 cups packed Spring Mix greens (4 ounces)
• 1 sliced Mango 
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
• Optional: Caribbean Chicken

Dressing

• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh passion fruit pulp or passion fruit puree
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 1 Thai red chile, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil

1. In a small saucepan, boil the orange juice over high heat until it reduces to 2 tablespoons, about 12 minutes.
2. Pour the reduced orange juice into a small bowl and let cool. Stir in the lime juice, passion fruit pulp, shallot, chile, ginger and honey.
3. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the chives and basil.
4. Toss vinaigrette with greens and mango.

Jerk Pork Tenderloins with Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped green onions
• 1orange zested and juiced
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 scotch bonnet peppers, minced (wear gloves please!)
• 1 serrano pepper, stemmed and seeded
• 2 pounds pork tenderloin (usually 2 small tenderloins)
• Mango Salsa, recipe follows
• Cooked rice or cous-cous , your choice

Directions

Place all ingredients except the pork and salsa into a blenderand blend until smooth.
Place the pork tenderloins into a resealable plastic bag, add the marinade and seal, making sure that the tenderloins are evenly coated with the marinade.
Refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours; the longer the meat marinates the better.
Preheat a grill to high. Remove the pork from the marinade and discard the marinade.
Grill the pork for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, or until slightly charred on the outside and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the thickest part of the meat registers 145 degrees F.
Remove the meat from the grill and set aside to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. When ready to serve, slice the pork against the grain into thin slices and serve immediately with the Mango Salsa and desired rice.

Mango Salsa:

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup mint leaves or cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Let stand in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

I also like to serve this with a basic wine and cream sauce.
2 TBSP. butter
1 clove of garlic, crushed and minced
1 1/2 cup white wine
1 cup of heavy cream
Salt and fresh ground pepper.
Melt butter in a saute pan. Add garlic. Saute 1 minute. Add wine and reduce to about half. Add cream, salt and pepper.


Scotch bonnet, also known as Boabs Bonnet, Scotty Bons^[1] or Bonney peppers,^[1] (Latin: Capsicum chinense) is a variety of chili pepper that belongs to the same species as the habanero. A cultivar of the habanero, it is one of the hottest peppers in the world. Found mainly in the Caribbean islands and also in Guyana and the Maldives Islands, it is named for its resemblance to a Tam o'shanter hat.^[2] Most Scotch Bonnets have a heat rating of 100,000–350,000 Scoville Units.^[3] For comparison, most jalapeño peppers have a heat rating of 2,500 to 8,000 on the Scoville scale.
These peppers are used to flavour many different dishes and cuisines worldwide. The Scotch bonnet has a flavour distinct from its habanero cousin giving jerk dishes (pork/chicken) and other Caribbean dishes their unique flavour. Scotch bonnets are mostly used in Grenadian, Trinidadian, Jamaican, Barbadian, Guyanese, Surinamese, Haitian and Caymanian cuisine and pepper sauces, though they often show up in other Caribbean recipes.