Sweet Potato Fritters with Orange Chili Mayo

 

I'm planning a few nibbles for a get together soon and Spouse decided to experiment a little with one of her favorites, sweet potatoes. On their own I like them but it's not something I crave. This recipe takes sweet potatoes to whole new indulgent level and I am very much looking forward to trying them again. Crunchy, sweet, creamy, slightly tart and spicy; there's a whole lot of flavor and texture going on in these terrific little finger foods that are also fantastic beside your favorite burger.

 

3 large sweet potatoes, cut into french fries

Tempura Batter

1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 large egg

Whisk together until just combined. Lumps are okay; even preferable. Set aside for 10 minutes

 

Preheat fryer to 350 degreees F. Drop the sweet potato pieces into the tempura batter and then into the fryer. Fry until golden brown. These will cook very quickly and require only a few minutes in the fryer.

 

Orange Chili Mayo

1 cup mayonnaise

zest and juice of one small orange

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 love minced garlic

pinch salt

1 tsp chili paste (or to taste)

Mix together well and let sit in the fridge for an hour or two before serving.

Orange Tempura Beef

This meal really hit the spot a couple of nights ago when we had it for dinner at our house. I make it with good cut of steak and sometimes even use it as a "leftover rescue recipe" when leftovers are availabe from a steak dinner, especially if that steak is still on the rare side. The kids love this one too. We mostly serve it on a bed of plain brown rice but I like it with linguine pasta as well.

1 ½ pounds steak, cut in thin slices ( Striploin, rib eye or even tenderloin are good choices.)

Tempura Batter
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 large egg

Whisk together until just combined. Lumps are okay; even preferable. Set aside for 10 minutes

Orange Sauce

In a medium saucepan, heat

2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil

Cook for one minute to soften the garlic then add

1 ½ cups orange juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
Zest of one orange
½ tsp Chinese five spice powder
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp chili flakes (optional if you don’t like spicy heat)

Simmer to reduce the volume by about 1/3 then thicken the sauce with
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in an ounce or two of orange juice.
Finish the sauce at the end by adding and stirring in

2 tablespoon of butter

Preheat canola oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Dip the slices of steak into the tempura batter and drop them into the hot oil. Fry for only a few minutes until crispy golden brown. Drain on a metal rack over a cookie sheet and keep warm in the oven between batches.

While you fry the steak, sauté in olive oil

1 julienned red pepper
1 small julienned red onion

Finally toss the peppers, onions, tempura steak and the sauce all together lightly and garnish with some toasted almonds and orange sections.

Blue Cheese Roasted Garlic and Tempura Red Onion Burgers

Blue Cheese Roasted Garlic and Tempura Red Onion Burgers

Roasted garlic? Onions? Blue cheese?

I know...pass the mouth wash, right? Maybe so, but all these pungent flavors combined are so delicious that it might just be worth it! Make one for your significant other too and there won't be any complaints. ;)

Makes 4 burgers

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 beaten egg
• 4 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tbsp hot sauce
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper
• 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled into large pieces
• 4 Kaiser rolls

Mix together all ingredients except the blue cheese. Gently mix in the blue cheese being careful not to break up the crumbled pieces too much; you want them to be as whole as possible. Form the meat mixture into 4 large patties and grill until well done. Serve on fresh toasted Kaiser rolls with your favorite condiments and top with Tempura Red Onions

Tempura Red Onions

Heat canola oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F

Mix together:

• 1 egg + enough whole milk to make 1 cup

Whisk in

• 1 cup flour

Some lumps in this simple batter is just fine. Let batter stand for 10 minutes before dipping

• ¼ inch rings of red onion

into the tempura batter and then dropping them into the deep fryer. Cook for only a few minutes until light golden brown.

Tempura Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Pineapple Ginger Sauce

You can, of course use canned pineapple and pineapple juice in this recipe but it is soooooo much better if you use fresh. Golden pineapples are particularly delicious in this recipe.

Pictured with tempura butternut squash slices and brown rice.
Tempura Batter2 eggs
2 cups ice water
¼ tsp baking soda
1 ½ cups flour

Beat all together lightly with a fork leaving lumps in the batter. Batter should be quite thin. Let rest in the fridge for 10 minutes before using.

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in medallion slices abut ¼ inch thick
Salt and pepper to season

Heat 1 inch of canola oil in a large frying pan to 325 degrees F or use an electric deep fryer. Season the pork medallions with salt and pepper, dip into the tempura batter and drop into the hot oil, turning once if necessary until evenly light golden brown. These will only take a few minutes in the fryer. Hold the cooked pieces on a wire rack in a 200 degree F oven while frying the remainder of the pork medallions. Serve with Pineapple Ginger Sauce.

Pineapple Ginger Sauce
1 ½ cups fresh pineapple
1 ½ cups pineapple juice
1 tsp freshly grated ginger root
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar (adjust according to taste and the ripeness of the pineapple)
½ tsp cracked black pepper
½ tsp salt
¼ cup finely chopped red pepper
2 tsp corn starch
¼ cup cold water

In a medium saucepan boil together the pineapple, pineapple juice, vinegar, ginger, sugar, pepper and salt for 10 minutes. Dissolve corn starch in the water and slowly add to the sauce, stirring constantly. Add only enough of the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat and stir in the red peppers.