Recipe courtesy Ague Verde Cafe, Seattle

1 pound halibut fillets
Lemon pepper seasoning
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 cup chopped cabbage
1/2 cup creamy avocado sauce, recipe follows

Spray a grill or charcoal broiler with pan coating. Season the fillets with lemon pepper and cook for approximately 15 minutes, turning once. Fillets should be white throughout and flaky, but not overcooked. Place 1/4 pound halibut over 3 heated tortillas. Add 1/4 cup cabbage and top with 2 ounces of creamy avocado sauce. Repeat the process for remainder of ingredients.

Creamy avocado sauce:
1 avocado
2 green onions, chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup sour cream
2 cups mayonnaise
1 teaspoon green habanero sauce
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon pepper

To make creamy avocado sauce: Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.

Photo and recipe by foodnetwork.com

4 dried ancho chiles
6 dried guajillo chiles
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons minced onion, divided
2 1/4 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
Salt
Sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch ground cloves
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 pork tenderloins, about 1 to 1 1/4-pounds each
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 cup chicken broth or stock
3/4 cup heavy cream
1-ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and toast the chiles, turning frequently, until very pliable and soft; do not allow to char. Remove from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Remove the stems and seeds and place in a saucepan. Add enough hot water to just cover and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, remove from the heat and allow chiles to soak until very soft and plumped, about 20 minutes. Strain in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and reserve soaking liquid separately.

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Photo and recipe by chow.com

The following recipe is described as “better than the best” and only takes several hours to prepare.

INGREDIENTS:
5 medium roma tomatoes, cored and halved
10 dried chiles de arbol, stemmed, halved, and seeded
2 teaspoons ground dried pasilla peppers
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons unsalted hulled pumpkin seeds
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup minced scallions
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

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The following recipe was rated 4 forks (out of 4 forks) and brought to us by Bon Appétit.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons hot Mexican-style chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 pounds baby back pork ribs
1 12-ounce bottle dark beer
1 18-ounce bottle good-quality barbecue sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend. Rub spice mixture all over ribs. Place ribs in heavy large roasting pan.

Boil beer in medium saucepan until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour beer around ribs. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake ribs until fork-tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Combine barbecue sauce, 1/2 cup water, brown sugar, and espresso powder in heavy medium saucepan. Simmer until flavors blend and sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. (Ribs and barbecue sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, then cover separately and refrigerate.)

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Brush ribs with some barbecue sauce. Grill ribs just until heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer ribs to platter. Bring remaining sauce to simmer. Brush ribs with more barbecue sauce. Serve ribs, passing remaining barbecue sauce separately.
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Recipe courtesy Costa Vanikiotis at Eveready Diner, Hyde Park, NY via The Food Network.

2 pounds thawed frozen or fresh cooked lobster meat
10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 pounds cream cheese
1 pound Cheddar, shredded
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 roasted red onion, chopped
3 roasted plum tomatoes, chopped
4 tablespoons Sriracha (Thai hot sauce, available at most markets)
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. F. Cut onion and tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet. Put into hot oven and roast for 15 minutes or until softened. Remove and let cool slightly and coarsely chop.

Combine all ingredients together in a mixer except for tortillas and lobster meat. On an 8 inch flour tortilla, spread 1/2 cup of the mixture and 3 ounces of lobster meat evenly on 1/2 of tortilla and fold over to create a half moon shape. Repeat with each tortilla.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil and pan-fry tortilla until brown and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

This week we have had hundreds of emails, letters and telephone calls inquiring about Guajillo [gwah-HEE-yoh] chilies. Guajillos are thick, dark brown chilies commonly grown in Mexico and are great in soups, stews, salsas and sauces. They must be soaked longer than usual because of their super leathery skin. On a heat scale of 1-10, these guys are about a 3. Guajillo, Pasilla, and Ancho chilies are combined to make traditional mole sauces. According to local chile expert, Ric Bayless, “These are workhouse chilies with a lot of dazzle. They really don’t fuck around.”

Find our first-hand what it’s like to work with Anchos and Guajillos. If you have an extra 2 hours and 5 minutes and 27 ingredients, we recommend Emeril’s 5-star Tequila-Marinated Chicken with Mexican Mole Sauce. BAM!