Food is constantly evolving and changing, from one generation to the next and from year to year. Chefs are always looking for the next trend and are willing to experiment with almost any ingredient to give a dish a certain edge that will separate it from others. These trends trickle down to the home cook constantly looking for something exciting to put on the table that takes dinner from ordinary to incredible.
Fusion Cuisine is a form of cooking that combines contrasting culinary traditions or techniques into a single dish to create something new and distinctive. Food mashups are a hot trend, giving the liberty to create a dish that you can call your own. Keep a bit of a traditional dish in its pure form, but make it sing using your imagination and taste preferences.
Seasonings are key to this form of cooking. Adding Italian ingredients to a Mexican tortilla shell requires the filling to embody the Italian flavors, and the taco shell is the vehicle.
All of these recipes have noble, traditional roots in their perspective cuisines, but as always, cooks and chefs alike are experimenting with fresh and exciting food. Be a cutting-edge chef in your kitchen, and have some fun stepping out of the box! Happy cooking, y’all! M
CRUNCHY SOUTHERN TACOS
1 bag shredded cabbage
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
4 to 6 blue taco shells
4 to 6 chicken strips, fried
1 cup frozen battered okra, fried
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 cup chunky Pico de Gallo
1cup queso cheese, melted
In a large bowl, mix shredded cabbage, vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper together. Check seasonings, cover and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place taco shells on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes. When ready to serve, place 1 chicken strip in each taco shell. Top each taco with a couple of tablespoons fried okra, a drizzle of adobo sauce, 2 tablespoons Pico de Gallo, and a couple of tablespoons of melted queso. Serve warm.
Yield: 4-6 chicken tacos
MEXICAN SWEET POTATO HASH BROWN
4 eggs
¼ cup cream
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 clove garlic, minced
1 sweet potato, grated
1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese
1 green onion, chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Hot sauce, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 avocado, sliced
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, whisk 2 eggs, cream, taco seasoning, and garlic together. Add grated sweet potato, half of cheese, green onion, and cilantro. Mix well. Season withsalt, pepper, and hot sauce. In an oven-proof skillet over medium heat, heat oil, swirling pan to coat bottom and sides. Add sweet potato mixture and flatten top with a spoon. Cook for 5 minutes or until bottom is golden. Using a large spoon, make 2 indentions potatoes and scatter remaining cheese over pan. Crack an egg into each indention and place in hot stove. Cook for 15 minutes, or until hash brown is firm to touch and eggs are set. Garnish with avocado and extra cilantro. Serve hot.
Yield: 2 servings
ASIAN CHICKEN WONTON TACOS
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded red cabbage
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 pound ground chicken
14 wonton wrappers
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Soy sauce for dipping
Mix shredded cabbages, red wine vinegar, ¼ cup soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and mayonnaise. Season slaw with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. In a medium-size skillet, heat sesame oil and add ground chicken. Cook chicken until nicely browned. Season with remaining soy sauce. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Form wonton wrappers into taco shapes and arrange between cups of an inverted muffin tin. Bake wrappers until firm and golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Spoon 2 tablespoons cooked chicken into each wonton shell and top each with slaw. Sprinkle cilantro over all and serve with extra soy sauce.
Yield: 14 tacos
SLOPPY JOE SLIDERS WITH SPICY QUESO FONDUE
This is a delicious take on sliders I had at Bulldog Burger in Tupelo. They were excellent!
1 pound lean ground beef
1 (24-ounce) can Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce
12 slider buns
1 cup queso cheese, melted
1 cup fried onions
½ cup chopped sweet peppers for garnish
In a medium-size skillet, brown meat. Add sauce to meat and simmer, following directions on label. Place buns open-faced on a baking sheet and toast lightly under broiler. Top each bun with 2 to 3 tablespoons meat and 2 tablespoons melted cheese. Sprinkle fried onions over all and replace bun tops. Top with additional fried onions and chopped sweet peppers. Serve immediately.
Yield: 12 sliders
JAPANESE FUSION GUACAMOLE
2 large avocados, halved, peeled, and pitted
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
½ teaspoon wasabi paste
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 tomato, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Tortilla chips
Place all the ingredients in a medium-size bowl except for the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Mash all together with a fork until well blended leaving a few avocado pieces whole. Gently fold in tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips.
Yield: 3 cups
THAI RED CURRY RISOTTO
2 tablespoons sesame oil
½ pound skinless, boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
¾ cup arboria rice
3 tablespoons red curry paste
2 ½ cups chicken broth, warmed
1 (12-ounce) can coconut milk, divided
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 baby bok choy, core removed and leaves thinly sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup cubed pineapple chunks
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat oil. Add chicken pieces and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing occasionally to cook on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add onions, garlic, and ginger to pan and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and red curry paste, stirring until evenly coated. Add warm chicken broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring until broth is mostly absorbed before adding more. Once all broth has been added, add 1 cup coconut milk and stir until mostly absorbed and rice is almost done, about 8 to 10 minutes more. Add remaining coconut milk along with lime juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Return chicken pan along with bok choy and tomato and cook until rice is al dente and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in pineapple chunks and basil. Check seasonings, adding more lime juice and soy sauce if needed. Divide rice between bowls and sprinkle additional basil on top if desired.
Yield: 4-5 servings
