mesquite recipes

Mesquite Bean Wine
3 lbs mesquite beans
* 11 oz can Welch's 100% White Grape Juice Frozen Concentrate
* 1-1/2 to 2 lbs finely granulated sugar (to s.g. 1.090)
* water to make up one gallon

* 1-1/2 to 2 tsp acid blend
* 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
* 1 tsp yeast nutrient
* Champagne wine yeast

Wash the bean pods and break them into one-inch pieces. Put them into a large cooking pot and cover them with about 3 quarts water. Simmer slowly for one hour, covered. Strain the beans off and discard. Pour the water into a primary and stir into it half the sugar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar, then add grape concentrate. Cover with cloth and set aside to cool. When at room temperature, add acid blend, yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme. Stir to dissolve these ingredients and set aside, covered, for 12 hours.

Add activated yeast and recover primary. Stir daily for 7 days. Stir in remaining sugar until dissolved, transfer to secondary, top up, and fit airlock. Rack into clean secondary, top up and refit airlock every 30 days for next 4 months. Stabilize, bottle and allow to age one year before drinking. This wine will keep well, getting better as it ages.

Copied From: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/mesquitebean.asp

Mesquite Flour Tortillas

from Tusconivores

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used a mix of Durum/Pima wheat from the Tohono O’odham San Xavier Coop in Tucson)
* 1/2 cup mesquite flour (from our tree)
* 8 dried chiltepines, crushed by hand (from Native Seeds/SEARCH; any chile flakes would work)
* 1 teaspoon salt (from Sonora, Mexico)
* 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil (from Queen Creek Olive Mill in Phoenix)
* 3/4 cup water
I first mixed the dry ingredients (wheat flour, mesquite flour, salt and chiltepines) in a bowl, then added the olive oil and mixed well with a fork. I gradually mixed in the water, and then kneaded the dough for about three minutes. I let the dough sit for half an hour, covered, in the bowl. I next divided the dough into eight separate balls, and again let these sit for half an hour, covered, in the bowl. I heated a metal comal over our gas grill (on medium heat), and rolled a dough ball out onto a floured cutting board until the dough was about an eighth of an inch thick. Finally, I placed the rolled out tortilla onto the hot comal, let it cook for about 10 seconds, flipped it and cooked it for 15 more seconds, and finally flipped it again and cooked it on the original side for 15 more seconds. I repeated this for the other seven balls. Be very careful when doing this, as mesquite flour burns very easily!

Mesquite Cornbread
3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup mesquite meal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup buttermilk
optional: 1 cup corn,
3/4 cup grated jack cheese,
3 tablespoons minced onion, or 1 tablespoon chipotle flakes.

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Mix wet ingredients and stir into dry ingredients until just combined. Add optional ingredients if desired. Spread onto a greased and preheated 8x8 pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves 8.

Mesquite Pancakes

Measure the following dry ingredients into a glass jar or other tight container in which the dry mix can be stored. Shake to mix. (I usually double or triple this recipe and mix and store it in a gallon jar.)
1 cup mesquite meal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

When ready to make pancakes...
Whisk together in mixing bowl:
1 egg 1 tablespoon oil
1 cup buttermilk, sour milk, or fresh milk with a tablespoon of vinegar added
Add a cup of the dry mix to the liquids and whisk all together. Add more milk as needed to thin batter. (I usually end up using a total of about a cup and a quarter of milk.) Cook on hot griddle and enjoy with your favorite syrup or toppings.

Mesquite Brownies

These brownies have no sugar but rely on the natural sweetness of mesquite meal and the sweet taste of stevia leaf.

Mix dry ingredients:
1 cup mesquite flour,
1/2 cup whole wheat flour,
1/2 teaspoon sea salt,
1 teaspoon cinnamon,
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg,
1 teaspoon baking powder,
1 teaspoon stevia leaf ( a natural sweetener with no calories)

Mix wet ingredients:
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup additional liquid (could be mesquite broth, milk, soy milk, coffee, etc.)

Mix wet and dry ingredients to make brownie batter. Add optional nuts or dried fruits. Butter an 8 inch square baking dish. Pour the brownie batter into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until a knife slipped into the brownies comes out clean.

Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies
About 60 cookies
Adapted from Super Natural Cooking (Ten Speed) by Heidi Swanson I got quite a bit more cookies than I thought, since I make them Euro-sized (you Americans and your jumbo cookies!) so feel free to freeze half of the dough in a zip-top bag for use another time. Tip: If you form them into mounds first, then freeze them, you can simply pop them onto a baking sheet later on. Feel free also to chop up your own chocolate and use those bits in place of the chips.
2½ cups (330 g) flour
1 cup (160 g) mesquite flour
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
8 ounces (220 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (400g) sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (230 g) rolled oats or a mixture of rolled grains
2 cups (360 g) chocolate chips
Two baking sheets covered with parchment paper or lined with silicone baking mats.

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. With an electric mixer, or by hand, beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until creamy. If using a mixer, stop it once or twice and scrape down the sides.
3. Add the eggs one at a time until completely incorporated, then the vanilla.
4. Add the flour mixture in three batches, incorporating it as you go.
5. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips. The dough is quite stiff at this point and if you're not using a powerful standing electric mixer, you may wish to roll up your sleeves and use your hands, like I did.
6. Drop mounds, about two tablespoons of dough each, evenly-spaced onto the baking sheet.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until just beginning to set.

Heidi's admonition in her recipe should be ringing in your ears at this point..."Don't overbake these; if anything, underbake them" certainly holds true.

Oh yes, and my secret: Here's a tip to help keep chocolate chip cookies moist when they cool: When you pull the cookies out of the oven, take a tablespoon and tap the top of each cookie once or twice to flatten any peaks and level them. Then let them cool as usual for the moistest, chewiest chocolate chip cookies imaginable! (David Lebovitz)
and my note: Be sure you have friends and family around to share with or you might be tempted to eat the whole plate.

Mesquite Almond Shrimp

1 1/2 pounds cleaned, tail-on large shrimp (15-20 per pound)

1/4 cup tangerine juice plus 1 tablespoon grated zest, divided

2 tablespoons Barbados rum, such as Mount Gay

2 dashes bitters

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups chopped sliced almonds

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon mesquite flour

1/4 teaspoon cayenne or habanero powder

2 eggs

Canola or vegetable oil for frying

1. In a large, nonreactive bowl, toss the shrimp with the tangerine juice, rum, bitters, a pinch of salt, a couple grinds of pepper and sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. In a medium bowl, toss the almonds with the mesquite flour, chile powder, one-fourth teaspoon salt and the zest. Set aside. In a separate bowl,whisk the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water.

3. Remove the shrimp from the refrigerator and take them out of the marinade one at a time, shaking off the excess. Holding the tail, dip the shrimp into the egg wash, then shake off the excess and place in the breading. Press the breading onto both sides of the shrimp (do not coat the tail), then place the breaded shrimp on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.

4. In a large sauté pan, add enough oil to fill the pan 1 inch from the bottom. Heat the oil until a thermometer inserted reads 350 degrees. Gently place several shrimp in the oil, making sure they do not touch, and fry 1 to 2 minutes, until the breading is golden brown. Flip the shrimp over and cook the other side about a minute, until the shrimp is firm and the breading is golden brown. Remove and drain on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.

I found the following Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe on David Lebovitz's website about living the sweet life in Paris. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/ I had heard about this recipe and searching for it I went to Heidi Swansonl's page http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000398.html only to find it had been removed and put into her book Super Natural Cooking. I really did not need another cookbook so I was so very happy to find this recipe on his site online!!. The BEST part is now I have his notes to go from as well.