Fabulous Latin barbecue, on a budget

Born in Miami, Lourdes Castro grew up loving the big, bold flavors of South Florida.

She's taken that love of food and translated it not only into her latest cookbook, "Latin Grilling," but also in the classroom, where she's an adjunct professor of food science at New York University.

The release of "Latin Grilling" cemented Lourdes as one of the foremost authorities on Latin cooking.

She is, simply put, a natural in both the kitchen and the classroom.

She's also the "Chef on a Shoestring" this week on "The Early Show on Saturday Morning."

And in that role, she sought to grill up a great, three-course Latin-inspired barbecue, chock full of those big, bold flavors, on our budget of only $40.

She was also automatically entered in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition, in which the "Shoestring" chef with the lowest ingredients cost is invited back to make our year-end holiday feast - and spend whatever he or she wants!

• Read an excerpt of "Latin Grilling"
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• Enjoy all our "Early Show" recipes!

MENU

• Grilled corn on the cob with a spicy chipotle sauce
• Chipotle rubbed skirt steak tacos served with homemade tomatillo salsa
• Grilled pineapple skewers with pineapple ice

FOOD FACTS

Source: Epicurious.com

Chipotle chile: This hot chile is actually a dried, smoked jalapeno. It has a wrinkled, dark brown skin and a smoky, sweet, almost chocolaty flavor. Chipotles can be found dried, pickled and canned in adobo sauce. Chipotles are generally added to stews and sauces; the pickled varieties are often eaten as appetizers.

Skirt Steak: The term skirt steak refers to a cut of beef steak, from the plate. It is a long, flat cut that is prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. Sometimes a flank steak is used interchangeably with a skirt steak, but it is a different cut of meat. Skirt steak is the cut of choice for making fajitas. To minimize their toughness skirt steaks are either grilled or pan-seared very quickly or cooked very slowly, typically braised. Because of their strong graining skirt steak is sliced across the grain for maximum tenderness. To aid in tenderness and flavor, they are also often marinated.

Tomatillo: This fruit, which is also called Mexican green tomato, belongs to the same nightshade family as the tomato. In fact, it resembles a small green tomato in size, shape and appearance except for the fact that it has a thin parchment-like covering. Although tomatillos can ripen to yellow, they are generally used while still green and quite firm. Their flavor has hints of lemon, apple and herbs. Tomatillos are available sporadically year-round in specialty produce stores, Latin American markets and some supermarkets. Choose firm fruit with dry, tight-fitting husks. Store in a paper bag in the refrigerator for up to a month. Remove husk and wash fruit before using. Cooking enhances the tomatillo's flavor and softens its thick skin. Tomatillos are popular in Mexican and Southwest cooking for use in a variety of dishes including guacamole, and many sauces. They can be used raw in salads and salsas for a more acidic taste. Canned tomatillos are available in ethnic markets. (epicurious.com)

Enjoy all our "Early Show" recipes!

RECIPES

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Chipotle Crema

INGREDIENTS

4 husks of corn, silks removed (see Cooking Notes)

Chipotle crema:

• 1 canned chipotle chiles
• 1/4 cup Mexican crema, or sour cream
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

METHOD

Place the corn in a large stockpot, bowl, or any container large enough to hold all the ears of corn and fill it with water. If you do not have a sufficiently large container, use your kitchen sink.

Allow the corn to soak for 20 minutes. Remove from the container, shake off the excess water, and tightly squeeze the husks against the kernels of corn to get rid of any excess water.

Meanwhile, prepare the crema by placing the chipotles and the crema in a food processor and pureeing until well combined. Alternatively, using a knife, finely chop the chipotle and stir them in with the crema. Set aside.

Heat your grill to high (550 degrees) and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes before lowering the heat to medium high (450 degrees F) and continuing.

Place the corn on the grill rack and grill the ears for 5 minutes. Turn the corn over and grill for another 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes. In the meantime, keep your grill on with the lid closed.

Take the grilled ears of corn and pull back the husks, exposing the kernels. Do not remove the husks though. If possible, tie the husks back (see Cooking Notes).

Increase the grill temperature to high (550 degrees F).

Place a sheet of aluminum foil on one side of the hot grill. Place the pulled back husks over the foil, allowing the exposed kernels to sit on the grill grates. (This is done so the husks don't burn before the corn can char.)

Close the grill lid and allow the kernels to char for about 5 minutes per side, or until they become dark and golden brown on all sides. Remove from the grill and set aside.

Prepare the corn for your guests by slathering the corn with the chipotle crema and serve with a wedge of lime.

COOKING NOTES

Using corn without husks: You can still make this recipe if the corn you buy comes already husked. Soak the corn in water as is called for in the recipe. Before grilling wrap the corn tightly in aluminum foil to act as a substitute for the husks. Grill the corn as instructed in the recipe and when the time comes to char the corn, simply remove and discard the foil paper.

Canned chipotle: Chipotles are smoked jalapeno s. The smoking process concentrates their flavor and makes them a bit hotter than a regular jalapeno . You can control the heat by keeping or removing the seeds that cause the heat, which are found inside the chile, Look for chipotles that are packed in adobo sauce. Do not confuse the ingredient list to ask for 2 cans of chipotle chiles; it is asking for 2 individual chipotles found in a can.

TECHNIQUES

Removing silks from corn: The silks are the thin strings found inside the husk. Since they are inedible, they need to be removed. To do so, gently pull back the husks halfway down the ear of the corn and pull out the silks. It is fine if a few are left behind, they will eventually burn off. Fold the husks back over the corn.

Tying back corn husks: After the corn has been grilled, the husks will have dried out. Take two pieces of dried corn husk that has been pulled back and separate them away from each other. Wrap them around the corn husks and tie them into a knot (you may need to be a bit delicate so as not to break the husks).

ADVANCE PREPARATION

The chipotle crema can be made a day in advance and kept refrigerated. The corn can be prepared a few hours in advance up to the point of charring. Because the corn tends to shrivel up and dry out, it is best to char the corn shortly before serving.

For more of Lourdes' recipes, go to Page 2.

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