That mesquite mystique
It had a beautiful aroma. There was something roasted, like coffee or chocolate, then a stronger smell suggesting some fruit (perhaps dried cherries -- or was that coconut?) together with a note of spice: cinnamon, maybe nutmeg.
The mystery substance was mesquite flour -- the sweet, finely ground seed pods of the same mesquite tree we have to thank for hot-burning mesquite charcoal and delicate mesquite blossom honey.
This impressive flavoring has been on the American market since around 1990, mostly used in baked goods -- muffins, pancakes, cookies -- and mostly confined to the special-diet ghetto. (It happens to provide both flavor and fiber, two of the hardest things to get from gluten-free baked goods.) With all due respect to the gluten-free people, and to bakers, mesquite flour deserves to be used in main dishes too, such as spareribs that get their flavor not from being grilled over mesquite charcoal but from a perfumed mesquite-flour rub.
Mesquite’s sweet, exotic flavor seems particularly suited to Caribbean ideas (and Moroccan and East Indian too). This was our first inspiration: Marinate shrimp in tangerine juice, rum and bitters, then bread them in mesquite flour, crushed almonds and tangerine zest and fry them to a crisp, golden brown.
The mesquite works beautifully -- it brings out the sweetness in the almonds and gives the breading a richness that contrasts nicely with the tangerine notes.
Those mesquite-rubbed pork ribs were a sort of Caribbean-Indian inspiration. They’re marinated in orange and lime juices (mesquite loves citrus), brown sugar, habanero chiles and rum, with an Indian addition of coconut milk and fresh ginger. Before being grilled, the ribs are rubbed with mesquite flour.
It gave them a sweet floral note -- an effect as far as you can imagine from the smokiness of mesquite charcoal barbecue. They weren’t like any ribs we’d ever had, but mesquite isn’t exactly like another ingredient.
True, it is related to carob, and its flavor has a family resemblance, but with a unique quality of its own. USDA research chemist Gary Takeoka, who has been studying the elements of mesquite’s flavor, says it seems to depend on an unknown compound that hasn’t yet been described in the scientific literature.
Even more than carob, mesquite loves arid climates. It’s native to desert regions of the New World such as northern Argentina, eastern Peru and the desert Southwest of the U.S. For thousands of years, indigenous people in all these areas have considered mesquite pods a staple food.
Mesquite is a fascinating, incredibly tough plant that thrives in soils that are too salty and alkaline for anything else. As a result, mesquite flour has the potential to be an economic resource for people living in bitterly harsh climates (though you have to be careful where you plant it or it tends to take over).
For our tests, we used an Argentine mesquite from Casa de Fruta, available on Amazon or at www.casadefruta.com.
It makes a sort of sense that mesquite is such a hard-working plant. Its sweet pod is a hard worker too, a versatile ingredient that brings something special -- even in a small quantity -- to a wide variety of foods. You can throw it in pancakes -- that’s a no-brainer -- or feature it in muffins. You don’t even have to cook with it; you can just sprinkle some on ice cream. Or on pork chops. Why not?
We have the feeling we’re just getting started with mesquite. We can’t see any reason that it wouldn’t go into a Moroccan tagine or a California trail mix. Or let’s see, mesquite chicken curry? Hmm.
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Noelle Carter contributed to this report.
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Mesquite apple muffins with streusel topping
Total time: About 1 hour
Servings: 12
Note: From test kitchen manager Noelle Carter. Mesquite flour can be found online at www.casadefruta.com, www.desertusa.com and www.amazon.com, as well as at select health-food stores.
2 1/4 cups flour, divided
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon mesquite flour, divided
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter plus 1 tablespoon, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup peeled and chopped tart apple, such as Granny Smith
1. Grease 12 muffin tins and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together one-half cup flour with 1 teaspoon mesquite flour and 3 tablespoons each sugar and brown sugar. Using your fingers, mix one-fourth cup plus 1 tablespoon of the butter into the dry ingredients, until the mixture is combined and resembles small peas. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the remaining flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Melt the remaining one-fourth cup butter in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs. Whisk in the sour cream, then the milk, vanilla and melted butter.
5. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until smooth. Fold in the apple. Drop the batter into the pan to fill each tin three-fourths full. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over each of the tins; you will use all of the topping.
6. Place the muffins in the oven, and bake until the topping is golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Allow the muffins to cool on a rack for 15 minutes before unmolding. The muffins will keep for 3 to 5 days.
Each muffin: 293 calories; 5 grams protein; 38 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 14 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 67 mg. cholesterol; 237 mg. sodium.
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Mesquite almond shrimp
Total time: 45 minutes, plus 1 hour marinating time
Servings: 8 as an appetizer, 4 as a main course
Note: From test kitchen manager Noelle Carter. Mesquite flour can be found online at www.casadefruta .com, www.desertusa.com and www.amazon.com, as well as at select health-food stores.
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 saute 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.
5. Divide the shrimp evenly between eight plates (use four for a main course) and serve.
Each of 8 servings: 254 calories; 19 grams protein; 5 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 18 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 179 mg. cholesterol; 180 mg. sodium.
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Citrus mesquite spareribs
Total time: About 3 hours 15 minutes, plus marinating time
Servings: 6
Note: From test kitchen manager Noelle Carter. Mesquite flour can be found online at www.casadefruta .com, www.desertusa.com and www.amazon.com, as well as at select health-food stores.
1 rack spareribs
1 1/2 tablespoons salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons mesquite flour, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rings
Juice and grated zest of 2 oranges
Juice and grated zest of 2 limes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 habanero pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1. Peel the silverskin from the spareribs, then rinse, pat dry and place in a large, nonreactive baking dish. In a small bowl, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, the pepper and 1 1/2 tablespoons mesquite flour. Massage the rub into the ribs along with the olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
2. Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Place the onions on the bottom of a large roasting pan and place the ribs on top of the onions.
3. In a food processor or blender, blend the juice, zest, oregano, habanero, ginger, brown sugar, dark rum, coconut milk, mustard and the remaining one-half tablespoon salt and one-fourth cup mesquite flour. Pour the marinade over the ribs, and cover the roasting pan with heavy foil.
4. Place the ribs in the oven and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the meat is tender and curled away from the ends of the ribs (you should see about one-half inch of bone at the end of each rib). If finishing them on the grill, save the drippings for basting. The ribs can be prepared to this point and refrigerated for up to a day (warm them in the same pan, covered, for about 20 minutes at 200 degrees before finishing).
5. To finish the ribs in the oven: Remove the cover from the pan and cook the ribs an additional 20 to 30 minutes (at 250 degrees), so the ribs form a “crust” on top. Serve immediately.
6. To finish the ribs on the grill: Heat a grill over medium heat. Oil the grill, then grill the ribs for 10 to 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes and basting with the pan drippings, to caramelize the outer skin and get a good “crust.” Reduce the heat if the ribs start to burn. Serve immediately.
Each serving: 588 calories; 28 grams protein; 30 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 38 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 106 mg. cholesterol; 1,972 mg. sodium.