Mole Grilled Chicken Wings

Mole Grilled Chicken Wings is a tasty new southwestern way for you to serve wings at your next party. Mole is the blend of chocolate and chilies. Mix the mole sauce with vinegar to create a marinade for the wings before grilling. So good! Serve with Larry's Homemade Chunky Guacamole and tortilla chips and you have snacks ready to go.

3 pounds chicken wings
1 cup Larry's Southwestern Mole Sauce or your favorite mole sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon each coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the wings in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper and toss.
2. Add the mole sauce and the vinegar and toss to coat.
3. Cover and marinate for one hour at room temprature or up to overnight in the fridge.
4. Remove the wings from the marinade and grill or broil for ten minutes on each side until the wings are cooked through.
Serves 4 to 6.

Spotlight Story on Larry's Southwestern Sauces

Local man's line of southwestern sauces sees greater play
Larry Sombke knows a thing or two about food.

He's written about it, he's eaten it, he's cooked it and now, he's selling it.

In what is bound to be an encouraging success story to farmers market vendors all over, Sombke's line of natural sauces has gradually expanded to store shelves all over the immediate area and New England. He recently announced his southwestern sauces will be carried in area Price Choppers, a great step for the product line.

His recipe for success is simple.

“I'm slowly expanding, because when people taste my sauces they like it, then they buy it,” Sombke said.

The first jars of Larry's Southwestern Sauces were packed in the summer of 2009. He toured area farmers markets at first, including in Delmar, Voorheesville and Ballston Spa, before making it to shelves in independent grocers like McCarroll's in Delmar and Putnam Market in Saratoga Springs.

The brand grew to find a distributor, and is now in 70 stores, including 26 Whole Foods Markets all over New England.

Though he now resides in Delmar, Sombke developed his sauces far from the Capital District, in Missouri. There, as a chef at a natural foods restaurant, he developed his recipes.

“We used to go down to Texas and Mexico, traveling a lot, and I've always liked Mexican, southwestern food,” he said. “I started cooking that at the restaurant and people liked it...I've been cooking this for friends and family ever since.”

Sombke's sauce line includes a traditional Ranchero sauce, a smoky Chipotle sauce and a unique Mole sauce. All will assist in the creation of quality and authentic southwestern/Mexican dishes, and all are natural, preservative-free and gluten-free. The sauces are packaged by Casa Visco Fine Foods in Rotterdam.

For Sombke, selling his creations is another step in a long line of careers. He's worked in newspapers and television news, authored six cookbooks, writes a gardening column and was a producer on shows for CNN and PBS.

He also does substitute teaching and runs a consulting business. Of his varied roles, however, Sombke said he hopes Larry's Southwestern Sauces is destined for the most success.

“It's an exciting time to be a food producer. People are really interested in natural food, they're interested in foods that have great flavor...they're interested in foods that are produced by small companies,” he said. “It's daunting to get bigger, but it's a good thing.”

In addition to the stores mentioned above, Sombke's sauces can be found in Price Choppers in Queensbury, Wilton, Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park, Latham, Westgate Plaza in Albany, Rt. 155 in Colonie, Glenville/Scotia and Bethlehem in the natural/Tex-Mex section. For more information or to order online, visit www.larryssouthwesternsauces.com

Spotlight Newspaper Story about Larry's Southwestern Sauces

The Spotlight Newspapers published a nice story about Larry's Southwestern Sauces and Larry in this week's edition. The Spotlight covers Bethlehem, Guilderland, Colonie, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties. Larry's Southwestern Sauces are available in Price Chopper Supermarkets in all of those areas.

The Spotlight is a weekly and they haven't posted the story to their online edition. I will send that along when they do. But, in the meantime, pick up a copy of the Spotlight at your favorite grocery store or news stand.

Chunky Guacamole

Make this fast, simple and delicious guacamole and you will never feel the need to buy a pre-made guacamole from the store ever again.

2 whole ripe avocados
1 lime
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon each coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh tomato

1. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, remove the pit and scoop the insides into a mixing bowl.
2. Squeeze the juice of the lime over the avocado right away to stop any discoloring and to add that citrus flavor.
3. Mash the avocado with the back of a fork or potato masher.
4. Add the onion, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, salt, pepper and tomato. Mix it all together.
5. Serve with your favorite chips or spread on fresh or toasted whole grain bread for a wonderful sandwich.
Serves two to four.

Easy Chipotle Chicken Soup

Chipotle sauce blended with chicken stock makes a bracing broth for a quick and easy chicken soup to warm you up on a cold day. Twenty minutes of prep time. Serves 6.

4 cups chicken stock
1 16 oz jar of Larry's Southwestern Chipotle Sauce or your favorite chipotle- flavored enchilada sauce
1 15-oz can red, black, pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional but tasty
1 lime cut into wedges
Tortilla strips or chips

1. Bring the stock and sauce to a boil over medium high heat.
2. Reduce the heat to medium low and add beans and chicken.
3. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with cilantro and chips and a squeeze of lime.

Price Chopper Picks Up Larry's Sauces WNYT Ch 13 NBC

Price Chopper picks up Slingerlands based food producer
Submitted by Sophia Sofferman, WNYT Web Producer

A Slingerlands based food producer is now selling his products in Price Chopper.
Larry Sombke has been selling his Southwestern Sauces in Capital Region farmer’s markets for a couple seasons.
"People ask me repeatedly 'when are you getting into Price Chopper?'...well, here they are" said Sombke.
Price Chopper Supermarkets in Queensbury, Wilton, Saratoga Springs, Rt. 146 Clifton Park, Latham, Westgate Plaza/Albany, Rt. 155 Colonie, Glenville/Scotia and Bethlehem now carry Larry’s Southwestern Ranchero, Mole and Chipotle Sauces.
You can buy Larry’s Southwestern Sauces in the Natural Snacks or Mexican/Tex-Mex section of the supermarket aisles.

Whole Foods Market Bishops Corner

Whole Foods Market Bishops Corner W. Hartford, CT, was packed with local food manufacturers yesterday and I was glad to be one of them. I passed out samples of Ranchero Black Bean Chili made with Larry's Southwestern Ranchero Sauce and made a lot of friends. I am heading out to Whole Foods Framingham and Newton outside of Boston in a couple weeks. Thanks, Whole Foods!

Larry's Southwestern Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese

Here is the recipe I entered in the Times Union Mac-N-Cheese Bowl on 19Feb2011, a fundraiser for the Northeast NY Food Bank. I didn't win but it was a great time and a great cause.

Macaroni and cheese is not an everyday dish South of the border. But now that there are millin of Mexican-Americans living north of the border, adding chipotle sauce to flavor macaroni and cheese makes a lot of sense. And it tastes good, too!

1 lb. elbow macaroni pasta
6 tblsp. butter
½ cup unbleached flour
4 cups milk, warmed
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper or more to taste
2 cups grated white or orange sharp cheddar
2 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup Larry’s Southwestern Chipotle Sauce or your favorite Mexican sauce
½ cup minced fresh poblano or jalapeno peppers, seeds removed. (optional)

1. Boil the macaroni in a large pot of water until barely done according to package instructions.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add the flour and stir to form a roux. Add the warm milk and stir to form a cream sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Stir the cheese into the sauce. Add the macaroni and Larry’s Southwestern Chipotle Sauce. Stir it all together and transfer it to a baking dish. Sprinkle the minced poblano over the top and bake in a 350’ oven for 25 minutes.
Serves four to six.

Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Wraps

Huevos rancheros breakfast wraps are one of the hottest fast food items today. Starbucks and MacDonalds' have them and now you can easily make them in the comfort of your own home. Just open a jar of Ranchero Sauce and you are half-way there.

Heat two cups of Larry's Southwestern Ranchero Sauce or your favorite Ranchero sauce. Warm four whole wheat or white flour tortillas. Scramble six eggs. Have ready one and one half cup of grated cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese or a combination.

Place a warm tortilla on a plate. Spoon two to three tablespoons of the warm Ranchero sauce on the tortilla. Place scrambled egg over that, sprinkle with cheese, spoon a little more Ranchero sauce over that. Roll up the wrap, do the same with the rest of the ingredients and serve.

Makes four Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Wraps.

Times Union Notes Larry's Southwestern Sauces

Albany Times Union Blogger William Dowd writes:

As we brace for yet another snowstorm or two this week, thoughts may be turning to more ways to stay warm. They are down at the Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent, Columbia County. This Saturday, the DeVito family will throw a “Heat In Winter” party, featuring their own wines paired with tastings of locally-made spicy foods.

Examples: Larry’s Southwestern Sauces (ranchero, chipotle and mole styles); maple-chipotle goat cheese from R&G; horseradish cheddar cheeses, spicy aged cheese in olive oil and ”hot” chocolates from Vasilow’s.

As Carlo and Dominique DeVito explain, “When considering which wines to drink with spicy foods, keep in mind that spicy foods make high-alcohol wines taste flat, tannic reds more bitter, and oak-aged whites oakier. New York State wines, which tend to be lower in alcohol and fruitier in flavor, complement spicy dishes very well. Wines that have some sweetness can really tame and balance the heat. … A simple sparkling wine has the juicy fruit and tangy acidity to mellow a flaming mouthful.”

The special event will run from noon to 5 p.m. The winery is located at 1900 State Route 66, about midway between Hudson and Chatham. Phone: (518) 392-9463.