Taking a break from Mexican food

I picked up a couple of Rick Bayless' cookbooks back in October and I don't think I've made a non-Mexican meal since. Time has come for a break. It's not that I dislike the food; quite the contrary. I love the flavors of Mexican cuisine; but after this two month orgy of pork, chile, tortillas and salty cheese, I need to change gears. I've probably put on 10 pounds and my digestive track is ulcerated like a piece of Swiss cheese. I should probably go vegetarian for a couple of weeks to repair the damage, but that ain't gonna happen. I ate a couple of pairs for breakfast, a chicken sandwhich for lunch and some dill pickles for dinner yesterday. That's as close to vegetarian as I'll ever get. When I got up today I had some kimchee for breakfast. That gave me some ideas ( and a little indigestion). I still had some of those turkey thighs in the freezer and I was keen on finding a new, interesting way to cook them. My brain started churning; trying to come up with an idea. Suddenly, it hit me; Korean chili marinade. Maybe it was just the kimchee burps, but inspiration comes in many forms. I love the marinated pork belly that I get from Zion Market. I thought that the same flavors might work with turkey thighs. I don't recall having ever seen turkey at any restaurants in Korea, but that's of little concern. I'm creating fusion cuisine today. I have a bottle of Ottogi vinegared red pepper paste that I've been waiting to use. I would actually call it a sauce, as it is much thinner than the chili pastes that I have seen. The sauce is made of red chili paste, vinegar, tomato paste, sugar, garlic and roasted sesame. This sauce is exactly what I love about Korean food. The red chili pepper is used a lot in Korean cooking. If there is one flavor that I associate with Korea, it is the chili. I love this stuff because it has a great, full-bodied flavor, without having a lot of heat. Most of the dried chile used in Mexican cooking has a harsh aspect to the flavor. The Korean chili is smooth and flavorful. When used in high-heat applications, such as grilling, it loses much of its heat and takes on a fullness that blends perfectly with the fats and juices of the meat. The first time I had the marinated pork belly, it was a revelatory experience. Ever since then I've been obsessed with trying to create my own marinade that would match the one that Zion Market uses. Today, as I was working up the marinade for the turkey legs, I think I finally got it right. I started with about two cups of the Ottogi chili sauce. To that I added a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce, two teaspoons of shrimp sauce, a few drops of sesame oil, 4 cloves of minced garlic and a tablespoon or so of fresh grated ginger. I marinated the thighs in this mix for a couple hours before heading to the grill. While the thighs sat in the marinade, I prepped a ton of veg for three stir fry sides. I also par cooked some diced sweet potato for a dish that I've had a few times in Korea. After I got the sweet potato to where I wanted it, I shocked it in an ice bath and then spun dry in my lettuce tilt-a-whirl. With everything prepped, I gathered up all my crap and headed for the grill. Pardon the deviation from the topic, but I hate our apartment. In the old place, we were allowed to keep a gas grill in the patio. This place just has a little balcony/patio, so the management doesn't allow any grills or BBQ's. They have two communal gas grills out by the jacuzzi. The grills are decent, but it just isn't the same as having your own. We need to move. OK-back on topic. So I head out to the grill and it starts raining as soon as I set up. No prob......I came here to cook meat with flame. Ain't no sissy rain stoppin' me. My caveman ancestors wouldn't have been deterred by the rain. As the grill was coming up to temperature I tossed in several handfuls of hickory chips for a little flavor. I dropped the thighs on the lower grill for some grill marks. After a quick turn on each side I turned off one burner and moved the thighs up to the top rack for some indirect heat. I gave them a good basting with the marinade and let them get up to temp. Just before they were done I grilled some green onions on the lower grill. The green onions had been tossed with olive oil, Korean red pepper powder, sea salt and a little sesame oil. Everything came off once the onions were wilted and charred. Back inside for some quick stir fry. I did one with onions, garlic, carrots, calabasa squash, mushrooms, bell pepper and a soy/chili sauce. The other dish was a little spicier. It was a mix of onions, carrots, bell, jalapeno and manzano chilis and Napa cabbage. Stir frying that was a little hard one the eyes and sinuses. The gas chamber in boot camp didn't hurt that much. Ay chihuahua. I did a quick saute on the diced sweet potato to give them a little color and then added a little of the chili paste. I flipped a few time to give everything a good coating and then added a bit of raw honey. This produces a very nice sweet-hot-sour glaze for the potato. I served everything with some white rice. The turkey thighs were extremely flavorful and tender. The marinade/basting liquid keeps the meat moist and tender and it creates a rich, mildly spicy sauce. I've got to do this with pork next time.