Entries from September 2008 ↓

During a trip to Tulum, Mexico we had a chance to enjoy an excellent escabeche at a great little restaurant called Don Cafetos.

Most escabeches are little more than pickled peppers and maybe a carrot or two. Don Cafetos’ escabeche was a meal unto itself – onions, carrots, peppers, garlic, green beans, potatoes…

This is my attempt to duplicate this recipe using our recent jalapeño crop. It makes a tasty appetizer with tortilla chips, or great as a side with almost any barbecued meat. Continue reading →

It’s getting to be the end of Summer and the peppers are at their prime. This is an easy one-dish cook that melds the sweetness of the peppers, the spiciness of the sausages, and smokeyness of the grill.

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 6 cups mixed sweet peppers (bell, Hungarian, banana…) sliced into strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• A couple of grinds of fresh black pepper
• 9-12 small sweet or hot Italian sausages Continue reading →

These are a great snack and are a whole lot cheaper and tastier than the commercial variety.

• 1 pound of raw almonds
• 1T kosher sea salt
• 1t peanut oil
• 1T honey
• 1-2T of your favorite barbecue rub
• Enough water to cover almonds

I dissolved the salt into the water, added the almonds, and let them soak overnight. The next day I let them drain in a colander for about thirty minutes, and then put them in a mixing bowl.

I coated the almonds with the oil, mixing them with a large spoon until they were well-coated. I added the honey and mixed them again. Finally I gave them a good coating of the rub and mixed them one last time.

I set the Big Green Egg up for and indirect cook at 250°F using hickory for smoke. The almonds were spread out into a single layer on a pizza pan. I smoked them for 5 minutes, gave them a little shake and another light dusting of rub, and then let them smoke until they got dark and crunchy – about 20 minute total.

Blue Diamond eat your heart out.