Entries Tagged 'Vegetables' ↓

My dear wife rounded up these astonishingly fresh veggies at out local farmers market and put together this stunning appetizer tray. The taste was pure summer goodness.

Blanched Beans and Baby Carrots

2 pounds baby carrots (The real thing, right from the ground. Get the colorful heirloom varieties if you can find them.)
2 pounds fresh green beans

Fit a pasta strainer into a large  (8-12 quart)  pot. Fill with lightly salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Place 6 cups of ice in a large bowl and fill with just enough water to float the ice.

Wash the carrots and trim the ends. DO NOT PEEL. Wash and trim the beans.

Blanch the carrots in the boiling water for about 2-3 minutes, depending on size of carrots and how crunchy you like them. Remove the carrots from the heat (This is where the strainer comes in handy. If you don’t have one use a big slotted spoon to remove the carrots). Drain and put the carrots into the ice water.

Return the strainer to the pot and add the grean beans. Blanch for about 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the heat, drain, and add the beans to the ice water.

The cold water stops the cooking and keeps the veggies tender-crisp. Pour the beans and carrots into a colander. Drain well, then stash in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Then just toss them on a simple platter and let the beautiful colors shout “SUMMER!!!”

We served these with store-bought hummus and homemade green goddess dressing on the side.

Ah, carnitas – those melty, tender, bits of pig cooked in its own juices.  I do love them and continue to refine my recipe. This version uses slightly larger chunks of pork shoulder than I normally use, then simmered in citrus juice until the fat renders and the meat starts to get all brown and crispy. The pickled onions are a common Mexican garnish and really add a tangy compliment to the meat.

Carnitas

2 boneless pork shoulder roasts (aka Boston Butt), about 14 pounds
Juice of 3 oranges (about 1 cup)
Juice of 2 limes (about 4 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin

I set my Big Green Egg up for an 8 hour cook over indirect heat at 300°F. I used the plate setter with a trivet on it to diffuse the heat and keep the bottom from burning.

While the BGE was heating up, I cut the pork into big (4-inch) chunks, discarding any nasty pieces of connective tissue, but keeping all of the fat.

I combined all of the ingredients into a 12-quart Dutch oven, put the oven on the grill and let it simmer for an hour.  I gave it a stir and then let it go for another hour. I kept checking and stirring once an hour until most of the liquid had evaporated and the pork had started to fry in its own fat (about 5 hours).  Then I checked it every 15 minutes to make sure it was getting crispy, but not becoming dry or burned. Total cook time was just over 6 hours.

Pickled Onions

1 red onion, halved lengthwise, ends removed, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Salt and pepper to taste

I put the onions in a saucepan, added just enough water to cover, and boiled until tender (about 1 minute). I remove them from heat,  rinsed with cold water, and drained.

I put the onions in a plastic container, added the lime juice and vinegar, and seasoned to taste with a couple of grinds of black pepper and about a teaspoon of kosher salt. I sealed the container and stored it in the fridge for about an hour before serving.

Spring here means that asparagus makes an appearance on the dinner plate about as often as I can get it. Here I paired it with a simple sirloin and a baked potato for the perfect Sunday dinner.

The Cook

I trimmed the asparagus and started it marinating in one glug of olive oil, 2 glugs of balsamic vinegar, a squirt of dark mustard, and a dash of kosher salt.

I fired up the Big Green Egg and set it up for a hot (600°F+) direct cook.

This dry-aged sirloin just needed a light coating of olive oil and a bit of kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper and it was ready for the grill.

I grilled it over the hottest part of the grill for 90 seconds of undisturbed searing. I rotated it 90 degrees and gave it another 30 seconds. I flipped the meat and repeated the process on the other side.

I shoot for medium-rare with steak. So after I flipped the steak I checked the internal temp. When it hit 125°F internal (about another 30 seconds), I pulled it off the grill and onto a warm plate and covered it with another plate, and let it rest while I grilled the asparagus.

I left the lid open and grilled the asparagus for about 5 minutes, turning frequently, until the spears started to brown and caramelize.

It was still a little too cold to dine al fresco, but Spring’s longer days meant I could actually see what I was grilling .

I finally got a chance to try the award-winning Suck Creek’s Original Hot Wing Sauce. I was (of course) going to try it on a batch of wings, but dinner plans for the weekend called for something a little more substantial. So I matched the sauce with chicken thighs and my version of the corn pudding from The Grand Central Baking Book via Caroline Russock at Serious Eats.

Suck Creek Thighs

8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
1-2 tablespoon of your favorite barbecue rub (I used John Henry’s Texas Chicken Tickler)
1/2 cup Suck Creek’s Original Hot Wing Sauce

About 2 hours before cooking, dust the thighs with the rub, lay them out in a single layer on a sheet pan, and let them sit uncovered in the fridge. This step not only to seasons the thighs but also dries the skin out a bit to keep it crispy.

Set the grill up for an indirect cook over medium-high  (400°F) heat. On the Big Green Egg I used the plate setter to diffuse the heat and added a raised grid to get the thighs crispier still by moving them up into the the hotter part of the dome.

Put the thighs on the grill skin side down, close the lid,  and let them cook for 30 minutes. Flip them and let them go another 20 minutes.

Check for doneness -  when the juices run clear and the internal temperature in the largest thigh hits 160°F , brush the thighs on both sides with the wing sauce. Let them cook 10 minutes more and brush them again. Let them cook  5 more minutes, brush one last time, remove them to a warm plate, and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Corn Pudding

1 cup all-purpose flour (I used Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix to make it gluten-free.)
2/3 cup (3 ounces) cornmeal
2  tablespoons finely chopped dried chives
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of your favorite barbecue rub (Dizzy Pig’s Dizzy Dust this time)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 (15.25 ounce) can corn, drained
2 cups (16 fluid ounces) whole milk
2 tablespoons butter or bacon grease, melted
2 eggs, beaten
3 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheated the oven to 350°F and greased a 2 1/2 quart casserole. The original recipes calls for a 8×8 cake pan, but the casserole gives it a more pudding-like consistency.

The drys – combine the flour, cornmeal, chives, sugar, salt, baking powder, rub, pepper flakes, and baking soda  into a large bowl and mix well.

The wets – melt the butter (or bacon grease, which I used) in a medium bowl. Add the corn, milk, eggs, cheese, and vinegar and beat until smooth.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the casserole, then (I love this part!) pour the cream right into the center without stirring.

Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes (I put the casserole in the oven right before I put  the thighs on the grill). It’s done when it still quivers slightly in the middle when shaken. Let it stand for 15 minutes before serving.

The Verdict

Suck Creek makes some serious wing sauce – great flavor with plenty of heat. Thick and not too vinegary, with lots of herbaliciousness going on. The heat is right up front, but it’s not overwhelming and it doesn’t build or linger. I was afraid it would be a little too much on the thighs without some kind of creamy dip to cool it down, but it really perked up the chicken without covering it up. This is one of the best wing sauces I have ever tried.

We’re going to be busy getting ready for a trip next week, so we took advantage of a deal on crab legs and had an early Valentine’s Day dinner.

About an hour out, my dear wife set the oven at 350°F and put the foil-wrapped potatoes in to bake. I took the steaks out of the fridge and set the Big Green Egg up for a direct cook at nuclear temperature – 700°F plus.

I seasoned the steaks on both sides with a generous amount of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. When the grill was ready, I put the crab in the oven and the steaks on the grate over the hottest part of the fire.  I closed the lid and gave them a good 90 seconds of undisturbed searing. Then I flipped them, closed the lid and gave them another 90 seconds.

These New York strips were so thick that I flipped the steaks up onto one edge, closed the lid, and let them go for another 90 seconds. Then flipped them onto their other edge and did the same thing.

I like steak medium-rare, which is just about exactly what these were when I pulled them off and put them on a warm plate and covered them with another plate, and let them rest for 15 minutes while the crab finished cooking and I grilled the romaine.

Just about a minute on each side with the lid open to give them a little char, then rough chopped with some tomatoes and into the salad.

Steak, crab, baked potato, and salad with home-made Caesar dressing.

Life is good!

We decided to cook an early Thanksgiving dinner with some friends since we’re going to be visiting family for turkey day. This is our first gluten-free major holiday meal, so we wanted to share some of the side dishes we made to go along with the spatchcocked turkey.

Gluten-Free Stuffing

This is a sage-heavy stuffing recipe that we love. Stuffing is an easy dish to make gluten free as it’s mostly just about replacing the bread, soup, and stock with GF versions. We found that it also helps to dry the bread cubes in the oven at 325°F for approximately an hour or so until the cubes are very dry like croutons.

2 loaves bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and dried (we used Pamela’s Pamela’s Gluten-Free Bread Mix)
2 cans gluten-free cream of celery soup (we used Healthy Valley)
2-3 cups chicken stock (we used Pacific Natural)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon sage

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic,  and celery and cook for about 10 minutes or until onions are translucent, but not browned.

In a large bowl, add the veggies to bread cubes and stir to mix. Add the soup and stir again. Add the sage and broth and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir one last time.

Mound stuffing into a buttered 13×9 inch baking dish, adding more stock over the top if it is too dry. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole

An update on the classic recipe from the side of the Campbell’s soup can. Caramelized onions replace the usual french fried ones.

4 cups cooked green beans
1 cans gluten-free cream of mushroom soup (we used Healthy Valley)
1 large onion, sliced into rings
1/2 pound white mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon gluten-free soy sauce or Bragg’s Aminos
1/4 sliced almonds

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes). Sprinkle with a little salt and continue to cook, stirring  frequently, until the onions are golden brown (about 20 minutes).

Remove half the onions and set aside. Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to brown and lose their moisture.

Remove pan from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Add the soup, soy sauce, and beans to the pan. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then pour into a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Top with the reserved onions.

Bake at 350°F  for 25 minutes or until it is hot and bubbling. Top with the almonds and bake for 5 minutes or until the almonds are golden brown.

Manchego Potatoes

Adapted from an old Rachel Ray recipe (gotta love that mole). This recipe is inherently gluten-free and a great change from regular mashed potatoes.

4 pounds baby red-skinned or baby Yukon gold potatoes
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into 4 or 5 chunks
1/2 – 3/4 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 cups shredded Manchego or Pecorino Romano cheese, about 3/4 to 1 pound of cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Halve large potatoes, leave the small ones whole. Put potatoes and garlic in a large stockpot and cover with water. Put the lid on and bring to a boil. Uncover, add the salt, and cook until tender (about 15 minutes).

Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water.  Add the potatoes, garlic back to the hot pot. Add butter, cream, cheese, rosemary, reserved cooking water and mash the potatoes to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Gluten-Free Gravy

Pan drippings and scratch-made stock are the keys to the great flavor of this recipe. You can make the stock well advance and put the gravy together as the last thing you do before serving the bird.

Neck, backbone, giblets and trimmings reserved from the turkey
2-3 quarts water
2 medium onions, quartered
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 ribs celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup gluten-free flour (we used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon sage
2 bay leaves

Put the turkey bits, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic into a large stockpot and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 2-4 hours. Strain, add the herbs, and bring to a low boil. Cook until the stock has reduced to about 4 cups. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set someplace warm until the turkey is done.

Drain off the dripping from the turkey roaster. SAVE. Put the roaster over a burner on medium-high heat. Add the butter and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the brown bits of fond as the butter melts. Slowly add the flour, using a whisk to work it into the butter. Keep stirring until all of the flour is worked in and you have a smooth roux with no lumps of flour.

Pour as much fat as you can off the reserved pan drippings. Whisk the remaining drippings into the roux. Bring the stock to a low boil and slowly stirthe roux into the stock. Keep stirring as the gravy thickens. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until it reaches the thickness you want.

Happy Thanksgiving! With some planning ahead, it’s easy to have a gluten free holiday that everyone will enjoy.

My dear wife and I enjoyed adapting this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated (free online membership required). I know it looks a little putzy and time-consuming (that’s Cook’s Illustrated for you), but the soup is exceptional, and by caramelizing the onions in the oven you really cut down the hands-on time. To make it even easier, we split this into a 2-night cook; preparing the onions the first night while we made dinner, and then finishing the soup in about an hour on the stove top the next night.

It’s been so cold, dark, and rainy around here this week that this soup really hit the spot – rich and filling with a clean onion flavor. It’s so good that the only change I would make (other than maybe trying in on the Big Green Egg ) would be to caramelize double the amount of onions and freeze half of them off for a quick meal later.

The Soup

3 tablespoons butter
6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds)
2 – 3 cups water
1/2 cup dry sherry or red wine
4 cups chicken broth (we used Pacific Natural, which is gluten free)
2 cups beef broth (Pacific Natural)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper

The Topping

1 small baguette , cut into 1/2-inch slices and lightly toasted (we used Pamela’s Gluten-Free Bread Mix)
8 ounces shredded raclette or swiss cheese

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F and adjust the rack to the lower-middle position.

Halve the onions and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Try to stick with yellow onions as this dish needs their lower sugar and stronger, more complex flavor.

Grease a large Dutch oven and add the butter, onions, and salt. Put in the oven and cook, covered, for 1 hour.  Remove the pot from the oven and stir the onions, making sure to scape the bottom and sides. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar and cook for another hour. Again, remove the pot and give everything a good stir. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown (about 30 to 45 minutes).

Remove the pot from the oven. At this point you can let the onions cool in the in the pot and refrigerate for a day or so before continuing with the recipe.

Move the pot to the stove top over medium-high heat. Continue cooking the onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until all the liquid evaporates and the onions brown (about 15 to 20 minutes).

Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pot bottom is coated with a dark crust of fond (about 6 to 8 minutes). Scrape the tasty brown goodness back into onions.

Deglaze the pot with 1/4 cup water, scraping the pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until the water evaporates and pot bottom has formed yet another dark crust (another 6 to 8 minutes).

Add another 1/4 cut of water and deglaze the pot again, cooking until the water evaporates and pot bottom has formed yet another dark crust (another 6 to 8 minutes).

One more time – deglaze and cook until the water has evaporated and the onions are very dark brown. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until the sherry evaporates (about 5 minutes).

Stir in all the the broths, 2 cups of water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any remaining bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.

Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Adjust oven rack 6-8  inches from broiler. Set individual broiler-safe bowls or crocks on baking sheet and fill each about 3/4 of the way up with soup.  Top each bowl with a few baguette slices and a heavy sprinkle of cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and gotten a little brown ‘n’ bubbly around edges (about 3 to 5 minutes).

Serve immediately with more bread for dipping.

We ended up a with just a small crop of jalapenos and habaneros this year. Not enough to pickle or make hot sauce from, but more than what we’d go through before they’d spoil.

I washed our harvest, and (wearing gloves) trimmed off any bad spots, slit the pods lengthwise, and laid them out on a perforated pizza pan.

I set the Big Green Egg up for an indirect cook at low heat (200°F) with a couple of pecan chunks for smoke. I smoked them for 3 hours and then moved them to the oven at 170°F for 5 hours. I turned the oven off and let them sit in it overnight.

I the morning I tossed my little leathery bits of heat and smoke into a glass jar for storage. I see them lighting up a batch of chili and staring in some jerk marinade in the near future.

I like this setup for a quick summer meal. The chicken juices drip onto the veggies (making them extra tasty), and the pan full of veggies protects the chicken from direct heat so it stays juicy.

Honey Mustard Chipotle Chicken
4-6 bone-in,skin-on chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped fine
1 teaspoon lime juice

Combine the honey, mustard, salt, chile, and lime juice in a large container with a lid.  Mix well. Place the chicken in the container, seal, and turn until well-coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight, turning the pieces occasionally.

Mixed Veggies
1 large zuccini, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground back pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a disposable foil pan. Mix well.

The Cook

Set up your grill  for a direct cook over medium (350°F) heat.

Set the pan full of veggies on the grill. Place a small wire rack or grill grate on top of the pan. Lay the chicken breasts skin side up on the grate above the veggies.

Close the lid and cook for 30 minutes. Lift the grate with the chicken on it off the of the pan and give the veggies a stir. Add more oil if they are starting to stick. Put the grate back on the pan and flip the chicken. Close the lid and cook until the breasts reach 160F internal (about another 30 minutes).

No recipe book, no ingredient list, no instructions – just a hot grill, some brats, and the first sweet corn of the season. Man, it was tasty.