Pickled Jalapeños (Escabeche)

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 “Pickled Jalapeños (Escabeche)”

Sausage and Peppers

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 “Sausage and Peppers”

Smoked Almonds

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.

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