Tomorrow night is my poker night. I usually make deviled eggs for the guys, but I think I’ll go a different route and if they don’t like them…f**k ’em!
Dave’s Not So Famous Pickled Eggs
8 large eggs
1 (15 ounce) can sliced beets with liquid
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup white sugar
½ cup water
1 small jalapeno or serrano chile, stems cut off
1 small onion, halved and sliced into half-moons
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, and peel. Place eggs in a glass or plastic container.
Combine beets, vinegar, sugar, water, pepper and onion in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; stir until sugar is dissolved. Place eggs, peppers and onions in a quart canning jar and pour liquid over eggs. Cover with the lid and refrigerate 4 hours to overnight.
Today is National Cheese Day. So, I grabbed something from my annals that is served with cheese.
Authentic Italian Sunday Gravy
Meat:
2 pounds pork spareribs, pork shoulder or beef short ribs
1-pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1-pound meatballs (homemade or store-bought)
Tomatoes:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (28 oz each) crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
Seasonings:
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
1/4 cup red wine
Fresh parsley or basil, chopped (for garnish)
Cooked spaghetti
Fresh grated Parmesan
Brown the Meat:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat and sausage in batches until nicely browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
Add meatballs to the pot and brown lightly.
Sauté Onions and Garlic:
In the same pot, add chopped onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
Add Tomatoes and Meat:
Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using). Stir well.
Return the browned meat to the pot. Add the wine to the sauce.
Simmer:
Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Let it cook for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the sauce is rich and thick.
Serve over spaghetti and a generous portion of the grated Parmesan.
Today is the last day to get chicken quarters for .79 cents a pound at R&R Quality Meats & Seafood! Jerk your chicken, then shred the meat off the bone for great tacos.
Jerk Chicken
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup dark rum
3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 bunch scallions (white and green parts), roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
2 tablespoons Pickapeppa sauce (see the note below)
1 tablespoon freshly grated peeled ginger
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 chicken halves or 8 quarters (about 6 pounds)
Pulse the vinegar, soy sauce, rum, brown sugar, scallions, garlic, chile, Pickapeppa sauce, ginger, allspice and pumpkin pie spice in a food processor to make a slightly chunky sauce. Heat the oil in a medium skillet and cook the sauce over medium heat, stirring, until the oil is absorbed and the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Cool.
Rub the jerk paste all over the chicken halves, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
Prepare an outdoor grill with a medium-high fire for both direct and indirect grilling. Position a drip pan under the grate on indirect side. Place the chicken, skin side down, over direct heat and cook until skin crisps and has definite grill marks, about 4 minutes per side. Move to indirect heat over the drip pan and cook skin side up, covered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let the chicken rest about 5 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve.
Pickapeppa — the celebrated Jamaican bottled sauce — is a blend of tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mangoes, raisins, tamarind, peppers, and spices. Fans use this “Jamaican ketchup” on all manner of grilled foods. It adds a distinct punch to this version of the island’s spicy jerk marinade.
It’s a Big, Beautiful, Back at it Monday! Welcome to June!
Smoked, Sweet and Sticky Riblets
4lbs pork rib-lets
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ rub
½ cup light brown sugar
1 stick cold, salted butter cut into thin pats
6 ounces vinegar sauce
¼ cup honey
Heat your smoker to 275. If you have a pellet smoker, use something sweet, like pecan, apple or cherry, or a combination of two of the three. If you are using a BBQ, start with lump charcoal and add some pellets or chunks of wood to the fire. I use my Ninja smoker. It works great for this.
Season the riblets with salt and pepper and your BBQ rub. Let the riblets set at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Arrange the riblets on the cooking grate and smoke for 90 minutes.
Place the smoked riblets in an aluminum pan and add the brown sugar, pats of butter, vinegar sauce and drizzle them with honey.
Cover the pan with foil and place back on the smoker for one hour.
After an hour, remove the foil and dredge the riblets in the pan juice and place directly on the cooking grate of your BBQ or smoker. Leave the lid open so the fire flares up and grill for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Remove the charred riblets, place on a cutting board and cut them into 2 bone portions. Pile them high on your platter and let ‘er buck!
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On parchment paper-lined baking sheet, lay prosciutto ¼ inch apart and bake until crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer crispy prosciutto to paper towel-lined baking sheet. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 clove minced garlic, basil, half the olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Add tomatoes and gently toss to combine. Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Warm remaining olive oil in small skillet on medium-low heat. Add leftover minced garlic to warmed olive oil and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Don’t burn the garlic, it’ll turn bitter. Remove from heat and set aside. Slice baguette on the bias and place slices on baking sheet. Drizzle each slice with olive oil-garlic mixture. Place tray in oven and toast for 20 minutes, until lightly browned and crispy. Remove from oven, cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Flip baguette slices and transfer to serving platter. Top with tomato mixture and prosciutto. Serve immediately while warm.
You can add all kinds of fun stuff to this, figs or fig jam, olives, goat cheese or ricotta, arugula, etc. Go crazy!
I literally wrote this recipe a long time ago during a Long Set of Today’s Country. It worked out pretty well.
Cajun Shrimp & Pasta with Sausage
2 lbs. med-large shrimp (peeled and de-veined)
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (or Creole seasoning)
1 teaspoon dried Oregano
4 tablespoons Olive oil
12-16 oz smoked sausage (thinly sliced)
1 lb. fettuccine, or your favorite pasta
1 yellow onion, halved and sliced into half-moons
2 red bell peppers (thinly sliced)
8 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (or Creole seasoning)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
6 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
1 ⅓ cups Grated Parmesan
2 tbsps parsley (chopped)
Cook shrimp
Toss shrimp with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and Oregano, and coat well. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and drizzle bottom of pan with olive oil.
Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Flip shrimp over and cook another minute or two. Then remove to a plate and set aside. Drizzle pan with a little more olive oil, add sausage and brown until nicely caramelized, about 4 – 5 minutes. Remove to plate, set aside. The same skillet will be used for making sauce.
Boil pasta
Add pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain, but don’t rinse. Set aside.
Make sauce
Use the same skillet, now empty. Lower heat to medium and add a bit more olive oil to the pan, add the onion, red bell pepper, Cajun seasoning, brown sugar, and a generous pinch of salt. Sauté until onion and pepper have softened a bit, scraping up any browned bits that you can. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan, simmer a couple minutes.
Put it all together
Once simmering, add Parmesan and stir into sauce. When Parmesan is blended in, add cooked pasta, and sausage and stir to combine and heat through, 2 – 3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and then lastly, add shrimp (to avoid over steaming it in sauce).
Hope you had a good Memorial Day Weekend. God bless our fallen soldiers and their families. Beth and I saw the Little River Band at Seven Feathers in Canyonville on Saturday night. Great show! Highly recommend! Thanks Gary and Candis! Love you two!
Oven Braised Beer Brats with Caramelized Onions & Apples
6 bratwurst sausages
2 large yellow onions, sliced
2 apples (Honey-crisp or Gala), thinly sliced
1 bottle (12 oz) beer
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp brown sugar
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
Whole grain mustard and rolls, for serving
Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking pan with foil for easy cleanup.
In a skillet, add olive oil over low-med heat. Add onions and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Stir in butter, brown sugar and apples; cook 4 more minutes.
Spread the onion-apple mixture in the foil-lined pan. Nestle bratwursts on top.
Pour beer evenly into the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes, flipping brats once until browned and beer is mostly reduced.
16 oz fresh, small mozzarella balls, or cubed from a block
1 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1 cup jarred, roasted red peppers drained and coarsely chopped
Finely chopped parsley, for garnish
Dressing, to taste
For the dressing:
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese finely grated
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 garlic clove finely grated or pressed
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
For the dressing:
Combine all of the ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
For the salad:
Cook the rotini in HEAVILY salted water to al dente. Drain and rinse under cool water.
Place the pasta in a large bowl and add the salad ingredients in separate piles on top of the pasta. Be sure to leave a “wedge” of pasta visible, for presentation. Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Salad can be made up to 4 hours in advance.
Today is our 35th wedding anniversary and it’s Taco Tuesday. Coincidence? I think not.
Dave’s Street Tacos with Mexican Street Corn
1½ pounds lean ground beef
½ pound chorizo or ground pork
Yellow onion, diced
Fresh Cilantro
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
2 chipotles with adobo sauce
2 tablespoons Chile powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons paprika
¼ cup chicken, beef or vegetable stock
Corn or flower street taco tortillas
Hot sauce, for topping
Lime wedges, for serving
For the meat:
In a large bowl, mix the beef and pork together with the spices, chopped chipotles and 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce. If using chorizo, just mix the beef with the spices, then mix in the chorizo. You can substitute all the spices with your favorite Mexican spice blend if you like.
In a large skillet, cook the meat until it’s completely done. I like mine a little on the overdone side with a little crisp on the meat. Add the stock as needed for desired consistency. I like to keep mine a little on the dry side. Turn the heat off and cover until serving.
Warm the tortillas in a skillet, on a grill or over a gas flame.
Build the tacos using two tortillas, the meat, chopped onion and cilantro. Top with hot sauce, a pinch of salt and a lime squeeze.
Mexican Street Corn
6 to 8 medium ears sweet corn, shucked and silk removed
1/2 cup Mexican crema, or sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Chile powder
2 teaspoons lime zest, from one lime
2 tablespoon lime juice, from one lime
1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
Lime wedges, for squeezing
Heat your grill to high.
In a bowl, whisk together the crema, mayonnaise, cilantro, garlic, chipotle pepper, lime zest and lime juice. Taste and season the mixture with salt if needed. Set aside.
Place the husked corn directly onto grill grates. Grill the corn for about 3 minutes, undisturbed, or until kernels begin to turn golden brown and look charred. Turn over and repeat. When all sides are browned, remove from the grill onto a plate.
Using a brush or a spoon, coat each ear of corn with the crema mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled cotija cheese. Top with more Chile powder, cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
