Summer Meal to Beat the Heat: Sausage and Peppers Sandwich, Burrata with Tomato, Grilled Nectarines

Menu:

Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches with Red Pepper and Basil Mayo

• Saute Sliced Onions + Red Bell Pepper + Yellow Bell Pepper + 2 cloves smashed garlic till softened (about 30 minutes)
• Grill 3 Sausages till warmed through (for 4 servings).  Slice on the diagonal
• Puree roasted red peppers, garlic, basil, combine with Mayo + Red Wine Vinegar + Salt & Pepper
• Toast Ciabatta Bread
• To build sandwich:  Spread Mayo, then spoon sausage and veggies

Heirloom Tomato Caprese with Burrata

• Slice tomatoes 1/3 inch thick.  Season with salt, pepper and olive oil.  Let marinade about 20 minutes
• Arrange tomatoes on platter and tuck burrata around the tomatoes
• Sprinkle basil and finish with more olive oil, salt and pepper and perhaps clear vinegar (I don’t like the cheese getting dark from balsamic)

Grilled Nectarines with Cinnamon Sugar or Herbed Balsamic Reduction

• For balsamic reduction: reduce 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar with chosen herb (rosemary or thyme) to about 4 tablespoons.  Add brown sugar and salt to taste
• Brush nectarine halves with oil, place cut-side down on grill set on high till cooked through and slightly soft
• Drizzle with the balsamic reduction or
  • Spoon mixture of melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Place in grill to melt sugar
• Serve with ice cream and granola

Brined Pulled Pork

BRINE-for each pork shoulder, immerse in the brine in the morning the day before.  Let brine for ~12 hours

• 2 quarts water
• 1/2 c kosher salt
• 1/2 c sugar

Rinse shoulder with cold water and apply the dry rub.  Let sit for a few hours

• 3 TBSP Cajun seasoning by O Organics (Safeway)-this already contains salt, so go light-handed with extra salt
• 1 TBSP Smoked paprika
• 2 tsp Onion powder
• 2 tsp Garlic powder
• 3 TBSP Brown sugar

Place in roasting pan and bake at 250 until temp reaches 190-200.  Turn off oven and let temperature go down to 170 and remove pork from oven.

Let cool a bit, then shred, adding some pork juices to moisten.  May also add a bit of BBQ to the pork

Serve with broccoli slaw, Hawaiian rolls and BBQ sauce

Overnight Oven Roasted Pulled Pork with Broccoli Slaw

Pulled Pork

• 6-7 pound pork boneless or bone-in shoulder
• 3 TBSP salt
• 3 TBSP paprika
• 1 TBSP garlic powder
• 1 TBSP DRIED oregano
• 2 TBSP brown sugar
• 2-3 bottles of BBQ sauce.
• Rub spice mix over the pork and bake in deep dish at 275 degrees overnight until internal temperature registers 190 degrees.  Temperature may be increased to 300 degrees to speed up cooking process.Let rest for 1 hour to ensure juices redistribute, then shred with a fork.  Mix in favorite BBQ sauce.

Broccoli Slaw

• 12 ounces shredded broccoli
• mayo
• lemon juice
• jalapeño
• red onion
• green apple, julienne (optional)
• salt and pepper

Slaw variation

• shredded broccoli
• shredded carrot
• lime juice
• sour cream
• mayo
• cilantro

 

Pizza Topping Ideas

We have been making pizzas at home for about 4 years.  Recently, it has become more of a stable, ever since we realized that our preschooler loves it (no surprise!)  Our go to method:

1. Use  a store bought whole wheat dough.  It’s sweeter and has a nice texture compared to regular dough.
2. Drizzle a metal baking pan with oil and press the dough into the pan.
3. Often less is more-not too much sauce or topping otherwise you end up with a raw crust.  But most would argue that you could pile on the cheese!
4. Using light shredded cheese takes some of the guilt away since we eat this pretty often.
5. Bake at 425 degrees on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes, depending on the amount of toppings works our quite well.

The product is a pizza with a chewy, fluffy, ready crust!   Here are a few of my favorite combinations

the Chicago-Sausage, mushroom, provolone, pecorino and caramelized onion, pizza sauce – our favorite thus far. Can’t go wrong with pork!

the Naked Pizza-Bacon, mashed potato, roasted garlic, roasted cauliflower, sautéed spinach, ricotta, pecorino (no sauce)

BBQ Chicken-Store bought BBQ pulled chicken, red onion, sliced black olives, frozen roasted corn, mozzarella, BBQ sauce

Meatball Sub-Meatball, marinara, mozzarella, basil, pecorino

I would love to play around with figs and more roasted vegetables. Next pizza will be sausage, roasted bell pepper, basil for tomorrow night.

My favorite restaurant pizza combinations:

Spinach, garlic, ricotta, tomato sauce

Broccoli, tomato, olive, onion

Zucchini, Mushroom, Eggplant

BBQ Baby Back Ribs

• 1 rack baby back ribs
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1. Combine the spices in a small bowl
2. Apply the spice rub over the meaty part of the ribs with your hands
3. Wrap the rib rack entirely in foil.  Place on a baking sheet bone side down.
4. Back at 275 degrees for 3 hours until the meat separates from the bone
5. Open the foil and brush some of the juices over the meat.  Then brush on some of your store bought BBQ sauce.  I like KC masterpiece hickory smoke sauce.
6. Place back in the oven uncovered until the BBQ sauce gets a little stickier
7. Serve with more BBQ sauce on the side

Loaded BBQ Pork Nachos and Guacamole

Served for the 4th of July party this year.  It was a hit!

• TJ’s Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
• 1 package (12oz) TJ’s Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese
• 1 container TJ’s ready-made pulled pork in BBQ sauce
• 1 onion thinly sliced and caramelized
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can sliced olives
• Frozen roasted corn
• Guacamole using 4 avocados (see recipe below)
• 1 container pico de gallo or chopped fresh tomatoes

Using a baking sheet, spread half the chips, then sprinkle half the cheese over the chips and spoon half the BBQ pork, onion, beans, corn and olives

Add a second layer of chips, cheese, pork, onion, beans, corn and olives

Place in a 425 degree oven until cheese is melted

Remove from oven and spoon on pico de gallo and guacamole

Serve immediately

GUACAMOLE

• 4 ripe avocados
• 1/2 tomato, chopped
• 1/4 small red onion, finely diced
• jalepeno peppers, finely diced
• fresh lime juice to taste
• cumin to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped cilantro

1. Mash the avocado to desired texture.  I like having chunks for avocados left.  You could also mash 3 of the avocados, then stir in 1 diced avocado
2. Stir in the red onion, jalepenos, lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper and cilantro till well incorporated
3. Add tomatoes and gently combine
4.  Tope with cilantro for garnish

 

 

BBQ Pulled Pork in the Crock Pot

• 4 pound Pork Shoulder or Butt
• 1 bottle BBQ sauce (Bullseye)
• 2 can rootbeer
• 1 onion, halved
• paprika and salt

1. Sprinkle pork with generous amounts of salt and paprika.  Place in slow cooker
2. Add the remaining ingredients.  The pork should be immersed about 3/4 of the way
3. Cook on low for 9 hours
4. Remove the pork and onion.  Skim off excess grease.
5. Reduce the sauce on the stove top
6. Shred the pork and dice the onion.  Return to the sauce once it is reduced

korean bbq trial

i can’t remember what inspired me, but the weather was supposed to be in the 80s this weekend so we could bbq, and since i was working this weekend as well, korean bbq, which could be prepared ahead of time, sounded like a good idea.

i had a recipe saved in my email sent to me from one of my good korean friends.  but as she doesn’t cook, she had never made the recipe sent to her from another friend.  i planned to try out he recipe, until i started reading the ingredient list.  3 cups of sugar for half a cup of soy sauce???  how could that be right?!

so i started my search for a better recipe that would call for a sugar paste as a marinade.  most recipes had the same basic components:  soy sauce, garlic, Asian pear and sesame oil.  the component adding sweetness varied.  i took my old korean roommate’s advice who said that her mom’s secret was a can of 7-up to tenderize the meat and add sweetness.

i got short ribs from the korean market and prepared the marinade the night before to optimize flavor.  we brought the meat over to my brother-in-law’s house to prepare dinner for the busy new parents.

i was pretty happy with the results.  slightly sweet and savory.  the meat was tender and aromatic.  i made a homemade soy-based dipping sauce and two veggie side dishes to go along with the hot white rice.

KALBI

Short Ribs:  3-4 pounds

Marinade:

1 large Asian pear

8 cloves garlic

1 thumb-sized pice of garlic

1/2 onion

3/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup 7-Up

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp honey

a generous drizzling sesame oil

3 green onions, sliced

In the food processor, place the Asian pear garlic, onion and ginger and process until a puree is produced

Pour the contents into a 9X13 baking dish.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine

Add the short ribs, cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours, ideally overnight

Remove the ribs from the fridge and grill for just a few minutes, and enjoy!

SOY DIPPING SAUCE

3 tbsp soybean paste

1-2 tbsp chili paste

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp sesame oil

Combine ingredients and stir until smooth, tasting along the way to get the perfect balance of salty, spicy and slightly sweet

MARINATED CUCUMBERS

Combine:

5-6 small Persian cucumbers, cut into chunks

1 green onion, thinly sliced on the bias

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp Korean chili powder

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp honey

SIMPLE BEAN SPROUTS

bean sprouts, blanched and cooled in an ice bath

salt

sesame oil

gai yang

B and I went out for Thai food last Thursday. I ordered the quintessential Thai BBQ chicken, gai yang and developed the urge to try to make this dish I have when I was a kid at home after the restaurant served a different version….it just didn’t hit the spot.

I called my mom to get an ingredient list. The recipe belongs to a family friend who grew up with my dad. My mom gave me a few pointers, highlighting that galanga is a very important ingredient and to keep the grill low to avoid burning the sugars in the marinade. The results were very rewarding and everyone’s tummies were happy!

Ingredients:
8 pieces of chicken
2 t curry powder
1 inch chunk of ginger, minced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
stems from 1 bunch of clantro, minced
3 T lemongrass, minced
2 t palm sugar
5 T fish sauce
a bit of soy sauce
pinch if salt to taste
white/black pepper
about 1/2 can of coconut milk

Pound herbs with mortar and pestle
Add all ingredients to a bowl. Season to taste
Add chicken and marinade for a few hours

Grill on medium, and turn to low. Another method to try is to turn have the burners on medium (350F), and grill over indirect heat till cook through.

Serve with rice (sticky rice preferred)