Plum BBQ Sauce

So, it appears to be about 3 years since anyone used this. I'm tempted to see how long it would be before anyone notices that this is being posted, but I guess we'll see about that.

Last night was the Pioneer Day celebration here in our neck of the woods, and I was asked to smoke some pork shoulder for the event. Now, anyone who has had my pork knows I'm pretty proud of it, so I took the challenge to do 45 lbs of it on my grill. But of course, that was too easy to do on it's own, so I decided to make a BBQ sauce to go with it. But, it couldn't be just any BBQ sauce. Oh, no. I had to come up with something new, because I'm apparently insane.

In this insanity, I remembered the bags of aging plums we had in the fridge that needed used (we had gone picking a week or so ago) and thought, "Those would probably make a pretty good BBQ base." So I started cutting up plums. And pitting them. Tons. Of. Plums. They were pretty small, so to get as much as I needed took a good 10 minutes.

But then the fun started. I pureed the plums down to a smooth mix, then started throwing in whatever I wanted. "Oh, look. We have some frozen chipotle peppers. In they go. How about some honey from my Christmas present? That smells good." And so it went. I blended it all together, poured it into a saucepan, and cooked it down until it was nice and thick and sticky.

And thus was born my new go to BBQ sauce. Not too sweet, with a nice acid kick and a slow burn on the back of the throat.

The only thing is, I didn't write anything down. Grr. I did my best to try and remember what I did, but I'm not sure what I got wrong, so if you make this, remember you might have to adjust as you go.

So, enjoy.

Plum bbq sauce

All quantities approximate

2 1/2 cups fresh plums, halved

1cup ketchup 

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 

Chipotle pepper canned in adobo (1/4 can)

1/4 cup molasses

1 cup unpacked brown sugar

2 tbs honey

1 tbs red pepper flakes

1 tbs (heaping) each onion/garlic powder

Salt

1/2 cup cocoa powder 

Purée plums with chipotle peppers

Add in everything else and blend all ingredients until smooth

Transfer to sauce pan and cook until thick/desired consistency 

Happy Eats!

Mint

Thai Basil Pesto

For our last wedding anniversary, my husband got me an AeroGarden so that I could grow fresh herbs in the kitchen year-round. I love it so far, but it's hard to use that many herbs, especially when you're not used to having that many.

So far the most aggressive herb we have is the Thai basil. The other plants are staying rather small because it's so big and I just don't have enough ideas for what to do with it. Or at least I didn't until today! Today I had a thought and searched for a Thai basil pesto. I found a fantastic recipe here and plan to repeat it often. It's like a concentrated Vietnamese restaurant in my blender. :-) Enjoy!

Thai Basil Pesto

2 cups fresh Thai basil leaves
3 tbsp plain roasted peanuts*
1 tbsp your favorite sweetener
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar*
2 tbsp sesame oil*
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp soy sauce (low sodium is best)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse to desired consistency.

*Since I did this on the fly, I of course did not have the exact list of ingredients. My peanuts were lightly salted, my vinegar was apple cider vinegar, and I had no sesame oil so I toasted sesame seeds and added them along with some olive oil instead. And of course I eyeballed most of my ingredients. It was still delicious so don't be intimidated if you don't have the exact ingredients.

Leftover Oatmeal Bread

I've played around with several recipes that use up leftover oatmeal, googled it more times than I care to think about, and yet, the whole time I had sitting in my old recipe box the perfect oatmeal bread recipe. I'm pretty sure I got it at some food storage/self-reliance night at church, and apparently it took me more than a decade to actually try the recipe out. First go at it was back in December (and it was a success), but I found it again because I had unearthed in the freezer some leftover oat groats with apples that - let's face it - were never going to be consumed in their original form again.

This recipe makes a nice, fluffy bread and if your oatmeal is already pre-sweetened, you can just cut down on the honey/molasses in the recipe.

Oatmeal Bread (provenance unknown)
Makes 2 loaves

 1/2 cup warm water
2 tbs. dry yeast
3/4 cup water, boiling
3/4 cup rolled oats [or, just 1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal]
1 cup buttermilk [or fake buttermilk - i.e. 1 scant cup milk with 1 tbs lemon juice or vinegar]
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey or molasses [I used golden syrup, 'cause that's what they have here in South Africa]
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbs salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In small bowl, stir yeast into 1/2 cup warm water; allow to stand until yeast dissolves and bubbles up (also known as proofing). In medium saucepan bring 3/4 cup water to boiling, stir in oatmeal and cook several minutes (or dig your leftover oatmeal out of the fridge). Remove from heat; add buttermilk, oil, and honey or molasses (in case you're wondering, I did not re-heat my oatmeal and it turned out okay).
Stir flour, salt, and soda into a large mixing bowl. Add yeast mixture and oats mixture and beat with wire whip or spoon (I used my hand mixer with beaters); let stand 65 minutes. Gradually add enough of remaining flour until dough is stiff enough for kneading. Turn out onto floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes or until a soft, elastic ball form. Place dough in clean greased bowl, cover and let rise until double. Punch down dough, divide into two portions, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Form into loaves and place in greased 8x4 in pans. Cover and let rise until double again. Bake at 350 (or 375 - the recipe says somewhere in that range) for 45 to 50 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and turn out to cool on wire rack.

Thyme

Red Curry and Tilapia Soup

This may be my favorite soup I've ever had. Except for maybe a good Pho. Then it's a tie.

For this particular recipe, I used a time-saving pre-made red curry sauce. If you don't have that on-hand but you do have red curry paste and coconut milk, look to the recipe that inspired me http://www.food.com/recipe/thai-style-tilapia-with-coconut-curry-broth-217245, which was apparently inspired by http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/thai-style-halibut-with-coconut-curry-broth-recipe.html Also, feel free to swap out vegetables and fish as desired and available.

Red Curry and Tilapia Soup

2 5oz tilapia fillets
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2+ bell pepper, preferably yellow, orange, or red, chopped (you could do a hot pepper if you felt adventurous)
1 11 oz. bottle Trader Joe's Red Curry Sauce
1 cup chicken stock
5 cups raw spinach or baby greens such as kale and Swiss chard
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1-2 cups cooked brown rice, quinoa, millet or other similar grain
1/4 to 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro (optional, but delicious)
Salt to taste

1. Heat oil in soup pan or dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add onions and bell pepper and sweat until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add tilapia, sauce, and stock. Bring to a low simmer and cook, covered, until tilapia is cooked through. Remove from heat and add half of the cilantro if desired.
3. Meanwhile, in another pan, steam the spinach and set aside. In the same pan, heat up peas to their desired doneness and set aside. (I prefer my peas less cooked so only cooked them for a couple of minutes.)
4. To serve the soup, place greens, peas, rice, and some fish in a bowl and ladle the [crazily delicious] broth over the top. Garnish with remaining cilantro. Alternatively, you could add all ingredients to the soup pot, break up the fish, and serve a ladle full at a time, but the first method is nice since everyone can customize their bowl, components are less likely to overcook, and it feels more fancy.

Enjoy!
Rosemary

Bean Burgers part II

Here's another great idea that I saw on a clip from The Chew. I often make black bean burgers but had never tried cooking down the beans with some onions. It worked really well, added great flavor, and required about half the bread crumbs (read: filler). This might be my new go-to recipe for black bean burgers. Also, apparently a 12-year-old wrote the recipe. I'll copy it here from the ABC website and add my own notes in italics:


Black Bean Burger 

1 can (15 ounce) Black Beans (Drained and Rinsed) 
1/2 Onion (Peeled and Chopped) 
2 Cloves Garlic (Peeled and Minced) 
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/3 cup Cilantro, optional
Pinch Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 cup Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs 
2 Eggs Whites or 1 whole egg
5 Whole Wheat Buns 

• In a small sauté pan, warm the Olive Oil. Add the Onions and Garlic and cook for 3 minutes, or until the Onion is soft. Add the Beans, Chili Powder, Salt and Pepper, and Cilantro. Let cool for 5 minutes, then place in a food processor or mash thoroughly with a potato masher. Pulse about 5 times, or until coarsely chopped. Pour into a bowl and add the Bread Crumbs and Egg Whites and combine thoroughly. Let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. (I skipped the last step and was just fine.)
• Preheat the grill. Shape the burger mix into 5 patties and grill on grill topper/basket until cooked through and crispy on each side, about 5 minutes per side. Alternatively, put a small amount of oil in a frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Cook about 4-5 minutes on each side.
• Serve as you would any other burger. They recommend an avocado spread. I'd go Monterey Jack cheese, caramelized onions and peppers, fresh tomato, lettuce, and avocado.

Rosemary 

Olive Oil Cake

You can thank reality TV for this posting. I'd never heard of olive oil cake until I saw it used on a couple of cooking competitions. I was especially intrigued the last time I saw it because the contestant used semolina flour. It just so happens that I bought a 50 lb. bag of organic semolina flour from a local pasta company that was closing up shop and clearing out their inventory. Since I'm not in the way of regularly making dried pasta, I haven't been sure what to do with it. It's of a larger grit than all-purpose flour so it doesn't work interchangeably in recipes. So I am excited to share with you a delicious way to use semolina flour.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake
adapted from a recipe on epicurious.com

3/4 cup olive oil, light or extra virgin
1 large lemon
1/2 cup semolina flour*
1/2 cup all-purpose flour*
5 large eggs, separated
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8" springform pan with cooking spray. Lay a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan and spray the top of it. Alternatively, use a regular 8" cake pan or a muffin tin (adjust baking time as needed).

2. Grate the lemon zest from your lemon into a large bowl. Add flours and whisk together. Juice the lemon into another small bowl or measuring cup (you will need at least 1 1/2 tablespoons).

3. Beat 4 of the egg whites and salt on medium high until foamy (reserve other egg white for another use). Slowly add 1/4 cup of the sugar and continue beating until soft peaks are reached. Move egg whites to another bowl and set aside.

4. Beat all 5 egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar on high until thick and pale in color. Reduce speed to medium and add olive oil and lemon juice. Once incorporated (mixture may appear separated), turn off mixer. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently incorporate the flour mixture. Stir until just mixed. Do not over-mix. Gently fold in 1/3 of the egg whites. Fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

5. Pour batter into cake pan and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, approximately 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to finish cooling on a rack. Cake will need to be loosened from the edge of the pan with a knife.

Serving suggestions: Serve as-is for a not-too-sweet, mildly fruity dessert. We all agreed that it would also be nice as a shortcake substitute with berries and whipped cream.

*This particular recipe called for 1 cup cake flour. Many other olive oil cake recipes called for 1/2 semolina flour and 1/2 all-purpose flour, so that is what I went with. The semolina flour gives it a texture a little more like cornbread, but not as gritty. I might try whole wheat flour for the a.p. flour next time just because that's how I roll.

Rosemary

How to Use Up the Last of What's in a Jar

Don't you just hate it when you get to the end of a jar of peanut butter and you can never truly empty it out? It feels wasteful to throw it away, but it's a real waste of time and effort to sit there scraping for a long time just to eke out another tablespoon. Well, there is a better way. I found some ideas on Living on a Dime and have experimented with my own ideas since. I'll list a few of my favorites here.


How to use up the last of what's in a jar:

Take your nearly empty jar, add some more ingredients, close the lid tightly and shake vigorously. Enjoy this new product which will exit the jar much more completely than the original.

What's in the Jar?
     Mayonnaise        
What you can Make:
     Creamy version of your favorite vinaigrette
     Throw everything you need for your favorite vinaigrette minus a little bit of oil. Bonus: you won't have to shake it up every time you use it.

What's in the Jar?
     Peanut Butter         
What you can Make:
     Peanut Butter Hot Cocoa
     Using care and some heat protection, pour hot water or milk and some hot cocoa mix in the jar and shake it up. If you're concerned about hot plastic and food, you might want to skip this one or get p.b. in a glass jar.
                 
What's in the Jar?
     Nutella         
What you can Make:
     Nutella Hot Cocoa
     Same as peanut butter hot cocoa but even better. Cut back on hot cocoa mix a bit.                            
     
What's in the Jar?
     Honey         
What you can Make:
     Lemonade    
     Squeeze in some fresh lemons or limes, add water and a little less sugar than you normally would normally add.   
                                           
What's in the Jar?
     Tahini         
What you can Make:
     Salad Dressing    
     Basically the same as the idea for mayonnaise. Especially good for a balsamic, olive oil and basil dressing.
                                           

What are your favorite ways to deal with the bottom of the barrel? Ideas for lotions and other products are welcome.

Rosemary