Baby Back Pork Ribs!

I made ribs for Super Bowl last Sunday and I must say they were really delicious! I know self praise is no praise at all, but these ribs were pretty special. I think both the barbeque sauce and cooking them for hours made the difference--the meat fell off the bone! They were the best ribs I have ever made or eaten! I know many recipes call for cooking your ribs with a dry rub and adding the sauce after, but I decided to try cooking the ribs in the sauce and I think it made all the difference. I also marinated the rack for several hours before oven roasting and I think that also added a good depth of flavor. Here's what I did...

BABY BACK PORK RIBS

Ingredients:
15 rib rack of pork
Barbeque sauce-recipe follows
Marinade-recipe follows

Marinade:
1/4 spiced rum (I used a new Bacardi spiced rum called Oakheart, but any spiced rum would work just fine).
1/4 cup Ponzu citrus soy sauce (Again, use whatever soy you have.)
1/4 tsp. hot pepper flakes
1/2 cup brown sugar

Put all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Cool. Place ribs in a large roasting pan and cover with the marinade and let sit, covered in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours turning ribs every 45 minutes or so to make sure all sides benefit from the marinade.

Make the barbeque sauce.

BARBEQUE SAUCE
Ingredients:
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 Tbsp. brown sugar
5 Tbsp. white sugar
1 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. Sriracha or any similar hot sauce
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. smoky paprika chipotle seasoning (I used the Victoria Taylor brand I talked about last time.)
1 tsp. dried chopped onion
1 tsp. dried chopped garlic

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook uncovered for about 1 hour or until you have the desired thickness. Stir every once in awhile. If it gets too thick, thin it with a little water. Let cool. Your entire house will smell like a barbeque joint while this is cooking!
You can doctor this sauce any way you like with cumin, more hot sauce, liquid smoke, cinnamon, molasses, beer or wine, etc., etc....that's the fun of it and once you make your own BBQ sauce I don't think you will buy it again! It's delicious and very easy.

Preheat oven to 290 degrees.

After ribs have marinated for 2+ hours pull out of the marinade and let drain on paper towels. Wash and dry the roasting pan and line with 2 strips of heavy duty foil. Lay the ribs on the foil and cover with a generous cup of the BBQ sauce. Wrap the foil tightly so steam stays inside the foil.

Put the ribs in the oven and do not check them for 3 hours. After they have baked, open the foil, add more sauce and brown under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until they have a nice BBQ crust, but watch so they don't burn...there's lots of sugar in the sauce that can catch quickly.

Cut ribs apart and serve on a platter with extra sauce and plenty of napkins!

I served our ribs with an interesting beer from Allagash Brewing, Co., Portland, Maine, thanks to our friends Ed and Louise who gave us this very special Allagash Curieux. Curieux is the French word for curious or intriguing and this beer was all of that and more. The beer is aged in Jim Beam bourbon barrels for 2 months creating a rich, creamy, sweet flavor with a hint of bourbon. It is stronger in alcohol than regular beer and was the perfect accompaniment to the ribs.



Check them out:  www.allagash.com

As a starter to the ribs I made a pizza with whole grain crust. I bought the dough from the store all ready to roll out, but you could easily make it yourself if you wanted.

SCALLOP, BACON, AND CARMELIZED ONION PIZZA

Ingredients:

For carmelized onion:
2 medium onions, sliced thinly
Olive oil for pan
1/4 tsp. salt
Juice and zest from 1/4 lemon
1/4 cup water. More if needed as the onions carmelize.
(This will make more than you need for the pizza, but it's always nice to have carmelized onions on hand to add to sandwiches, stirfries or great on a burger with melted blue cheese.)

Other ingredients:
1/2 pound scallops
5 strips bacon
1 cup mozzarella
1 cup parmesan
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 scallion tops (green part only), cut into thin rings
Enough Olive Oil for liberal drizzling
Flour for rolling out the dough

Start by carmelizing the onions. Cut 2 medium onions into thin rings. Heat a large frying pan with a little olive oil. Add the onions and reduce to lowest simmer. Add 1/4 tsp. salt and the juice and zest (yellow part only) from 1 quarter lemon. Finally add 1/4 cup water. Cover tightly and let steam for about an hour until onions are very soft and caramel color. Check on them every 20 minutes or so to make sure they are not getting brown. Add more water if they start to get dry. Remove from heat to cool. The onions get very sweet as they cook.

You can do this in the morning or even the day before. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in fridge until ready to use.

Next, fry the bacon until very crisp. Cool. Cut into 1/2 pieces and set aside. This can also be done ahead.

Sprinkle your counter with a light coating of flour. Coat the pizza dough in the flour by rolling it around in the flour. Roll out pizza dough with a rolling pin (if you don't have a rolling pin, a heavy glass works; just be careful not to break the glass!) until it is only about 1/4 inch thick. One of these days I am going to buy a pizza stone, but in the meantime I use a heavy baking sheet which works just fine. Place the dough in an ungreased baking sheet or pizza stone.

Pizza ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Build the pizza by starting with the 2 cheeses (reserve a little of both for topping), oregano, scallops (cut in half if they are honkers), bacon, carmelized onion, a little more of the 2 cheeses and finally the scallion tops.

Drizzle the entire pizza with a liberal amount of olive oil. I am sorry I did not measure this so can't give you an exact amount. I just very slowly drizzled the oil in an even pattern over the entire pizza.

Cook for 12-14 minutes until pizza crust is lightly browned at edges. Yum, Yum, Yummy!

YUCCA ROOT IN GARLIC

Since this site is about having fun in the kitchen no matter what the outcome I am sharing the Super Bowl dish that was not the best. I have had the most scrumptuous yucca root in garlic at various Cuban restaurants so decided to try to recreate it at home. I probably should've looked up some techniques before starting, but I just forged ahead on instinct. This time they were a little off. The yucca I know and love is crispy on the outside (probably deep-fried) and soft and creamy inside. I started by peeling and chopping the yucca into cubes. This is a very hard root and is usually waxed. I find it easier to peel by first cutting in 3-4 inch pieces.

Some say yucka; others say yooka. Take your pick. I say yucka!

I peeled a whole small head of garlic and chopped finely. Mix both yucca cubes and garlic in a liberal amount of olive oil and let marinate for several hours turning every so often.

This is the raw yucca marinating in garlic and olive oil.

I put the marinated yucca in a preheated 400 degree oven for one hour. One mistake was I did not cut the cubes small enough. 2nd mistake, I think I should've par boiled the yucca until it was soft and then fried in a frying pan with oil and the garlic, rather than baking raw for an hour. I am going to try that method and let you know how it comes out. If any of you have a favorite way of preparing yucca root, please let me know.

I forgot to take a photo of the finished yucca, which looked pretty good, but was not at all creamy, in fact was quite hard, but did taste good.

My friend Ann recently asked me if I walk around the kitchen with a camera in my hand. I thought the question was valid, but the answer is NO. I do walk around the kitchen and most every other place with my crackberry in hand. My phone takes better pictures than my camera and it is so easy to snap away while cooking.

I have so many more food things I want to share with you,

but will save them for next time.

This is in hopes the balloon makes it off the ground on Saturday. I will be with you in spirit as you drift over the Tortolita's. Have fun Diana, Dennis, Robb and Anabel!!
Did you know there are nearly 200 'named' mountain ranges in Arizona?!?

 

 

Please tune in again soon for another episode of:

 

www.cookwithcindy.com



Summer Grillin'-Fish, Veggies and a Cocktail or Two!

Sometimes there is nothing better than a big, beautiful juicy hamburger, grilled to rare perfection and topped with a generous amount of salty blue cheese, but more times than not I choose to grill fish.  To me summer grilling in New England means fish paired with an interesting salad or placing the grilled fish on a bed of rice or wilted greens.  Here are a few dinners I have made recently on hot summer nights.

TRI-FISH KABOB

SWORDFISH-SCALLOP-SHRIMP

Swordfish is not cheap, but if you cut into medallions and mix with other fish or shellfish, add some veg you can stretch the fish to make a delicious meal that does not cost a fortune. This time I used a couple large shrimp, 2 plump scallops and 2 pieces of swordfish. The veggie skewer was simply zuchinni and cherry tomatoes drizzled with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Marinate your swordfish in olive oil, mayonaise, a couple cloves of finely chopped garlic, salt, pepper. 1 lb. of sword should feed 4 with 2 pieces of swordfish per person.  Use 3-4 Tbsp. mayo, the same of olive oil, and liberal salt and pepper. You can add other seasonings or herbs, but I like to let the true taste shine so do not usually add anything else.

Start by cutting your swordfish in 2" chunks (aka medallions), mix the aforementioned ingredients together and drop the swordfish in and mix thoroughly with your hands. Make sure every side of the sword has a liberal amount of marinade.  Let marinate at least 3-4 hours; sitting overnight is even better.  If it sits overnight roll it around every once in awhile so all sides continue to get coated evenly.

Scallops are so delicate I do nothing to them except add a tiny bit of salt and olive oil.  They do not need to marinate.  Same with the shrimp, but you do need to clean the shrimp.  Hold the shrimp and cut through the backside to reveal the dark intestine (yes, that is a poop shoot).  Scrape it out with your knife and rinse the shrimp.  To me wild shrimp is always preferable--better flavor and texture. The wild shrimp usually have more to clean than the farm raised shrimp; not sure why that is; maybe they eat better!

Now we're ready to grill.  Skewer the fish alternating shrimp, scallop, and swordfish.  Get your grill hot and spray with cooking oil and then place the skewers on and cook about 2 minutes and then rotate the skewer and cook another 2 minutes. This gives the fish nice grill marks. Turn the skewer over and cook for about 3 minutes for a total of 7 minutes of cooking.

I served the fish kabobs on a bed of brown and wild rice. When I make rice I like to mix rice types.  Here I used 2/3 cup brown with 1/3 cup wild.  The wild rice gives a nutty flavor and texture.  Start by heating a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a bit of butter in a saucepan until bubbling hot. Add rice mixture, salt, pepper, 1 clove chopped garlic, a little chopped onion and stir the rice until it is coated thorougly with the butter and olive oil.  Add 2 cups chicken stock, cover, bring to a boil and then turn heat to low and let cook until the chicken stock is absorbed; about 45 minutes.

HEALTHY APPETIZER

LEMON GARLIC HUMMUS

Before beginning your outdoor dining, here is a GREAT appeitzer, easy to make and can be done ahead of time.  Lemon Garlic Hummus is the perfect prelude to grilled srimp, fish, or even a burger!

I served this with whole grain pita pockets cut into eighths, sprayed with PAM and then topped with a Garlic and Onion Spice Blend made by The Gourmet Collection. I bought this spice at Home Goods and it has become my 'go-to' spice for many dishes. In addition to the garlic and onion it has a touch of salt, hot pepper, and other herbs and spices. Pop these under the broiler until they are a little crispy.

Ingredients:
1 15.5 oz. can Garbanzo beans (chickpeas). I use Goya.
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Zest (yellow part only) of 1/2 lemon
1 clove finely minced garlic
5 Tbsp. olive oil
Coarse Sea Salt/Pepper

Preparation:
Rinse and drain garbanzo beans. Place beans, and all other ingredients in a blender or mini-max and blend completely. When you begin to blend, the beans will be coarse and thick, but keep blending until you get the desired consistency. If it is not coming together, add 1 Tbsp. water to loosen things up. Let it sit for a few hours so flavors comingle. You can top the Lemon Garlic Hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and an additional sprinkle of lemon zest. Yummy!

Outside with friends on a warm summer evening...how about a cocktail to go with your appetizer?

Here is my friend Francine enjoying a new drink which I call... 

TROPICAL MARTINI
I started out calling this a Midori Martini, but Francine's husband, Joe said that had already been created so I decided to call mine the Tropical Martini. Wow! These were fabulous!
First you need to make the special ice cubes. Start these in the morning and they will be frozen by early evening.
You may read lots of stuff about how hard it is to make granita or fruit ice cubes or fruit pops, but in my experience is is very easy.  Watermelon gave this martini a bright burst of color and flavor.


WATERMELON ICE CUBES
Use 1/2 of a small seedless watermelon which will make about 2 cups of  fruit. Remove rind and cut into chunks. Blend in a blender, mini-max or whatever processer you prefer until it is completely smooth. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze.

To make the Tropical Martini, fill cocktail shaker half full with ice cubes, add 2 1/2 ounces (a good 5-count) melon vodka, 1 ounce Midori Melon Liquer, and a splash of pineapple juice. Shake and strain into martini glass. Serve with one Watermelon ice Cube.


On to more fish...

HADDOCK ON THE GRILL

This haddock is ready to go on the grill. Place the filet skin side down on a piece of foil. Top with salt, pepper, once again I used the Garlic/Onion Spice Blend, tumeric (that is what gives the yellow color), salt/pepper, drizzle of olive oil and fresh oregano from my herb garden.

Get the grill quite hot and place the foil right on the flames. Cover grill and cook for about 5 minutes depending on how thick your fish is. Take off grill and let sit for a couple minutes covered loosely with foil. It will keep cooking.  When you remove the haddock from the foil, the skin will peel off and stay stuck to the foil. Nice trick, huh?!?

I served the Haddock with quinoa cooked with chicken broth, spinach, garlic, and orange cherry tomatoes. Now I am looking at this picture, I see I needed a splash of color to make this plate look more attractive, but it sure was delicious!

GRILLED COD WRAPPED IN BACON

I think this dish looks pretty snazzy and it was as simple to make as the others. For two cod medallions, which is one serving, cut one strip of thick-cut bacon in half the long way and slightly fry it to get out some of the fat, but keep it pliable. Cool. Wrap around each medallion of cod and place on a hot grill for about 3 minutes per side, again depends on the thickness of your cod. The bacon infuses the fish with a smokey flavor, but because you have only used a half slice it is not overpowering.

SALAD WITH LOTS OF GRILLED VEG AND BROWN/WILD RICE

Ingredient options are endless, but here I started with a bed of Romaine, shaved carrot, thick chunks of juicy tomato, lots of fresh herbs and topped with grilled mushroom and zuchinni. Usually when I make brown rice, I make enough for several meals so this rice is the same as mentioned above.

I like to assemble my ingredients before I start preparing to cook. It helps me stay organized...OK, so I am a little compulsive!

I am going to end today with another cocktail. I have had Mojitos before, but never really liked them; way too sweet for my savory palate, so I decided to make one myself to see if I could improve the drink and I believe I have!  To make the drink more special, I decided to make mint ice cubes with mint simple syrup. You need the simple syrup to make the mojitos anyway.

To make traditional simple syrup just remember 2 to 1, sugar to water.
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Preparation:
Bring sugar and water to a simmer in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then simmer 5 minutes. Cool syrup completely. Syrup keeps covered and chilled for months. It is nice to have on-hand to sweeten ice tea or lemonade.
Here is the twist...
Chop about 1 cup of fresh mint leaves in a food processor. Add the chopped mint to the saucepan as the simple syrup simmers.  Simmer for an extra 5 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. This is the Mint Simple Syrup I used to make the Mojitos.  I also poured the syrup into an ice cube tray and added one small mint leaf per cube before freezing.

Cindy's Mint Mojitos (this makes 3 generous drinks)
Ingredients:
Juice of 3 limes
Juice of 1 lemon
About 6 sprigs of fresh mint
6 ounces rum plus a little more for muddling
2 ounces Mint Simple Syrup
Club Soda
Method:
Muddle the fresh mint leaves with a bit of rum. I have a deep mortar and pestle, but you can use the back of a spoon and a bowl and just rub firmly to crush the mint leaves releasing their flavor.  Add the muddled mint leaves to a cocktail shaker half filled with ice.  Add juice of limes, lemon and simple syrup and shake vigorously.  Add the rum and shake again.  Strain and pour into a stemmed glass, top with club soda or plain seltzer and stir.  Drop in a Mint Ice Cube and serve. You can adjust sweetness by adding more Mint Simple Syrup, but we all liked them like this.  We were so excited to drink these drinks, that I forgot to take a picture...next time!

Grilling is fun, easy, keeps the kitchen cool and means less clean-up. You know my moto...have fun with cooking, mix it up, try different combos and please do play with your food.

THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY.

SALUD, AMOR Y DINERO Y TIEMPO DISFRUTARLO!

Thank you for sharing my food ramblings.

I look forward to talking with you again soon!
Much love to you and yours!

www.cookwithcindy.com