Garlic Aioli

This sauce is a great one for fancy burgers or chicken sandwiches, like the Blackened Chicken Sandwiches I have here on my site. It is easy to make if you have a mini food processor. If you only have a full sized one or blender, double this recipe and it will work better in the larger bowl. If you have a good whisk and glass bowl, you can do it the really old fashioned way.

Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, run through a garlic press
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon juice, fresh if possible
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Salt, to taste (1/2 teaspoon)
Ground black or White pepper, to taste (1/8 teaspoon)
1/2+ cup top quality extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Combine the garlic, egg, lemon juice, vinegar, water parsley, mustard and a little salt and pepper in a mini food processor and puree. Add the oil in a thin stream while spinning the mix in the processor. Go very slowly at first and then, as the emulsion forms, you can go a little bit faster. Continue to add oil and process until the mixture has formed a thick emulsion, you may need to add more oil depending on how large your egg was. The final product should have a consistency just a bit thinner than store bought mayonnaise. Add the salt and pepper to taste spinning it in the processor after each addition.

This recipe is based on Emeril Lagasse's

Spicy Sauces for The Cadets

I just finished a week of travelling and cooking for The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps (see blog). While I was with them, I made a few sauces to add a little zing to their meals and they seemed to like them and asked that I write down the recipes for them so future food volunteers can make them too. They are very simple:

Honey-Chipotle Sauce

1 can of "Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce"
1 5 pound bottle of honey
1/4 cup ketchup

Habanero Hot Sauce

Habanero Pepper

I was walking through the grocery store yesterday and I saw that they just got a load of very good looking Habanero Chilis. These are the little chilies that some call the "Scotch Bonnet", they are about 1 1/2 inches long and about 1 inch in diameter. They are very pretty shade of orange and are very hot, but have an unmistakable fruity flavor. I picked up 5 of these little guys and made the following hot sauce from them. As is my usual, I started with a basic recipe and modified it a little. Mine is better than the original, but here it is in case you want to try the original.

Habanero Hot Sauce

Ingredients:
      1 Tbs. olive oil
      1 cup carrots, diced
      1 cup onion, diced
      2 whole jalapeno peppers (prepared as directed)
      5 cloves Garlic, rough chopped or minced
      1/4 cup water
      1/4 cup lime juice
      1/4 cup white vinegar
      1/4 cup Agave Nectar or Honey
      2 medium tomatoes, peeled and rough chopped
      5 whole habanero chilies (prepared as directed)
      salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Pulled Pork with Eastern NC Sauce

Pulled Pork Barbecue

Making pulled pork barbecue is simple and easy, but it does take time to do it in the traditional manner. My sister makes a version using the crock pot, and I have tasted it and it was delicious. But it did lack that certain something that long hours on a low smokey fire brings. The following is my way of making pulled pork. There are several steps and I will list the ingredients and directions for each.

Brining

This process allows the meat to absorb some moisture and better prepare it to endure the long smoking process. I bought a used pickle bucket from a local sub shop (Firehouse Subs) and I use that for all my pickling and brining. It is food safe plastic and far cheaper then buying a commercial food safe plastic bucket at the kitchen store.

Brine Bucket

Ingredients

      16 ounces or 1 1/2 cups molasses
      24 ounces pickling salt
      4 quarts water
      3 6 to 8 pound Boston butts

Oxtail Stew

This recipe is courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2006, I found it on the Food Network website here. I made some modifications, for instance, I modified it to cook for a longer period in my crock pot. The crock pot is great for long cooking, but terrible for browning and getting a fond, so do all the browning and reducing in a dutch oven then transfer it to your crock pot for the long cook.

Ingredients

Browned Oxtails

       1 T. Emril's Essence, recipe follows
       1 cup all-purpose flour
       Salt and freshly ground black pepper
       4 lbs oxtails
       10 bacon slices, chopped
       2 large onions, chopped
       2 large carrots, chopped
       2 large celery stalks, chopped
       6 garlic cloves, chopped
       1/4 cup tomato paste
       4 tsp fresh thyme leaves
       1 (750-ml) bottle dry red wine
       1 (28-ounce) can chopped Italian tomatoes
       1 (14 1/2-ounce) can beef broth