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

Blackened Chicken Sandwiches

These are perfect for tailgating - all the prep is done ahead of time and they are simple to cook and delicious! Credit to my big brother Tad for perfecting the method and teaching it to me. I use his special blend of blackening spice which is secret, but I have included a very good one below. Feel free to modify it to your tastes!

Ingredients
       3lb bag(s) of frozen chicken breasts (defrosted) or Fresh boneless breasts
   1   Zip-Lock Freezer Bag, gallon size
        Blackening Spice (recipe below)
        Vegetable Oil


Blackening Spice Recipe
    12 bay leaves, finely crushed
    3 tsp salt
    2 tsp. paprika
    1 tsp. sugar
    1 tsp. granulated onion
    1 tsp. granulated garlic
    1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
    1/4 tsp. basil
    1/4 tsp. oregano
    1/4 tsp. thyme
    1/4 tsp black pepper
    1/4 tsp white pepper

Uncle Tad's Perfect Crab Cakes

Uncle Tad is also known as my older brother Tad. He is an exceptional cook and is responsible for many of my best recipes and almost all of my knowledge on fish cooking techniques. This is the recipe he uses for crab cakes and I can honestly say they are the best I have ever had.


Ingredients:
    2  Eggs
    1 tsp  Old Bay seasoning
    1/2 tsp  Coleman's powdered mustard
    1/2 tsp  Sea Salt
    1/4 tsp  Cayenne Pepper
    1 T.  dried Parsley Flakes
    1 T.  fresh Lemon Juice
    2 T.  Real Mayonnaise
    1 1/2 c.  Panko Bread Crumbs (divided)
    1 lb  Back-fin or Lump Crab Meat

Light Tomato Bisque

I got this recipe from the cafe at Stihl, Inc. where I am a consultant. The recipe was for 60 servings, so I scaled it down a bit and made my customary changes.

Ingredients:

      1 oz(w) Yellow Onion, diced
      1/8 tsp Garlic, minced
      1 Tbls Butter, Margarine or oil
      37 oz Hot Water
      1 oz(w) Chicken Stock Base (like Minor's)
      6 oz(w) tomato paste
      2 tsp Sugar
      pinch ground white pepper
      11 oz 2% Milk, hot
      1 tsp Fresh Basil, chiffonade
      1 tsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Saute onions and garlic in butter until tender.  
2. Add: hot water, chicken base, tomato paste, sugar and white pepper. Mix well and bring to a boil, reduce heat. 
3. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. Slowly add hot milk while whisking tomato mixture, heat to just simmering again, do not boil. 
5. Add fresh basil and parsley, remove from direct heat, cover and keep at serving temperature (150-160).

Easter Egg Salad

My wife and I along with our son were visiting our daughter (his sister), Carlisle,  last weekend in Harrisonburg. One of her roommates happens to be my nephew, Hugh. He is the son of my slightly older sister, Patience. Well, this particular weekend brought her and her husband and one of my nieces, Helen, over to Harrisonburg from their farm in Fork Union as well. We were all getting together to support the JMU Crew Club at their mock regatta. We all met up at the river and watched the boats and then had some hot dogs and burgers. After the event, we all headed back to the apartment to visit and chat. My sister had prepared a couple of things to have at the river, but being as there were plenty of hot dogs and hamburgers, we kept those things for later.

One of the things she had made was her egg salad and it is the best! Anyone who knows me well, knows that egg salad is something I really enjoy. I am sure part of the reason her egg salad is so good is they keep a number of free range laying hens at their farm. That notwithstanding, I called her up last night and got her recipe. It is so simple, here it is:

Grilled Grouper with Tomato Basil & Feta Topping

This recipe is based on one found in AllRecipes.com - Feta Tomato-Basil Fish. That recipe is a bit general, so here is what I did. I grilled the grouper on the Big Green Egg and then I used the broiler to finish off the topping and melt the feta cheese a little. Here is how it went:

INGREDIENTS
Grilled Fish:
    2 garlic cloves, minced    1 tsp. kosher salt
    6 Tbs Rice Wine Vinegar
    4 Tbs Olive Oil
    3 pounds fresh Grouper fillets

Topping:
    2/3 c. chopped onion
    2 garlic clove, minced
    2 Tbs. olive oil
    3 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian diced tomatoes, drained
    2 Tbs. minced fresh basil
    1/2 pound crumbled feta cheese

Matt's Cassoulet

I thought I would try my hand a making a cassoulet. I looked up several recipes and they all called for duck in some form or another. I went out and tried to buy duck legs or breast, but they were nowhere to be found. This is supposed to be peasant food, so the thought of buying a $30 duck to make it did not seem right. I decided to substitute fresh chicken thighs for the duck.  I purchased them from from my butcher along with some of his fresh made Italian sausage and the results were excellent. This is a fantastic winter dish and the smell of it cooking will knock you out. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

    2 lbs.            Chicken Thighs
    1 lbs.            Mild Italian Sausage
    1 1/4 lb.        Pork Chops, bone in
    1 lbs.            Dry White Beans (Navy or other)
    28 oz.           Can Diced Tomatoes
    1/4 c.            Diced Onion
    1/4 c.            Diced Shallots (optional, sub onion instead)
    1/2 c.            Diced Carrots
    1/2 c.            Diced Celery
    1/2 head       Garlic, minced
                        Low Sodium Chicken Broth
    Bunch           Fresh Parsley
    Bunch           Fresh Thyme
                        Bay Leaf
                        Salt, Pepper