Mussels with Smoky Ham and Vidalia Onions

Ingredients:
4 lb mussels
1 1/2 cup stock*
1/2 cup dry vermouth
1 bunch Vidalia onions (with greens), chopped
1 head fennel, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup diced smoked ham





*ham, lobster, chicken or turkey stock would all work.

My thoughts:

My in-laws recently visited and brought some some almost mouth-puckeringly smoky ham/slab Canadian bacon. We ate it at an alarmly rapid rate but my favorite use for it was in this dish. The smoky porky flavor made for a savory, easy broth for the juicy mussels. I love buying mussels; especially on sale, these were only about $2 lb so I gluttonously bought 4 lbs and that was all we had for dinner. It is the perfect one dish meal if you actually eat the vegetables included as we do.

Potato, Leek & Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 or 4 leeks, sliced (white parts only!)
1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
6 cups chicken or ham stock
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 cup cubed smoked ham*

Directions:
In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter. Saute the potato until just turning golden. Add the garlic, cauliflower, leeks. Saute a few minutes just until the leeks start to soften. Pour in the broth and spices. Simmer until the liquid has reduced a bit and the potatoes and cauliflower are soft and starting to fall apart. Meanwhile, lightly brown the ham on all sides in a dry, nonstick skillet. Using an immersion blender or work in batches using a regular blender, blend the soup until smooth. Stir in the ham. Heat for couple minutes.

*I used one of those boneless ham steaks that are always on sale. Leftover ham would be good too.

My thoughts:

This is sort of a twist on the classic potato-leek soup. Cauliflower can be somewhat of a polarizing ingredient but in this soup, it is mild and adds body and creaminess. I don't like soups that are entirely smooth so after blending it, I stirred in some ham that I had sauteed (to deepen the flavor) so there was some texture contrast. Of course, if you wanted to leave it out and use water instead of stock, it would make a wonderful vegan soup. At any rate, it is a great way to get your daily dose of vegetables on a cold winter's night.

Ham Salad

Ingredients:
3/4 lb ham, finely chopped
3 tablespoons-1/4 cup chopped jarred cornichons and the onions
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons very grainy mustard
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon allspice
freshly ground pepper

My thoughts:

I brought back a jar of Maille cornichons from the Caribbean (I love buying European goods on the islands, they are so much cheaper than what they are here in the US. Of course, I also brought back a ton of Caribbean and East Indies ingredients as well). I like using them and the little pickled onions that are included in salads when I can. Normally I am more of a dill pickle girl but they go great with salt and savory ingredients like ham.

Honestly, I did not grow up eating ham salad, although I hear it is an East Coast thing. I had it for the first time from a local German deli and I noticed it changed from week to week or at least, visit to visit. It is an awesome way to use up leftover ham and makes a spread that can be dressed up or down as the occasion requires.

Green Bean Salad with Tangerine Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
2 lb "French" green beans (the skinny kind, AKA haricot verts), steamed
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries or a mixture of the two
2-3 strips thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

dressing:
1 large shallot, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon pepper sherry
1 tablespoon tangerine zest
2 tablespoons tangerine juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt
pepper

Directions:
Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients or shake it in a dressing shaker until smooth and emulsified. Set aside. Toss together the other ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing. Toss again. Serve hot, warm or cold.

My thoughts:

Green beans are one of the few vegetables I don't mind buying or eaten after being frozen. I also don't mind peas, spinach and home-frozen corn. Like the other, green beans, if frozen properly, retain much if not all of their texture and flavor. Squash is wonderful of course but they about this time of year, I am already hoping for something different. I created this dish to bring to dinner because it is equally good hot, cold or warm. I hate having to go to someone's house and have to cook a dish from the beginning and in the winter, it is tricky to keep a vegetable dish warm for a trip over a few minute drive. Frankly, I prefer to bring a potato dish or dessert or even rolls/bread but it was my mother doing the asking and I was tasked with vegetables. And rolls, but that was easy. My family is full of pickier eaters than I am so I wanted to make something that was a little different that what they might not normally eat but not anything intimidating. Yet another reason the humble green bean was a perfect choice. Pretty much anyone will eat a green bean. They rest of the ingredients weren't anything to be scared of either but come together in such away that it is anything but boring.

Roasted Pork with Kohlrabi

Ingredients:
1.75 lb boneless pork roast
1 large bunch kohlrabi, peeled and cubed
2 Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large carrot, cut into coins
3 1/2 oz beech mushrooms (Buna shimeji)
2 1/2 lb boneless pork roast
1/2 lb pearl onions*

sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
smoked paprika
olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle the pork on all sides with the spices. Heat oil in a stovetop and oven safe dutch oven. Add the vegetables and saute until the onions start to brown. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan and add the pork. Cook to slightly brown each side. Place in the over and roast for 40 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Slice and serve.


*I get bored too easily to peel tiny onions so I just use (undefrosted) frozen. They can be tricky to find but most stores seem to carry them during the holiday season. Stock up!

My thoughts:

I love cooking in a dutch oven. It is almost as easy as slow cooking because I can start the meal off on the stove and then pop it in the oven and pretty much ignore it until it is fully cooked. How can you beat a one pot meal?

Kohlrabi, if you are unfamiliar with it, is similar in texture to a potato or celeriac. Try to buy a bunch with largest bulbs possible, there is a fair amount of loss when it peeled. I ended up with a a few cups of cubed kohlrabi. It is a little tricky to peel, cut the tentacles off then use the knife to cut off the thick skin. The leaves are edible so save them for another dish.

Oyster Stew

Ingredients:
1 lb oysters with liqour
1 large onion, chopped
1 large russet potato, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 habanero pepper, chopped
1 cup diced smoked ham
24 oz evaporated milk
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions:
Heat the butter or oil in a dutch oven or large pot. Saute the onion, pepper, potato, celery and ham until the vegetables are softened. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the oysters are cooked through.

My thoughts:

This past weekend we went to the oyster festival in St. Michaels. One of the events was a oyster stew competition. For $5 you got a mug and could try 8 different stews then cast your vote. I honestly had never had oyster stew before but I liked it a lot. There was one that I loved but all of them were pretty similar. They were also pretty rich; lots of cream and butter. Which, to me, overpowered some of the oyster flavor. After the 6th or 7th sample, I even started to feel a little queasy. When I noticed that local oysters were under $7 a pound at our local Safeway, I figured I'd try to make an oyster stew that was both flavorful and not so heavy. To help accomplish that goal, I turned to one of my favorite ingredients: evaporated milk. I love it because, undiluted, it is super creamy and rich tasting but not heavy at all. In this case, I thinned it out with a bit of 2% milk and really liked the result. It didn't taste "canned" (the biggest fear I find people have about using evaporated milk) and it really let the oyster's flavor shine through. Some of the stews we tasted had bacon but I didn't really like the texture it had in the stew and it seemed to make the stew kind of oily. I liked the idea of a smoky flavor so I added some lean ham from one of those spiral sliced hams that are so readily available right now. It did exactly what I wanted: smoky flavor with no extra fat.

Mac + Cheese with Tomato + Bacon

Ingredients:
12 oz evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
2 cup shredded extra sharp, aged cheddar
1/3 cup panko
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 slices thick cut bacon, crumbled
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz canned, diced tomatoes, drained
1 lb small or medium sized pasta, cooked

Directions:
In a medium skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and heat through. In a small, dry skillet, quickly toast the panko.

In a medium pan, melt the butter. Add the flour along with a sprinkle of nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir until smooth. Add the milk and evaporated milk and whisk together until slightly thickened. Whisk in the cheddar until smooth. Pour over the drained pasta. Add the tomato mixture and bacon; stir to evenly distribute. Pour into lightly oiled baking dish. Top with a sprinkle of panko. Bake covered about 15 minutes, then uncover and cook until hot and bubbly, about 10-15 additional minutes.

Yield: about 4-6 meal sized servings, 8-10 side dish sized servings

My thoughts:

Years ago an older lady lived across the street from my mother. She was really nice (in fact she gave me my first slow cooker!) and we would visit her and my mom would take her shopping and out to lunch. To repay us (not that she had to) she would occasionally make this macaroni and cheese that was unlike any mac and cheese that I had ever had. It had bacon and a tomato-y sauce. I never did get the recipe but I've thought of it fondly over the years and thought I'd try to recreate it with a few of my own touches. It actually ended up being pretty much nothing like her mac and cheese beyond the bacon and tomato additions but I think she'd like it just as much. It is creamy and flavorful and surprisingly, not as heavy as you would think. The perfect comfort food to help ease into the colder months.

Roasted Pork & Asian Pears

Ingredients:
4 Asian pears (I used Saitama), peeled and sliced
2 1/2 lb boneless pork roast
1/2 lb pearl onions*
2 tablespoon five spice powder
1/2 cup white wine or shaoxing
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle the pork on all sides with the spices. Heat oil in a stovetop and oven safe dutch oven. Add the onions and pears and saute until the onions start to brown. Push the onions and pears to the sides of the pan and add the pork. Cook to slightly brown each side. Add the wine. Roast for 40 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Slice and serve. The juices make a great gravy, if you are into that sort of thing.




*I get bored too easily to peel tiny onions so I just use (undefrosted) frozen. They can be tricky to find but most stores seem to carry them during the holiday season. Stock up!

My thoughts:

I love Asian pears of pretty much any variety. We bought some locally grown ones at the farmers market but I've seen them sold at the regular supermarket as well. I've seen them labeled as "apple pears" due to their apple like crisp crunch and round shape but they are, indeed, a variety of pear. They hold their shape better than most regular pears do during long cooking time. They are also not terribly sweet so I feel free to use them in relatively savory ways. At any rate, this is a delightful, if slightly unphotogenic dish. Truly one of my better pork roast recipes; rustic yet flavorful. The pork was so tender, it practically melted beneath my fork. Not bad for a recipe with virtually no hands on time and very few ingredients. And it made the whole house smell fantastic!

Bacon Cheddar Chipotle Cornbread

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup shredded chipotle cheddar
1/4 cup diced green onion
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 strips thick cut bacon, crumbled
1 egg


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Oil or spray with baking spray one 8x8 baking pan. In a medium bowl, beat together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, egg, buttermilk and oil until well combined. Fold in the cheese, bacon and green onion. Pour into prepared pan and bake 25 minutes or until golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

My thoughts:

It's been a while since I've made cornbread so when Matt put in the request for some I was happy to oblige. At first he wanted a chile cornbread but then found a bag shredded chipotle cheddar at the store so we decided to try that instead. The bacon was added to accent the smoky flavor and the green onions were a last minute flash of genius. The result is a really moist, surprising not heavy, slightly smoky-spicy cornbread that not only complements chili but pretty much any Southern/Southwestern entree.

Split Pea Soup with Smoked Ham

Ingredients:
5 cups ham stock
2 cups cubed smoked ham
1 cup green split peas
1 cup yellow split peas
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 large shallot, minced
1 teaspoon celery flakes
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon dried chervil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1 bay leaf
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Pick over split peas to remove any stones or stems that might be present. Place all ingredients EXCEPT the ham in a 4 quart slow cooker. Stir. Cook on low 10 hours. Stir in the ham during the last 45 minutes of cooking. Fish out the bay leaf prior to serving.

My thoughts:

This a wonderful soup, if unphotogenic. I have a slightly less traditional split pea soup that I love and a third recipe for it in my book but I think this is my favorite when you really just want a classic split pea. The smokiness of the ham adds a lot to the depth of flavor. I also think it is the best use of ham stock that I know. But perhaps better than all that is how easy this soup is to make. The split peas do not need to be soaked before using and if you want to have this for lunch, just start it before you go bed. How much easier can you get?

How to: Ham Stock

Ingredients:

the basics:
cold water
1 large ham hock or the bone leftover from a roasted ham
3 carrots, cut up
2 onions, quartered
1 large shallot, quartered
1 bunch celery, cut up
1 head garlic
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole allspice
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon mace blades
1/2 stick cinnamon

Directions:
Place the ham, spices and the vegetables in a large stockpot (I use my lobster pot). Add water until the pot is nearly filled. Bring to a rolling boil. After 4-5 hours, strain into a large bowl or smaller stockpot. Cool immediately by placing the bowl in an ice filled sink. Do not refrigerate hot stock. Refrigerate the cooled stock overnight, then skim off any fat that rose to the surface. Package in air tight containers or freezer bags to store. I like a mixture of 2 and 4 cup quantities.


I suggest freezing any stock you don't use right away. In using freezer bags, lay the bags flat so they freeze in a shape that takes up the least amount of room. To defrost simply remove the block of stock from the container and place it in a sauce pan. Heat on low for 3-5 minutes.

Yield: about 8 quarts

My thoughts:

I love making my own stocks. Not only are they more flavorful than store bought, they are incredibly cheap to make and I feel good about making something from something that I normally would thrown away. I always hesitate about posting stock recipes here but invariably every time I call for a stock I get an email from someone asking how they can make it themselves, especially for the more difficult to find stocks. So after a lot of requests for a ham stock tutorial, here it finally is. While you can a more neutral tasting stock similar to chicken or turkey stock, I like to use the flavors often found in ham dishes or spice rubs for ham in the stock because the foods I end up using the stock in are often enhanced by those flavors. Don't worry, the stock isn't too heavy spiced, it is just a wonderful background note.

Shu Mei Sliders with Hoisin Mayo

Ingredients:
for the burgers:
5 oz water chestnuts, drained
.5 oz dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated
1 lb peeled shrimp
1 lb ground pork
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons shaoxing
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper



for the hoisin mayo:
2 1/2 tablespoons hoisin
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds


slider rolls
1 cucumber, thinly sliced


Directions:
Place all of the mayo ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk together. Refrigerate until ready to use. Place all of the burger ingredients in a food processor, pulse until well combined. Prep grill. Lightly oil your hands, a platter and the grill rack. Form into small burgers. Grill until cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side. Place on buns, top with cucumber and mayo.

Yield: about 18 sliders

My thoughts:

This going to be a quick post because I am in Seattle at the International Food Bloggers Conference! These sliders are awesome, they are my favorite kind of dumpling in burger form. They stay amazingly juicy and really do taste like dumplings, except smokier and crisper. I think they would be perfect for a party, they are small so you can cook a ton at once and serve them quickly.

Smoked Pineapple Pork

Ingredients:
6 lb boneless pork roast (if it is held together by string, leave it on)
9 pineapple slices


for the dry rub:
1/4 cup sea salt
1/4 cup Hawaiian guava wood smoked sea salt*
1 tablespoon seven spice powder
1 tablespoon demerara sugar

mesquite grilling wood chips

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the dry rub ingredients. Rub into the pork. Attach the pineapple slices to all sides with toothpicks. Arrange the coals around a rectangular foil pan filled with water. Place the pork over the pan on the grill. Place a foil packet of wood chips on the coals.



Vent/leave the lid askew until it really starts smoking. Then cover. Cook, adding loose coals and wood chips every 30 minutes, until fully cooked. If it looks like it is cooking unevenly, turn it when you add the chips and charcoal.



To keep the smoke/low heat going, occasionally vent until it gets smoky then fully cover again. Refill the pan with water as needed. After the pork has nearly reached a safe internal temperature, remove the cover and briefly cook on each side on direct heat (ie. not over the pan of water but to the side). Allow to sit on a platter under a foil tent for 5 minutes before slicing. Take care to remove all of the toothpicks prior to serving.




*easily found online or just use all plain sea salt

My thoughts:

OMG this pork was so good. Insanely juicy, smoky and flavorful. It does take a while (about 2 hours, depending on the thickness of the roast) but it is well worth it. The indirect heating method is great because the meat cooks slowly and has time to take on the smoky flavor. There is also little risk of flare-ups because the roast is over the water the whole time. We made this (and the spam & beans and broccoli slaw and an not-as-yet posted ice box pie--the perfect hands free meal) when we had guests over (a delightful fellow food blogger and her husband) and it was easy to sit outside and talk and occasionally check the grill. It was pretty hands off. So don't be daunted by the adding of charcoal and wood chips part of the recipe, it truly is dead simple.

Fresh Blueberry Pulled Pork

Ingredients:
2 1/4 lb pork roast
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 cup blueberries
1/3 cup chili sauce (like Heinz)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper flakes
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a four quart slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Remove the pork to a plate and shred with two forks. Mash the contents in the slow cooker with a potato masher until fairly smooth. Add the pork back into the slow cooker and toss to coat in sauce.

My thoughts:

As you may have noticed, I love making pulled pork with fresh fruit. The long cooking time basically melts the fruit so it becomes part of the sauce, giving it a natural sweetness. It has been either incredibly hot here or there is torrential rain or it is incredibly humid (or all three) for weeks on end. This makes dinner planning daunting at best. Pulled pork is always welcomed (especially if one can escape into an air conditioned room to eat) and couldn't be easier to make. I prep everything the night before and just dump it in the slow cooker in the morning. A hot meal that doesn't heat up the house.

Grilled Mexican Hot Dogs

Ingredients:
1 large white onion, sliced
6-8 jalapenos, halved and seeded
4 hot dogs
4 strips thick cut bacon
1/2 avocado, sliced

mayo or salsa (optional)

Directions:
Prepare grill. Lightly oil a grilling pan and arrange the peppers and onions in a single layer. Wrap the hot dogs in bacon. Secure with toothpicks if needed. Place on grill. Grill the hot dogs until the bacon is fully cooked. Grill the onions and peppers until softened flipping occasionally. Place the hot dogs in buns or rolls and top with toppings.

My thoughts:

As soon as I heard about Mexican hot dogs (also called Tijuana hot dogs or Sonoran hot dogs_ I knew I had to make them. I read dozens of menus and reviews of hot dog joints online and anything else I could find out about these dogs. The base is always a hot dog wrapped in bacon and the toppings can vary (no ketchup, please!) from avocado to spicy mayo to guacamole to pickles to cheese to raw onions to pineapple salsas to pickled pepper and are served either on a hot dog bun or a bolillo.


The ones that appealed me the the most were the spicier versions. I thought the spice of the peppers would help cut the heaviness of the bacon wrapped hot dog. Since I love the smoky flavor that grilling gives jalapenos, I decided to grill the peppers along side the dogs. I grilled the onion too which not only made it easier to keep on the bun than raw but it added a sweet-smoky flavor that went so well with the bacon. YUM!

Grilled German-style Potato Salad

Ingredients:
2 pounds Yukon Gold or red skin potatoes, quartered and parboiled
1 white onion, cut into wedges
3 strips thick cut bacon

for the dressing:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
1 bunch green onion, chopped (about 1/4-1/3 cup)
1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)
salt
freshly ground pepper


Directions:
Place the dressing in a jar or salad dressing container. Shake until well mixed. Set aside. Prep grill according to manufacturers' directions. Oil a grilling pan with canola oil. Place the potatoes, onion wedges and bacon on the grilling pan.

Cover and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, turning occasionally. Place the potatoes and onion in a bowl. Crumble the bacon on top. Toss. Drizzle with dressing and toss again.

My thoughts:

German potato salad is traditionally served hot and it is great, but when it is summer in Baltimore and you live in a 1930s house with no air conditioning, you really don't want to be standing over the stove more than you have to. I had the idea to grill it instead and I really think I like it better. The smoky, grilled flavor of the potatoes and onions really ties in with the bacon and the potato gets sort of crisp around the edges. Yum! I hate it when potatoes in salads are mushy. I just make sure I boiled the potatoes until they were almost fork tender. You don't want a potato falling apart on the grill! Using quartered potatoes (or small wedges) is important too, slices are difficult to turn. I used a grated grilling pan that only took up part of the grill so we were able to make our whole meal at once which was awesome. The grill pan really is needed for this recipe, the spaces in the grill rack are too large to cook bacon or thin slices of onion on. Luckily they aren't terribly expensive and we use it all the time for vegetables and more delicate grillables.

Basil & Oregano Pork Chops

Ingredients:
4 boneless, farily thick cut pork chops
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
salt
pepper

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a resealable bag. Refrigerate up to 6 hours. Prepare grill according to manufacturers' instructions. Grill the chops over medium heat about 5 minutes on each side, covering briefly to insure that they cooked all the way through. Raw or "rare" pork is not your friend.

My thoughts:

I've received a lot of emails asking for help grilling pork chops. It seems that many people have problems with their pork chops drying out. The trick is to give your pork chops a good long soak before grilling. It not only infuses the pork with flavor, it keeps them moist during the grilling process. Another trick is not to press down on the pork (forcing out juices) and or overcook. Allow them to sit about 2 minutes, covered, before serving to avoid the juices pouring out when sliced. This recipe is an excellent recipe to start with for the pork skittish, it has easy to find ingredients and doesn't make much time or effort at all yet the flavor is amazing and the pork is incredibly juicy.

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dry Mix

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry buttermilk*
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons freeze dried chives
1 1/2 teaspoons dillweed
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Most buttermilk powders need to be kept refrigerated once opened. If this is true of the one you are using, keep the dry rub refrigerated.



*Look for it in the baking or natural food aisle.

My thoughts:

I keep dry buttermilk on hand for baking and one winter day I got to thinking about ways to use it without re-hydrating. While at the grocery store I realized it must be an ingredient in Cool Ranch Doritos and other ranch flavored snack foods. So I decided to try to make my own buttermilk ranch mix. It is so good! Very fresh tasting despite the lack of perishable ingredients.

Short of making my own Doritos (even I have to draw the line somewhere) or sprinkling it on popcorn I wasn't sure how I'd use it without re-hydrating it. Months went by but I kept the idea in the back of my mind. Then I started thinking of it not just as a topping but as a dry rub and did some experimenting. I found that it was especially good on chicken, it can be just rubbed into the skin before breading and frying or grilling. I bet it would be good in pork or chicken burgers too.

Of course, this mix can all be used to make ranch dip (add to sour cream) or turned into salad dressing (just add some water). But it is fun to use it in unexpected ways.

Strawberry-Apricot Slow Cooked Pork Short Ribs

1 large onion, diced
4 1/4 lb pork short ribs


for the barbecue sauce:
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 apricots, pitted
1 habanero
1 cup diced strawberries
8 oz tomato paste
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke
salt
freshly ground black pepper



Directions:

Place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender (I used my Vita-Mix) and pulse until smooth. If necessary, cut the short ribs in half to fit into your slow cooker. Broil until lightly browned on each side. Drain off excess fat. Place the onions in a single layer along the bottom of a oval four or 6 quart slow cooker. Top with the ribs and then pour the sauce over top. If the ribs are cut in half, place one layer on top of the onions then pour half of the sauce on top. Add the remaining ribs and remaining sauce. Cover and cook on low 8 hrs.

My thoughts:

I know when one hears "slow cooker recipe" one normally thinks of winter-friendly hearty soups and stews but when I was writing my slow cooker cookbook last summer, I realized how much I liked using it in the warm weather. We live in an older (1930s) house without central air conditioning and only have one window unit so the kitchen gets pretty hot once warmer weather hits. Using the slow cooker allows me to cook without heating up the kitchen at all.

I like to cook using seasonal, local produce so I started experimenting with using summery ingredients like berries and vegetables in my slow cooker recipes. For this recipe I made a barbecue sauce that is naturally sweetened with fruit to go over budget-friendly pork short ribs. The ribs can be a little fatty so I cut off some obvious fat and broiled them to remove even more which meant the final dish was pretty lean. Strawberry barbecue sauce sounds a little odd but it totally works; it is slightly hot from the pepper and has a fruity sweetness without being a really sweet sauce. It is pretty thick, which good for slow cooker recipes, you don't want it running off the meat when it cooks. I planning on making the sauce again and using it on something else.

If you don't have a slow cooker, try cooking it slow and low in the oven.

Island Style Salmon Chowder

Ingredients:
3 slices thick cut bacon
15 oz canned diced tomatoes
5 1/2 cups fish stock
1 lb cooked salmon, cut into chunks
2 cups peeled, diced white potatoes
3/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup dark rum, optional
2 carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 large shallot, minced
1 green onion, diced
1 or 2 Scotch Bonnet pepper(s), minced
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves

Directions:
Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Crumble the bacon and set aside. In a large pot, saute the onion, shallot, garlic, pepper, potatoes, celery and carrot in a couple tablespoons of bacon grease until the onions are softened and translucent. Add the tomato, spices, bacon, broth, Worcestershire sauce and rum. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat. Simmer until the potatoes are nearly fork tender. Stir in the thyme, green onion and parsley and salmon. Cook until the salmon is heated through. Discard the bay leaf prior to serving.

My thoughts:

This recipe was somewhat inspired by Bermuda's fish chowder and the conch chowders popular in the Caribbean. I've been researching vacations (oh, for a break from cooking and dish washing) and of course, that involves researching the local cuisines. While salmon isn't the traditional fish found in these local chowders, the fact that I had a pound of it leftover after another meal made me give it ago. It worked really well! Salmon is "meaty" enough that it doesn't breakdown in the soup and its richness contrasted well with the lush spice of the broth. It is also the perfect chowder as we creep towards warmer weather, it isn't as heavy as most chowders and everyone knows spicy foods cool you off!