Spicy Smoked Turkey

Ingredients:
13-14 lb turkey
olive oil


for the dry rub:
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons hot paprika
2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seed

mesquite grilling wood chips

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the dry rub ingredients. Pour some olive oil over the turkey. Rub in the dry rub. Arrange the coals around a rectangular foil pan filled with water. Place the turkey 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. Rotate the turkey every other coal add or so.

To keep the smoke/low heat going, occasionally vent until it gets smoky then fully cover again. Refill the pan with water as needed. All in all, it should take about 3 1/2-4 hours to be fully cooked. Allow to sit on a platter under a foil tent for 5 minutes before carving.

My thoughts:

This is by far the biggest thing we've ever grilled. I had the idea at about 4 pm on a Saturday, Matt ran to the store and by a little after 4:30 it was on the grill. It was dark by the time it was finished cooking (so excuse the slightly funky looking photographs) but that was okay, it required little in the way of attention so we just hung out inside and dashed out periodically to add more coals and wood chips.

Onto more important stuff...it tastes amazing! The skin was crisp, the dry rub added heat and it was perfectly smoked. Perfectly! The meat was juicy and tender in a way that

Slow Cooked Barbecue Brisket

Ingredients:
for the dry rub:
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced (dried) onion
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1/2 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon chipotle powder

6 lb beef brisket
2 large onions, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

for the sauce:
1/4 cup thick Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons mesquite liquid smoke

Directions:
The night before you want to make the brisket, whisk together the dry rub ingredients. Lightly score the meat on both sides with the tip of a knife. Rub the dry rub* into the meat on all sides. Place in a resealable bag or marinating container and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, line the bottom of a oval 6-quart slow cooker with the onion rings. Quickly sear the meat on both sides. Place the brisket on top. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over the meat. Cover the slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Slice the meat and discard the onions.


*Store any leftover dry rub in an air-tight container.

My thoughts:

It is still pretty warm here in Baltimore; not hot but not quite "almost autumn" weather yet. But thoughts do turn to more heavy, autumnal foods this time of year. The slow cooker is perfect for this occasion, it didn't heat up the house but it it made a lovely brisket. When I was developing recipes for my cookbook last year I discovered the trick of placing a layer of onions on the bottom of the slow cooker. They give off a fair amount of liquid so you don't have to add much (no one wants brisket soup) and they keep the meat from just sitting in its own rendered fat. The meat does look "dry" for the first few hours of cooking but by the end, you will have a brisket that is perfectly juicy.

Lovely Summer Salad with Crabcakes

Ingredients:
for the salad
2 cold or hot crabcakes
4 slices pickled beets, cut into sticks
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
2 oz plain crumbled  feta
1/2 cucumber, sliced
15 cherry tomatoes, halved

for the dressing:
juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Toss the salad ingredients together (except for the crabcake) divide among two plates. Place the dressing in a jar or salad dressing container and shake. Pour over salads.

My thoughts:

This is a great way to use up leftover crabcakes. I know it is hard to even think about having something as delicious as a crabcake leftover but living in a two person household, we often end up with extra. Luckily they are pretty good cold or at room temperature the next day. For this salad I want some serious flavor so I used feta and pickled beets (my new favorite combination!) and a tart dressing. It was really good! If I was making this again, I think I might be tempted to make miniature crabcakes and have more than one per salad just for fun. Sort of like a crab crouton.

Rachel's Famous Chili Dogs

Ingredients:
1 lb 94% lean ground beef
15 oz tomato sauce*
15 oz canned dark red kidney beans, drained
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon cumin
hot sauce
salt
pepper

to serve:
8 hot dog buns
8 hot dogs
chopped onion (optional)
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
mustard (optional)

Directions:
Slow cooker instructions:
Brown the beef in a nonstick skillet, breaking it up into fine bits. Drain off any excess fat. Add the beef and the remaining ingredients to a 2 or 4 quart slow cooker. Stir. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. If it is too wet, remove the lid and cook on high for 30 minutes.

Stove top instructions:
Brown the beef in a nonstick skillet, breaking it up into fine chunks. Drain off any excess fat. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir occasionally until most of the liquid has evaporated and everything is cooked through.

Cook the hot dogs according to your preference. Nestle into buns and top with chili and other desired toppings.


*Not chunky pasta sauce. Look for it in the canned tomato aisle.

My thoughts:

Every once in a while I am hit with an overwhelming urge for a chili dog. Unfortunately Baltimore has a severe lack of quality hot dog houses. There are some truly delicious yet deadly dogs from Ann's Dari-Creme out on Ritchie Hwy but that is quite a hike. There are a few in the city but none that I can say that I love. When I was a child, we'd make chili dogs with chili from the soup counter at the grocery store. I have to say, homemade chili is much better. And after developing an entire chapter of chili for my slow cooker cookbook, I am the self proclaimed slow cooker chili queen. I wish I had thought to put a recipe in for chili for hot dogs in the book (although it is a healthy slow cooker cookbook)but I didn't so the book's loss is your (free recipe) gain. Slow cooking the chili means that all you have to do to have from scratch chili dogs is to pop some stuff in the slow cooker in the morning, go about your day, come home, broil or grill some dogs for 10 minutes and you are ready to go.

There is a lot of contention on what makes the best chili for hot dogs (everything from a bean only mixture to the various versions of a "Coney" to a thin sauce) but this is what I like the most on my dogs. Not too spicy or chunky and with kidney beans. I think it is best made in the slow cooker where the flavors develop throughout the day but the stove top version is tasty too.

The leftover chili is great on baked potatoes.

Deviled Shrimp Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb freshly steamed, peeled shrimp
1 stalk celery, diced
1/4 cup diced onion
8 oz cooked, small pasta

for the dressing:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Old Bay
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
salt
pepper

Directions:
Place the shrimp, celery, onion and pasta in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the mixture and stir to coat. Sprinkle with seasonings and fold to distribute evenly.

My thoughts:

Working from home, it is easy to fall into a lunch rut. It is time consuming to go somewhere just to pick up lunch (and expensive!) and I don't always have leftovers of any real substance to eat. I end up eating odds and ends of things and not really enjoying my lunch. Finally, I've started buying a little extra of whatever we are having for dinner to make something different with for lunch the next day. It doesn't always work but when we are having shrimp, I steam up some extra and make shrimp salad or even have shrimp cocktail. When I am feeling extra peckish, I made this salad. It is filling and the dressing really sets it apart from other shrimp salads.

Better Than Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:
5 cups chicken or ham stock
2 cups cubed smoked ham*
1 1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup green split peas
1 cup yellow split peas
1/4 cup diced apple (I used a Stayman Winesap)
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 large shallot, minced
1 small to medium bulb fennel, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon celery flakes
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried chervil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon summer savory
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon dillweed
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

Directions:
Pick over split peas to remove any stones or stems that might be present. Place all ingredients except for the frozen peas in a 4 quart slow cooker. Stir. Cook on low 12-15 hours. If you would like thicker soup, cook uncovered on high for 30 minutes to thicken. Stir in the frozen peas during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

*If you have a minute, saute the ham cubes in a nonstick skillet until just starting to brown. This helps seal in the flavor but isn't strictly necessary.

My thoughts:

We get up super early so I can put this up in time for dinner** but in the past, I've put it in my slow cooker right before I go to bed and had it the next day for lunch. I came up with this super long cooking technique because I don't have to soak the peas before making the soup but it you have more patience than I do, prep the peas according to the package instructions and then the soup will only take about 8 hours or so in the slow cooker. The copious amount of herbs and vegetables add a flavor that is a more complex than the typical pea soup and the peas added at the end lend a real pop of freshness that is always welcome in a long simmering soup. The perfect minimal work, high flavor weekday dinner for a dreary, rainy spring day.


**Especially if I had chopped and refrigerated the vegetables the night before. I've even measured the split peas and spices out and left them (covered) in the cold (not plugged in) slow cooker or in a small container overnight.

Shrimp & Chive Dip

Ingredients:
8 oz small "salad" shrimp or medium shrimp, chopped
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
salt
white pepper


Directions:
In a food processor or blender (I used my Vitamix) blend together the garlic, shallot, mayo, sour cream, parsley, cream cheese, spices, zest, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup shrimp and pulse until smooth. Pour into a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining shrimp. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

My thoughts:

When I was researching recipes for '50s night I read a lot of dip recipes. Books and books worth. While doing so, I was surprised at how many recipes called for seafood of some kind. Crab dip is popular here (witness the rise of the crab pretzel), occasionally I'll see a clam dip but I have never once been to a party where a dip was served with other kinds of seafood was involved. So either it is a retro thing or a regional thing or people are making shrimp, salmon, tuna, lobster and scallop dips and not inviting me over. As it turns out, shrimp dips are pretty good. A lot of the ones I came across called for tiny shrimp suspended in a creamy mixture and that sounded fine, but I had the idea to pulse some shrimp into the sour cream and cream cheese and spread that shrimp flavor throughout the whole dip. It really worked well, there were a few shrimp chunks for texture interest but the whole dip really tasted like shrimp, not plain dip with the occasional shrimp. The chives added a light onion flavor that complemented the shrimp and kept it fresh tasting.

Rachel's Ultimate Crab Dip

Ingredients:
16 oz blue crab claw meat
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup sharp cheddar
2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1 shallot, minced


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients EXCEPT the cheddar cheese until they are evenly distributed. Or, if you are like me and you hate mincing yet don't want any chunky shallot bits in the final dip or want make sure the ingredients are fully incorporated, place all of the ingredients EXCEPT the cheddar and crab in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Then stir in the crab.

Spread into a 8x8 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese in an even layer. For bonus points, shake a bit of Old Bay on top of the cheese.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Serve warm with crackers, pretzels, bread wedges, or plain Utz chips. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Bake @ 350 for 10 minutes or so to reheat. I don't recommend microwaving.


Note: For this recipe, quality reduced fat sour cream and cream cheese will work just fine.

My thoughts:

Crab dip is serious business here in Baltimore. We are a people who like our (blue) crabs and our cheesy dips. Growing up, my family didn't do much in the way of entertaining and well, crab is pricey so we didn't make it but I loved having friends whose families would make it for holiday parties and such. Of course, it has been on the menu of nearly every locally owned restaurant and pub at some point or another. I think if it doesn't make an appearance on the menu at least once, your food permit gets yanked.

Anyway, for the perfect crab dip you need, crab, some sort of combination of cream cheese, mayonnaise (or occasionally straight mayonnaise, no cream cheese), shredded cheese and lots of Old Bay. Beyond that I've had versions with garlic or garlic powder, onions or shallots, mustard, Parmesan cheese, and crab meat of every variety of from lump to backfin. I like to use claw because it has a flavor that is stronger than lump meat (but still sweet and not "fishy") and has a good mix of big chunks and smaller bits of crab. I like how the crab is distributed in the dip if you use claw or even backfin, with jumbo or regular lump you end up occasionally getting a bite that is entirely crab free. Not a problem with the claw.

When I set out to make the ultimate crab dip I had some parameters in mind. It had to be thick, creamy but not too mayonnaise-y, and spiced but not overpoweringly spicy. I am a sour cream addict so I always have to add that to my dips. I think the slight tang keeps the dip from tasting too rich or cloying. The trick is not to use too much or the crab will be spread too thin. You want a dip that is thick with crab meat. I like the crab flavor to be the star so I only put a thin layer of cheddar on the top (not mixed in as I've seen in some recipes) and just enough spices to accent the crab flavor, not overwhelm it. I always use extra sharp cheddar but a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack (in a 2:1 ratio) is a good variation.

Crab dip is so popular here in Baltimore that it actually has spawned a spin off appetizer, the crab pretzel, which isn't quite as common but perhaps it should be, it is sort of a twist on the dip in the bread bowl fad of 30 years ago and is oddly satisfying.

Rachel's Ultimate Chicken Pot Pie

3 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 3/4 cup milk
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup peeled, diced Klondike Goldust potatoes
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup peeled, cubed rutabaga
1/8 cup dried porcini mushrooms
2 carrots, cut into coins
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 parsnips, cut into coins
1 onion, diced
1 shallot, minced
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
1 tablespoon minced dill (or sage)
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 bay leaf
1 egg, beaten
salt
freshly ground black pepper


puff pastry (if using defrosted frozen, you will only need one sheet)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Rehydrate the mushrooms in hot water. Drain, dice and set aside. Melt the butter in a large skillet with high sides, a large saucepan or a stove top and oven safe 2 quart casserole. Add the onion, garlic, shallot, celery, carrots, potatoes and rutabaga. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the flour and cook for one to two minutes. Add the milk, bay leaf, and stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces and thickens a bit, about 10-15 minutes. Fish out the bay leaf. Add the chicken, mushrooms, peas, herbs and spices. Stir to evenly distribute all ingredients. Cook for 2 minutes. If you reduced the liquid too much and it now looks dry, add a bit of white wine or the water leftover from re-hydrating the mushrooms or broth to the mixture. Divide into 6 10 oz ramekins or pour into a 2 quart casserole dish. Leave only about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of room at the top.



Top with a layer of puff pastry. Pierce with a knife. Brush with egg. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

My thoughts:

I never gave pot pies much thought until I had a really good one with puff pastry and a hint of truffle at a restuarant this winter. I liked the lack of a bottom crust and while there were not quite enough vegetables for my taste, it was saucy but not soupy or too rich.

After that meal, I kept the idea of making a puff pastry topped pot pie in the back of my mind. Roasters went on sale this week so I roasted one for dinner with an eye on having lots of leftovers so I could make a pot pie later in the week.

The leftover meat was really flavorful and juicy so I knew it would make a great pot pie. With such a simple dish, you really need to use flavorful ingredients to avoid blandness. I added a lot of fresh winter friendly vegetables to make it an even more encompassing one dish meal.

Using puff pastry makes the dish much quicker to make than using a traditional homemade pastry crust and I like the texture contrast between the flaky crust and the creamy filling. Matt chopped up the rutabaga, parsnip, onion, shallot, garlic, carrot and celery the night before and we refrigerated them overnight in an air tight container which really speed up the process when I went to actually make the dish. Of course I had already roasted, cubed and measured the chicken earlier in the week. I am glad I took the time to assemble the ingredients because I ended up with a totally delicious meal that required little effort. It really was the ultimate chicken pot pie.



Bonus recipe: my secret for easy, juicy roasted chicken. Preheat oven to 325. Rub a 5-8 lb roasting chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with Montreal Steak Seasoning (also available generically as "Canadian" Seasoning but I like McCormick's because you can buy it in very large shaker containers). Roast until the chicken is fully cooked. Allow the chicken to cool until it can be handled. Dust off most of the spices and discard the skin. Remove the meat. I like to cube it and store white and dark meat separately.

Oyster (un)Stuffing

Ingredients:
25 slices torn sandwich bread
1 pint shucked oysters, drained (reserve liquid)
2 large onions, diced (about 1 lb)
1 bunch celery, diced (about 1 lb)
1 bunch parsley, minced
1/2 cup chicken or turkey stock
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon sea salt
zest of one lemon


Directions:
In a large pan, saute celery and onions in butter and olive oil over very low heat until the onions are translucent. Do not brown. Allow to cool slightly. Add to bread cubes in bowl and add spices, zest and parsley. Combine with egg, oysters and broth. Add oyster liquor to further moisten if necessary. Form medium-sized balls. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Place balls in the bottom of the roasting pan under the rack and around the turkey on the rack for the last 1/2 hour of roasting.



Yield: 8-10 servings

My thoughts:

I've always heard about oyster stuffing and its popularity, especially here in the mid-Atlantic but never actually had it until I made this. I grew up eating a more basic stuffing but as an adult I've branched out a bit while still making the stuffing into balls and arranging them around the turkey. It really is the best way to get the flavor of the turkey without compromising the cooking time or safety of the turkey. Anyway, I am not sure what traditional ingredients are in oyster stuffing besides oysters so I added my favorites, celery seed and lemon zest along with some basic seasonings. I loved it. The oysters added a great flavor and made the stuffing seem extra special and worth the effort. Not to mention it was a great excuse to buy some local, Chesapeake Bay oysters which I always appreciate.

Rachel's Homestyle Baltimore Crab Cakes

Ingredients:
1 shallot, minced
16 oz backfin blue crab meat
16 oz lump blue crab meat
2 eggs, beaten
2 slices white sandwich bread, torn into small bits
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1-2 tablespoons Old Bay
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Place the crab meat in a large bowl. Add the spices and mix to incorporate, without breaking up the chunks of crab meat. Add the remaining ingredients and gently mix in by hand.



Cup handfuls of the crab mixture and mold into balls.



Cook immediately or refrigerate until ready to cook, up to overnight. Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet and fry the crab cakes until golden, flipping once. A large, shallow spoon makes flipping and removing crab cakes from the pan a breeze. Drain on paper towel lined plates before serving.

Yield: about 10 crab cakes

My thoughts:

Here in Baltimore where to get the best crab cakes is a hotly debated topic. Blood is drawn, friendships are lost, and families are divided as people debate which restaurant has the most flavorful crab cakes with the largest chunks of crab and the least filler. Almost as controversial are the crab cake recipes people make at home. Often they are a closely guarded secret trotted out only on the most special of occasions. Fortunately for you, I don't feel the need to keep my recipe to myself. My recipe has been refined over the years, building up from the very simple Old Bay, backfin, egg and bread cube version my mother makes.

My version uses both lump and backfin crab meat for a couple of reasons. Backfin is finer and easier to form into cakes but it is wonderful to bite into succulent lumps of crabmeat, so it is worth it mix some lump in. Lump, by itself, is rather difficult to bind without using a lot of filler and is more expensive than backfin, so mixing the two is easier, cheaper and tastier than using just lump. I also like to add a bit of mustard and extra celery seed to the mix to give it a bit of a kick without being spicy. The trick is to season your crab cakes thoroughly enough that it needs no adornment but not so much that you can't taste the crab. The crab is the star!

My recipe is sort a cross between the old-fashioned, homelier crabcakes typically made by native Baltimoreans at home and the broiled jumbo lump-only crab cakes one finds at restaurants. Of course, there are as many ways to make crab cakes as there are crabs in Bay but these are tastiest I've made and easy to make at home.



Quick tips:
Often small bits of shells and cartridge can be found in packages of crabmeat, even if the label says it has been picked over. Take a minute to check over the meat before forming the crabcakes.

The moisture level of the crab varies from batch to batch. If the crab mixture is very wet, making it difficult to form a cake, add a small amount of bread or cracker crumbs until the mixture can hold its shape.

If you are so inclined, lump and jumbo lump crab meat can be used instead of the backfin and lump but it will be more difficult to mold into crab cakes.

Zippy Broccoli Salad with Bacon, Pinenuts and Cranberries

4 broccoli crowns
3 slices (cooked) bacon, crumbled
1 bunch green onion, diced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/3 cup toasted pinenuts

dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons minced basil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon agave nectar
salt
pepper


Directions:
Quickly blanch the broccoli by plunging it into boiling water for one minute. Rinse off under cool water. Allow to cool. Thoroughly drain (a salad spinner works nicely) then chop into bite-sized pieces. Toss with salad ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing. Drizzle over the salad, toss to coat and evenly distribute.

My thoughts:

My family never made broccoli salad when I was growing but from what I've encountered at picnics and parties since, we were in the minority. I think I have had at least 10 variations of the salad. They all seem to have some things in common: something crunchy, something sweet and some sort of onion. When I went to make my own version, I didn't see any reason to leave any of that out. Raisins seem the most popular sweet ingredient but since I find them abhorrent and bug-like I went with sweet-tart dried cranberries. The need for bacon was clear and for crunch I added some toasty pinenuts. Often the dressing in broccoli salad is rather sweet which isn't terribly appealing to me so I made basil vinaigrette with just a drop of agave nectar for sweetness. Green onions and shallot provide the onion flavor without the sometimes harsh flavor of raw onion.

Quick note: While blanching the broccoli seems like an unnecessary step; it brightens the color of the broccoli and takes some of the raw edge off which really adds something to the salad.

Baltimore Coleslaw

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
16 oz coleslaw mix (shredded red and green cabbage, carrot)
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon ground jalapeno

Directions:
In a large bowl, toss together the coleslaw mix, celery and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, Old Bay, celery seed and mayo. Pour over the vegetables. Stir to evenly distribute. Allow to sit 20 minutes before serving.

My thoughts:

Honestly, Baltimore Coleslaw is a bit of a misnomer. As far as I know there is no quintessential Baltimore slaw. But I haven't met a native yet that doesn't love Old Bay (I think they send us home from the hospital with a tin tucked into our blanket) so it seemed fitting. For the second time I used a preshredded coleslaw mix. It worked well the last time and was on sale for only $1 a bag so I couldn't resist. You could easily substitute an equal amount of hand shredded cabbages and carrot. The Old Bay, celery seed and celery sort of meld into really fresh tasting new kind of coleslaw, one that is peppery and summery. The fairly equal mix of mayo and lemon juice keep it from being too thick or worse yet, gloppy.

Quick tip: I used my mandolin to slice the celery and onion very, very thinly.

Fresh Radish Relish

Ingredients:
6 small red radishes or 3 large red radishes, small dice
1 stalk celery, small dice
1 shallot, minced
1 cubanelle pepper, minced

dressing:
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seed
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon sugar


Directions:
Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Place the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss to evenly distribute. Allow to sit 20 minutes before serving.

My thoughts:

I am generally a sauerkraut and/or mustard girl when it comes to hot dogs but for some reason the idea of a radish relish (which I had never even heard of before) stuck in my head. As it turns out, it was really good. I had it on a bison hot dog and enjoyed the pickley, spicy, zippy bit of crunch it provided.

I also think this relish would be great on grilled fish or even chicken. It is just so fresh tasting and crisp, it really brightens up whatever it is put on.

Coleslaw for Pulled Pork Sandwiches (or for anything, really)

Ingredients:
16 oz coleslaw mix (shredded green and red cabbage and carrot)
1 small onion, sliced thinly

for the dressing:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame seed
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon


Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth. Toss with the onion and coleslaw mix.

My thoughts:

I had never "cheated" and used coleslaw mix before but on this day I made pulled pork sandwiches made with Georgia-style homemade barbecue sauce, homemade baked beans, homemade rolls and a crumb cake, I felt justified in using some preshredded cabbage. Really the mix wasn't bad, it was very crisp which was a great foil for the tangy dressing I made. This is a super not-too-sweet-or-wet coleslaw that makes a great sandwich topper or side dish.

Shrimp, Bacon and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:
4 cooked strips of bacon, crumbled
1 lb steamed shrimp
2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Old Bay
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 shallot, minced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1/2 avocado, diced
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Directions:
Stir all ingredients together. Serve on a roll or bread.

My thoughts:

This salad, while simple to make, is one of the tastiest in my repertoire. I like to think of it as sort of a cross between a club sandwich and a classic shrimp salad. The creaminess of the avocado contrasts nicely with the shrimp and smoky bacon. A yummy change from the everyday.

Spring Vegetable Potato Salad

Ingredients:
2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cubed and cooked
4 radishes, cubed
1 carrot, cubed
1 stalk celery, cubed
1/4 red onion, chopped

for the dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons mustard
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried chervil
1 teaspoon freeze dried chives
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the vegetables, carefully stir to combine. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

My thoughts:

This potato salad makes the most of what spring has to offer; new fresh radishes, carrots and celery and tiny potatoes. I hate making side dishes so this potato salad is perfect for me, it packs in a huge amount of vegetables with minimal effort. Not to mention that the dressing is quite zippy thanks to the horseradish and mustard making it no ordinary potato salad. A potato salad for potato salad haters. Terribly tasty, incredibly easy.

Homemade Corned Beef

Ingredients:
6 lb beef brisket, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick

brine:
4 quarts of water
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
10 bay leaves
8 cloves garlic
5 whole star anise
2 sticks cinnamon, broken up
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
2 tablespoons whole peppercorn mix
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon sodium nitrite*
1 tablespoon whole coriander
1/2 tablespoon whole cardamom
2 teaspoons dill seed
1 teaspoon mace
1 teaspoon celery flakes
1 teaspoon whole cloves


the cooking spices:
1 cinnamon stick, broken up
3 whole star anise
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seed
1 tablespoon brown mustard seed
1 tablespoon dill seed
1 tablespoon coriander


Directions:
Place the brine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.



Allow to cool completely. Pour into a large, non-reactive, air-tight container.



I cannot recommend this container enough. It was the perfect size and believe me, it is harder to find a container that was actually air-tight and big enough to hold quarts of brine and a large cut of meat than you would think.

Add the meat.



Weigh down the meat with something non-reactive and heavy. I used a gallon-sized plastic resealable freezer bag filled with cool water. Refrigerate. Once a day, flip the meat, re-weigh it down and continue refrigerating it. This is to make sure both sides are evenly brined.


After 12 days, remove the meat from the brine. Discard the brine. Add the meat and the cooking spices to a very large (I used this 16 quart lobster pot)pot and fill with water. Boil for 3 hours or until the meat is tender and sort of flakes when you poke it with a fork. Allow to cool. When cool, scrape off any loose bits of fat and discard them. Slice the meat across the grain with a very sharp knife or meat slicer. I borrowed this meat slicer and it worked pretty well slicing the meat to deli-thinness.




*Sometimes called "pink salt" or "curing salt" this is a perservative that helps the meat retain the pinkish color. I had a hard time finding it locally but I finally found it for sale from this website. 8 oz is only $2 and is enough for dozens of curing experiments.

My thoughts:

There were times when I was making the corned beef I felt slightly insane. After all, I am lucky enough to live in a city with a good deli so it wasn't 100% necessary that I make my own corned beef from scratch. Luckily, after the weeks long, insanity inducing hunts for a brining container and sodium nitrate were over, the actual corning of the beef was really easy. Really, really easy. The brine was simple and while flipping the meat every day was one more thing to remember it wasn't time consuming. At the end of the 12 days you just boil it until tender.

I wasn't sure what spices exactly went into corned beef the few recipes I could find that didn't call for pre-brined meat just called for "pickling spices". What exactly was in those pickling spices wasn't really clear. So I just picked spices that I thought would make for tasty meat and hoped for the best. I then waited a long 12 days to try it and well, it totally worked. It was the best corned beef I have ever had and I have had a lot of corned beef. It was melt in your mouth tender and had the most perfect straight-from-the-deli flavor. Well worth the effort.

Top-Drawer Chicken Salad

1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 red radishes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 carrot, finely diced
2 tablespoons capers


for the marinade:
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
2 tablespoon olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons diced red onion
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
salt
pepper

for the dressing
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
juice of 1/2 lemon
white pepper


Directions:
Place the chicken and marinade in a nonreactive container. Marinate for at least 1/2 hour. Then grill or saute the chicken until cooked through. Cube and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to evenly distribute all of the ingredients. Serve immediately or for better flavor, refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.



Yield: 4-6 servings

My thoughts:

This is my current favorite version of chicken salad; it was so good, I made it a second time in less than a week. The capers give it a salty, pickle-y kick, the radish and red onion lend some spicy crunch and the dressing is creamy but not cloying or too mayonnaise-y. Chicken salad nirvana.


If you are feeling decadent, this chicken salad is particularly good on sourdough bread topped with a couple slices of bacon and avocado.

Deli-Style Coleslaw

Ingredients:
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 carrot, shredded
1 small onion, shredded


for the dressing:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt
white pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. In a large bowl, toss together cabbage, onion and carrot. Pour the dressing over the vegetables, toss to evenly distribute.

My thoughts:

When I was young, my family would go and get a take out order of coleslaw and fried oysters from Hasslinger's all the way across town. They've long since gone catering only so I am forced to make my own fried oysters. While I am normally not a huge fan of creamy salads, I make an exception for the occasional oyster and coleslaw pairing. To keep the coleslaw creamy but not too mayonnaise-y, I added some sour cream which also added a slight tang. I blame Hasslinger's for my lifelong love of celery seed, their coleslaw was studied with the seeds so there are lots of celery seeds in my slaw as well. Their flavor is just so distinctive and really pulls the other flavors together.