Malta and Spiced Rum Glazed Ribs

I am working on catching up on a small backlog of recipes that I made before I had to box my entire kitchen and discover that my baking pantry shelves were suspiciously sticky……don’t tell anyone that, it’s kind of embarrassing.

When you moved, did you discover sticky shelves in your baking pantry….or am I the only one?  Tell me I am not alone and I will feel better.   In my defense the shelf was the very top shelf, over the stove and about 7 feet high.

Okay enough about my sticky shelf, let us glaze…shall we?

I got this idea to make a glaze using malta.  Malta is a non-alcoholic malt beverage that I grew up with.  Every kid growing up in Puerto Rico or in a Puerto Rican family enjoyed a cold malta on a hot summer day.  However my experience is that unless you grow up drinking malta you probably won’t dig it at first.

I LOVE malta but almost everytime I have given a taste to a friend the reaction is mixed. But don’t let this put you off to this delicious glaze, it’s good eats!

First gather the glaze ingredients together, because there are more then a few of them.   I know that Captain Morgan looks like he is running on empty but trust me behind the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks there is a cup of rum.

Dump all the glaze ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring often to dissolve the sugar.  Once the mixture starts to boil like a jacuzzi, reduce the heat to medium and allow the mixture to reduce to a glaze consistency, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the glaze from the stove and strain though a fine mesh strainer. Set aside and keep warm until ready to schlep on some yummy ribs.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Exfoliate the ribs by rubbing them down with some Adobo seasoning.  Place the ribs on a baking sheet with cooling grid and allow to sit for 20 minutes.

Pour chicken stock into the baking sheet and cover the ribs with foil, making a tight seal.  Place the ribs in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the ribs are tender.

Remove the ribs from the oven, discard the foil and drippings from the sheet pan, and allow the ribs to cool for 15 to 20 minutes.

Adjust the oven to the broil setting and position the oven rack to the lowest level. Brush the ribs with a generous coating of the glaze, about 3 tablespoons of the glaze per set of ribs.

Just schlep it on there real good!

Place the sheet pan with the ribs (of course) back in the oven, broil until the ribs are browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the oven and lay on a cutting board meaty side down. Use a sharp knife to cut the ribs apart.

Now pretend like you have lost all decorum and decency and gnaw into those ribs like your a cavewoman, man or person….whichever you prefer, straight out of “When Dinosaurs Ruled the World”.

My caveman gnawed on his plate of ribs and grunted in approval in complete unadulterated neanderthal-ness.   With joy we downed a whole slab together and sucked the bones clean.

No judging!

Print Recipe

Malta and Spiced Rum Glazed Ribs (adapted from Emeril Lagasse)

Glaze:

• 2 (12-ounce) bottles malta*
• 3 Tbs guava paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tbs worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Adobo
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 8 peppercorns
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup spiced rum
• 1 cup sugar

Ribs:

• 4 to 5 pounds baby back ribs (2 full slabs, each cut in 1/2)
• 2 Tbs Adobo seasoning
• 1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions

To make the glaze, place all of the ingredients for the glaze in a 6-quart pot or larger, and cook over medium-high heat. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and allow the mixture to reduce to a glaze consistency, about 25 to 30 minutes longer. Remove the glaze from the stove and strain though a fine mesh strainer. Reserve and keep warm, until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Place the ribs on a sheet pan or baking sheet with cooling grid. Use 1 tablespoon of the Adobo seasoning to cover each of the ribs. Rub the seasoning into the meat and allow it to sit undisturbed for at least 20 minutes.

Pour the chicken stock into the sheet pan, and cover the pan with aluminum foil, making a tight seal. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the ribs are very tender.

Remove the ribs from the oven, discard the foil and the fat and oil from the sheet pan, and allow the ribs to cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust the oven to the broil setting and position the oven rack to the lowest rung. Brush the ribs with a generous coating of the glaze, about 3 tablespoons of the glaze per set of ribs. Place the sheet pan back in the oven, and broil until the ribs are browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove the ribs from the oven and lay on a cutting board meaty side down. Use a sharp knife to cut the ribs apart. Serve the ribs with some of the leftover glaze on the side, if desired.

*Malta can be found at your local Latin or Asian grocery.

Lamb Burger with Feta Cheese & Yogurt Sauce

The weather around these parts has been a little crazy,  last night as I sat on my sofa, with the windows open, reading a book I heard this wailing sound in the distance.  I quickly realized that it was a tornado siren.  Welcome to Oklahoma!   This was the first time Obed and I have ever heard or experienced a tornado siren.  We quickly jumped up, collected the dogs, turn the tv to the news and changed our pants.  The siren was just a warning to get ready, because something could happen but within an hour the storm blew through with no tornado.   In other words we did not end up in Oz.

Earlier in the week when the sun made an appearance we decided it was burger time.   Only in Oklahoma can you be grilling burgers in your backyard one day and ducking for cover from tornados the next, fun times!

First let’s make the yogurt sauce.  You need 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt.  If you can’t find Greek yogurt, you can also drain regular plain yogurt in a colander lined with a paper towel, for 30 mins.

You will also need to peel and seed a cucumber.  I used a melon baller to seed the cucumber, easy-peesy.

In a bowl combine all the yogurt sauce ingredients and set aside.

Time to make some burger patties.  In a large bowl combine the ground lamb with onion, garlic, mint, oregano, cumin and gram masala.  Get your hands dirty and mix everything together until well combined.

Using a scale I divided the lamb mixture into four patties.  This is how I shape my burger patties.  Roll the met into a ball.

Place 1 ball in a small resealable plastic bag.  Like so….

Using a plate or the bottom of a heavy pan, gently press down on the ball.

Until you have a perfectly round patty about 3/4 inch thick. Ta-DA!

Now grill those babies, about 4 minutes on each side.  Also toss a few slices of green peppers and onions, brushed with olive oil, on the grill, you will thank me.

Time to assemble your burger.  Do it however you want but I like to do bun, burger, tomato, onion, pepper, yogurt sauce, feta cheese and bun.   I think this helps keep the topping together.

I cannot tell a lie, I was surprised how much I liked this burger.  I had never had a lamb burger before and I did have a small fear that it was going to be gamy, but I was mistaken.  It was juicy, full of flavor and oddly refreshing.  I guess the mint and yogurt sauce had something to do with the refreshing part.

If you want to change up the summer grill this is a good way to start.  It’s different yet still familiar and apparently it is good with just ketchup and mustard, that is how Obed had his.  It seems that the yogurt sauce and feta cheese was a little too adventurous for him.

Print Recipe

Lamb Burgers with Feta and Yogurt Sauce

Yogurt Sauce

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
• 1 Tbs fresh mint, minced
• 1 tsp dill
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh lime juice
• pinch of salt

Burger

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp gram masala
• 1 Tbs fresh mint, minced
• olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• feta cheese crumbles
• tomato, sliced

Mix first 7 ingredients together in medium bowl. Season yogurt sauce to taste with salt and pepper, set aside.

Mix lamb and next 6 ingredients in large bowl until well blended. Season generously with salt and pepper. Divide into 4 portions and shape mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties.

Preheat grill or broiler. Brush pepper and onion slices with olive oil, place lamb patties and vegetables on broiler rack or grill. Cook patties through, about 4 minutes per side.  Grill vegetables until tender and charred.

Open burger buns, place burger, onions, peppers, tomatoes then large spoonful of yogurt sauce topped with feta cheese.

Marinated Pork Chops with Mango Pineapple Salsa

Yesterday was a solid 79 degrees and I thought it was time to do something bright, light and full of flavor.  It may still be April but it is feeling like Summer here. Although I am not quite ready to leave the house in shorts yet, for fear of causing an accident by blinding drivers with my pasty white legs, I was ready for a bright Summer dish.

Check it out, grilled marinated pork chops, mango, pineapple and lime…how can you go wrong?!

Squeeze the juice from 2 limes and add 1/4 tsp zest.

Add 1 Tbs of honey.

Dice and seed one jalapeno.  Don’t touch your face or worse your eye, it will burn….not that I have any experience with that.

Mince 3 cloves of garlic.

Dice 1/4 of a red onion, which comes out to about 1/4 cup. Give or take, it’s not an exact science.

Combine everything into a small bowl and whisk in 1/2 cup of olive oil.

Pour marinade over pork chops in a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 3 hours.

When it is almost time to grill your chops, combine all the salsa ingredients together in a bowl and set aside, letting all the flavors meld together.

Remove the chops from the marinade and let sit out for a few minutes to get the chill off.

Since Obed was still at work I decided to use my grill skillet for fear of singeing arm or eyebrow hairs, because it would happen.

Grill for 5 minutes per side for a medium rare and 8 minutes for medium. Remove chops from grill and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Spoon salsa over the pork chops and enjoy!

I served the pork chops with a side of jasmine rice scented with lime and cilantro.  Just cook the rice according to the package directions and toss in some lime zest and cilantro when it is done.  I got a lot of Mmmm’ing and grunting from Obed.

I was very please with this dish.  I did have a fear that it maybe too limey but that was not the case.  This is a super easy dish for a weeknight meal or an effortless weekend grill.  The pork chops where full of flavor and tender.   The salsa was light, sweet, tangy and crisp with just a little crunch from the onions and peppers.

The salsa would also be perfect over grilled chicken or fish.

Marinated Pork Chops with Pineapple Mango Salsa (adapted from Food Network: The Neelys)

Marinade:

• 1/4 teaspoon lime zest
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped and seeds removed
• 3 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt

Pineapple Salsa:

• 1 cup canned pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 mango, cubed
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 1 small jalapeno, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 lime, juiced
• Salt and pepper
• 4 bone-in, center-cut pork chops

For the marinade:

Whisk all the ingredients in a large bowl. Place in a resealable plastic bag and add the pork chops. Marinate in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours.

For the salsa:

Mix all the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. Taste for seasoning. Set aside for 10 minutes for flavors to meld.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Remove chops from marinade. Grill for 5 minutes per side for a medium rare and 8 minutes for medium. Remove chops from grill and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Spoon the salsa on top.

Sweet Potato and Poblano Salad with Honey and Rosemary Dressing

Last week I got my first issue from my new subscription of Bon Appetit.  I’ve been reading this magazine for sometime now but never subscribed to it.  Instead I opted to pay $4 to $5 a pop for each issue.  Finally I got wise and got a subscription, which is much more economically friendly.

This month’s issue has a lot of grilling recipes, which of course makes sense because it is grilling season after all.  However I am not much of a griller.  I am a true and proud pansy when it comes to the heat.  The idea of standing outside in the heat in front of a equally hot grill is just not my choice of fun.  I leave hot sweaty grilling up to the Hubby.  Meanwhile I hang out inside in air conditioning, sipping on a nice cool Arnold Palmer. 

Arnold Palmer is not some fella I have stashed away in my house while Hubby is outside grilling.  No worries.  An Arnold Palmer is what I believe to be one of the most refreshing beverages for a hot summer day.  It is equal parts sweet tea and lemonade.  Takes putting lemon into you tea to another level.  It gets its name from the golfer Arnold Palmer whose favorite drink  is a combination of half iced tea and half lemonade.

Oooops, got a little side tracked.  Back to the food.

Hubby was in the mood to grill.  Which I am always cool with as long as I don’t have to stand outside in the heat.  We agreed that some sweet potatoes would be nice but I didn’t want your hum-drum, butter + brown sugar + cinnamon sweet potato.  There just had to be another way to prepare sweet potatoes. 

Then I remembered seeing this recipe in my new magazine and I was all over it.  I will admit I was skeptical.  I had never had a sweet potato “salad”.  When I though of sweet potato, I always thought of them as sweet.  I always thought of pie or  you know the casserole with the toasted marshmallows on top.  Needless to say the concept of putting scallions, poblano pepper and dressing over my sweet potato was very new to me.  I guess when it comes to sweet potato you can say I am simple.

Well let me assure you their is no reason to fear the savory sweet potato.  The potatoes were nice and tender with just a little bit of a crisp from the edges.  The salad has sweetness to it because of the potatoes and the honey in the dressing.  It also has a little bit of a bite…actually a nip, from the white wine vinegar and just the smallest amount of heat from the poblano pepper.  When you think poblano pepper you think “hot”, or at least I did, but it is a surprisingly very mild heat.  It may have been down played by the sweet potato but the combination of all the flavors melded very well together.

The entire salad was devoured and will be one of my new go to BBQ recipes. 

Print Recipe

 Sweet Potato and Poblano Salad with Honey and Rosemary Dressing  (adapted from Bon Appetit)

• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot (about 1 small)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, quartered lengthwise
• Canola oil or vegetable oil (for brushing)
• 2 fresh poblano chiles (about 8 ounces total),* seeded, diced
• 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced diagonally (about 2)

Preheat barbecue (medium heat). Brush potato wedges with canola oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Grill potatoes 20 to 30 minutes, turning frequently. Transfer potatoes to work surface, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces, set aside to cool.

Whisk first 6 ingredients in small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place potatoes, poblanos and green onions in large bowl. Drizzle dressing over; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Seasoned Skirt Steak with Grilled Vegetables

It is summer time and everyone wants to grill, except for me.  I have come to a realization that I am just not a fan of the heat, but I love me a good steak on the grill.  Now don’t get me wrong I am not a complete woosie when it comes to the heat.  I am fine when it is 85 to 90, but anything remotely approaching 100 degrees is not cool, literally.  This is why husbands are handy.  They just love to be outside in front of a hot grill cooking them some meat.   It’s really a perfect arrangement, I prep the food and he grills it.  This way I can stay inside with the air conditioning and I do not have to stand in front of a hot stove. Sweet!

This dish is probably one of our favorites.  Especially the vegetables, we probably eat these several times a week during the summer.  It is the easiest and yummiest side dish for us.  I have made it multiple times for guest and they just love them.  To top it off the vegetable side dish is a Weight Watchers recipe.

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Memorial Day Weekend Onion Straws

Ok so I have been MIA for a few days.  What do you expect I am on vacation in Florida and to my relief it hasn’t been raining as much as we thought it would.  We have actually been able to enjoy the sun and go to the beach. Oh and did I mention the little chunk of skin that I missed with the sun block?  It’s nice and red, right in the fat fold of my arm.  It looks just lovely when I wear a tank top.   Fabulous!

Well while we were at the beach Hubby and I prepared hamburgers for everyone.  I wanted to make something that would change them up a bit.  I made these onion straws.  They are SUPER easy and delicious.  You can use them as a topping on your burgers and hot dogs or you can just have it as a side.   I top my burger with cheddar cheese, onion straws and bar-b-que sauce soooooo good!

Onion Straws

1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
1 cup of Buttermilk
2 cup of flour
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
or 1/2 Tbs Adobo

Heat vegtable oil in a large heavy skillet on medium high heat.

In 3 shallow bowls place 1 cup of flour, buttermilk and 1 cup of flower with the seasonings.

Dredge the onions in the flour, then buttermilk and finally the seasoned flour.

Fry in the oil until crisp and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turning them as necessary.

Remove from the skillet and drain on a plate with paper towels. Serve warm.

Super easy peasy!

ENJOY!

Guava BBQ Chicken Thighs

Yesterday I had the day off and I decided to take advantage of it.  I spent the day cleaning up my house and experimenting in the kitchen.   I left for the grocery store with one idea in mind and by the time I finished shopping and got home I had another.  First I was going to do a simple guava glaze over the chicken, but I couldn’t find any guava jelly.  Instead I got some guava paste but I was pretty sure that I was going to have to scratch the glaze idea because the paste is so much denser, so I figured I would do a BBQ instead.  Then for some reason, don’t ask me why I though why don’t I put some chocolate into this? 

When I got home all I had in mind was guava and cocoa powder.  I basically just started throwing things in the pot.  I tried to keep track of how much of what I put in there and I think I did ok.  Measurements aren’t exactly my thing when I cook. I just add a little of this….a pinch of that and so on.    At first I thought I was making a mess, but I was very pleased with the final result and Hubby gobbled it up.   I served the chicken with yellow rice and pigeon peas, which is somewhere else on this blog.    I hope I got this all down right.  I may comeback and tweek this post in the future.

Guava BBQ Chicken Thighs

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup of guava paste
1 Tbs cocoa powder
1 Tbs olive oil
3 large cloves of garlic, pressed
1 Tsp lime juice
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs ketchup
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbs onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste
cilantro, to garnish

 Instructions

Trim fat off of chicken thighs.  Place chicken in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper, set aside.

Preheat broiler to norm.

Heat oil in a sturdy pot and saute the garlic, add guava paste, lime juice and water.  Stir constantly at a medium-high heat, until guave paste dissolves and it’s smooth. 

Add in the remaining ingrediants, cook on a medium-high heat for about 5 mins, constantly stirring.

Pour sauce over chicken and completely coat chicken, reserving abt 1/4 cup. 

Cover broiling pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.  Place chicken on pan and broil for 7 minutes on each side, or until done, brushing sauce over chicken 1/2 way through.     

Serve hot, garnish wiht cilatro.

Enjoy!

Creole Rib Eye Steak with Bell Pepper Rings

 

Today I guess I decided to cook some man food, but I made it look pretty.   lol.  I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com by Emeril Lagasse.  What caught my attention were the bell pepper rings.  They are just like onion rings but made with bell peppers.  I used both green and red peppers.  I think that the rings were the best part of the meal, but that was because I over salted the meat.   The recipe calls for 4 steaks and I only made 2 and forgot to make the adjustments for it.  Oops.  Even though I over seasoned the steaks they still were quite yummy.  The seasoning is very potent, when I was cooking up the steaks it burned the back of my throat a little.   Although I went a LOT lighter on they cayenne pepper.   I topped the dish of with some simple creamy mashed potatoes to counter balance the over seasoning of the steak.

The bell pepper rings are delicious and a great side item for any dish if you want to spruce up a sandwich or burger. I think that the red bell pepper was better then the green bell pepper.

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Where’s The Beef?

 

 Wheres the beef?

At Perry’s Food Store

1005 S Lewis Ave
Tulsa, OK 74104
918-583-2000

Summer is approach even though Spring doesn’t seem to want to stay.  During the Summer my Hubby loves to grill and smoke, so today we headed out to get some supplies.  If you live in the Tulsa area I am sure you have heard of Perry’s Food Store.  It is a very popular and well know meat market in Tulsa.    We went there and picked up 2 bags of wood chunks, plum and apricot and a box of their SUPER VARIETY PACK. 

In this pack you get the following items for a grand total of $73.90

• 1lb Double Smoked Bacon
• 1 Beef Roast (appox 3lbs)
• Schwab Ham Slice
• 5 lb Ground Beef
• 1 Fryer (cut, appox 3lbs)
• 6 Center Cut Pork Chops
• 2 Rib Eye Steaks
• 1lb Little Pig Sausage
• 1lb Italian Sausage
• 1 Round Steak
• 1 Sirloin.

They have several different variety packs that range from $55.50 to $94.90.  If your in Tulsa and you need meat this is where you need to go.   It is funny how excited Hubby can get about buying meat and wood, almost as excited as I get when I get a new pair of shoes. LOL

I can tell you the beef is in my freezer.  I wonder what we will come up with this Summer with all this MEAT, stay tuned!

Peanut Butter and Turkey Burger?

Yeah you read it right a Peanut Butter Turkey Burger.  I found the recipe on A Good Appetite and like she said don’t let the PB scare you, this is a gooooood burger.  If you like Asian cuisine you will like this burger, just think of an Asian dish with peanuts & ginger in it, it’s a very similar taste to that.