Saucy Jezebel

 

Thanks to my friend Laura, I have a new church cookbook. If you don't have one in your kitchen collection, you should rectify that. They are a great source of tried and true recipes, family hand-me-downs and family favorites.

I turned my book over to the parents for their review and selections, so tonight I am brining you the first of Dad's many choices. This is a great quick fix for a party or snack before dinner for guests.

JEZEBEL

1 (12 oz.) jar apple jelly
1 (12 oz.) jar pineapple preserves
7 tbsp. horseradish
1-1/2 tbsp. dried mustard

Blend everything together and serve up on crackers with a nice spreadable white cheese.

I used Brie on Water crackers, but you can use cream cheese on Ritz, or a Neufchâtel on whatever cracker you want.

FYI, the longer you let the spread sit, the better the flavors will blend together.

Fuselli with Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce and Edamame

 

When I first envisioned this post, I had an image in my head of a sexy pasta dish with photo appeal worthy of Bon Appetit or the like.  What I ended up with looks like it would be more at home on the cover of a Dr. Seuss book, but...

I thought this pasta tasted great
As I ate it off my plate.
Red and green and twisty too,
I enjoyed it, so will you!  

Fuselli with Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce and Edamame

10 Roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
Olive oil
Sea salt
1/8 cup red wine (optional)
1/4 tsp. fresh-cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
8 oz. (half box) fuselli pasta
3/4 cup edamame, pre-cooked
1/2 cup fresh basil

Rinse and dry your tomatoes before quartering.

Cover a cookie sheet with foil and place the tomato quarters on it in a single layer.

Drizzle the quarters with olive oil and roast at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. 

After those 30 minutes, sprinkle with sea salt and continue to roast for an additional 45-60 minutes.

Once done, place the roasted tomatoes in a blender or food processor with the red wine, black pepper, and garlic powder.  Blend until smooth.

In a large pot, prepare fuselli according to box directions.  Drain and rinse with hot water.

Place the cooked fuselli back in the pot.  Add in the tomato sauce, edamame, and fresh basil.  Mix together well.

Cook dish over low until heated through.

Sprinkle with your favorite parmesan and enjoy.

NOTES

The longer you cook the tomatoes, and more shriveled they become, the more intense the flavor will be.

The first time I had slow-roasted tomatoes, they were served on crackers with spreadable cheese, like brie or goat cheese.  They are a great ingredient for creative appetizers.

Blueberry Pineapple Salsa (with Grilled Pork)

 

Haven't gotten around to braving the Orange Pie experiment again so have something new and different for you.  Still fruit-based but inspired by what was on the shelves in the fridge when I was sightseeing in there the other day.

Again, its spring, time to dust off the grills and start some outdoor cooking.  One of my favorite things is grilled pork and since pork is a great vehicle for fruited condiments here is a light and refreshing salsa to accompany it.

Blueberry Pineapple Salsa

2 cups chopped vine ripe tomatoes
1 cup fresh blueberries, divided
1 cup chopped pineapple
2 tbsp. minced green onions
2 tbsp. pineapple juice
1 tbsp. jalapeno, deseeded and minced
1 tsp. salt

In a deep bowl, muddle half of the blueberries.  Then add in the rest of the ingredients.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Very important because the flavors need time to blend.

Grill up some thick chops or pork loin slices.  When done, top with a generous helping of salsa.

NOTE

As with everything, depending on what your flavor preference feel free to modify amounts to suit your own taste.  If you like it with a bit more bite, add more jalapeno.  If you like it with a bit more zing, add more onion.  For a softer taste, add more bluebs or p'napple.

We did thick cut boneless pork chops and to prepare them I did a really simple rub with ground sage, salt, and cracked black pepper.  Tasty!

Apple BBQ Sauce

 

This one is a two-fer post.  Not only do you get the lowdown on an easy-to-make applesauce, you get a fun new way to use it too.  Two recipes, what a treat!  It's almost like its Halloween already.

Apple BBQ Sauce

1 cup applesauce (see recipe below)
3/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend.  Spicy and refreshing!

Warm before serving, can be used as a baste or sauce to dip in.  Goes great with grilled pork chops or chicken breasts.

I made mine using chunky applesauce, so pureed it in the blender before using to make it smooth.


Super Saucy Apples

2 Golden Delicious apples
2 Granny Smith apples
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup Sugar in the Raw

Peel, core and rough chop the apples.

Put apples in a saucepan with the water and sugar.  Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.

 

Remove from heat and allow to sit about 5 minutes.

For chunky sauce, mash cooked apples with a potato masher or fork.

For a smoother sauce, put cooked apples in a blender or food process and puree.

Transfer to a non-reactive bowl (ceramic or glass, not metal or plastic) and refrigerate.

To make cinnamon applesauce, add 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon.

BBQ Sauces

 

Happy 4th of July!!!

Hope everyone is having a day filled with family, friends, food and fun.  As promised, here are a couple of sauces for you to try.  We're doing pulled pork (thank you Mom!) and pulled chicken for our celebratory feast.

I've got an Eastern NC-influenced sauce and a Lexington-style sauce for you to try.  Enjoy.

Eastern NC BBQ Sauce

1 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt

Blend all ingredients together. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally (to make sure sugar dissolves), to allow flavors to blend.

Serve up with pulled pork.

Lexington-style NC BBQ Sauce

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5-6 dashes Tabasco

Blend all ingredients together. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.

For both sauces, you want to make sure the sauces are at room temperature, though you can heat them a little before serving (so that you are not putting cold sauce on hot pork).

Serve up with pulled pork.

"Quick"-n-Easy Pulled Pork

6 lb. bone-in pork butt

Place pork butt in a foil-lined pan, fat side up.  That way the drippings from the fat will cook into the meat keeping it moist.

Bake at 325 degrees for 6 hours.  Drop oven temperature to 300 degrees, continue to cook for 1 hour. 

Remove loin from oven.  Using a pair of forks, pull the meet from the bone and crisped fat.

Serve up with favorite sauce.