BBQ Ribs
Rub Mixture Ingredients
1/4 cup sweet paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried onion
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Ribs
2 St. Louis-cut or spare rib racks, about 2 lbs
Peach BBQ sauce, recipe below
Directions
Mix all the rub ingredients together and coat the ribs all over with the mixture. Place the ribs in a baking dish, cover the dish with foil and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Place the foil covered baking dish with the ribs in the oven and roast for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender but not falling off the bone. The ribs will finish cooking on the grill.
When the ribs are done baking, heat the grill to medium-high. Oil the grill rack.
Brush the ribs with BBQ sauce and place them on the grill. Grill the ribs, basting with more BBQ sauce and turning occasionally, until they begin to char, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Cut into serving pieces and serve with additional BBQ sauce for dipping.
Georgia Peach Barbecue Sauce
Yields about 4 cups.
Ingredients
4 ripe peaches, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
Half an onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/3 cup cider vinegar
One bottle tomato ketchup (about 31 oz.)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons butter, cubed and well chilled
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the butter. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Reduce the heat and simmer, covered with the lid ajar, for 60-90 minutes until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
Remove the pot from the heat and puree the sauce with an immersion blender.
Return the pan to the heat. With a whisk, blend in the butter cubes, a couple at a time, until incorporated. Cool and then refrigerate the sauce.
Sauce freezes well.
Southwest Biscuits
Ingredients
Biscuit Dough
2 cups unbleached self-rising flour
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup (6 ounces) cold milk or buttermilk
Filling
2 scallions, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 ½ cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 inch round baking pan.
Place the flour in a bowl. Work in the butter with a pastry cutter just until the crumbs are the size of large peas.
Add the milk, and stir until the mixture holds together and leaves the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if needed.
Scoop the dough onto a well-floured surface, and fold it over on itself several times, using more flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Roll the dough into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle.
Sprinkle the dough with the shredded cheese and then with the scallions and jalapeno peppers.
Roll the dough up, jelly roll style, from the 8 inch side into an 8 inch log.
With a sharp knife, cut the biscuits into 1 inch pieces for a total of 8 rolls.
Arrange the rolls in the prepared baking pan. Dot the rolls with butter and place in the oven.
Bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown.
Summer Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
8 oz elbow macaroni
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1/2 onion finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper finely diced
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup diced bread & butter pickles
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch black pepper
Directions
Make the dressing by combining the ingredients in a serving bowl and set aside while you cook the macaroni.
Cook the pasta al dente in boiling salted water, drain and add the pasta to the dressing while the pasta is warm.
Add the chopped vegetables and mix well. Add salt to taste, but I find this type of salad doesn’t need extra salt because the mayonnaise, pasta cooked in salted water and seasonings add enough.
Cover the salad and chill the salad for several hours before serving.
Italian Fried Peppers
Ingredients
6-8 Italian frying peppers
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove smashed and cut in half
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning.
Pinch of salt and pepper
Directions
Heat oil and garlic in a small saute pan. Lower the heat and add the whole peppers.
Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Saute slowly until lightly brown on all sides.
Serve at room temperature.
Tomato Basil Salad
Ingredients
1 pint miniature (Juliet) plum tomatoes or grape tomatoes
½ cup sliced fresh basil
¼ cup Italian vinaigrette
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a serving bowl. Leave at room temperature several hours before serving.
Blueberry Galette
Ingredients
1 lb fresh blueberries (3 cups)
2 tablespoons cornstarch or other pie thickener
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie dough (from a 15-oz package)
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Whipped cream or frozen yogurt, optional
Directions
Put an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Stir together blueberries, cornstarch, zest, juice, cinnamon, salt and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until combined.
Unwrap the pie dough and unfold onto the prepared baking sheet.
Spoon the blueberry mixture onto the center of the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border around the edge.
Fold the edges of dough over 1 inch of the blueberry mixture, pleating the dough as you move around the filling.
Dot the blueberry filling with butter pieces.
Lightly brush the pastry with some of the beaten egg and sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon sugar.
Bake until the blueberry filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool slightly on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Serve the warm galette with a spoonful of whipped cream or frozen yogurt.
This time of year is great for baking. Spring has its own flavor profiles. Winter is a time for cinnamon, nutmeg, spice and chocolate. Spring is the time to shed those heavy flavors and transition to lighter flavors such as citrus, herbs and berries. This is the time to lighten up desserts and have a little fun trying out new flavor combinations. I do all our baking – breads and desserts- but I don’t like very sweet things, so our breads and desserts tend to be on the savory side or fruit based.
Fig Scones
These are not your typical scones. Instead of butter, the recipe uses cream. I serve them with lemon curd. You can also dust them with powdered sugar before serving.
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 ounces dried figs, diced small
- 2 cups heavy cream, cold
- ¼ cup honey
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the diced figs.
In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and honey.
Using a wooden spoon, stir the heavy cream mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until the ingredients are moistened.
Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently until a soft dough forms, sprinkling more flour in if needed. Divide the dough into two equal balls.
Working with one at a time, pat each one into an 8-inch circle and cut into 8 triangles. Transfer the triangles to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Pecan Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup (about 8 ounces) fed sourdough starter, room temperature
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup pumpernickel flour
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 cups chopped pecans
Directions
Mix all of the ingredients (except the nuts) in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment until the dough comes together. Switch to the dough hook attachment.
Add the nuts, kneading until they’re evenly incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for 2 hours.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a long loaf. Place the log into a long stoneware baker that has been lined with parchment.
Cover the loaf, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until it springs back very slowly when lightly pressed.
Place the covered stoneware baker into a cold oven, set the oven to 400°F and bake for 40 minutes. Take the cover off and cook an additional 10-15 minutes.
Check the bread. The internal temperature should be about 190°F when measured on an instant-read thermometer. If not, bake for a few minutes longer.
Remove the bread from the oven and cool it on a rack. Yield: 1 loaf.
Blackberry Galette
Ingredients
1 (9″) refrigerated pie crust, at room temperature or make the cream cheese pastry recipe below
Dough
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
- 8 ounces cold cream cheese, diced
- 1 tablespoon cold milk
Filling
- 3 cups blackberries
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 egg lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Directions
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt and thyme and pulse about 5 times to evenly distribute the thyme. Add butter and pulse until it is the size of peas.
Add cream cheese and pulse until a dough begins to form. Add milk and pulse until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat an oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 12-inch round. Fold the round in half, transfer to the prepared baking sheet and unfold the round.
In a bowl, lightly stir together the berries, lemon juice, ¼ cup sugar and flour.
Spoon the filling onto the dough, leaving a 2-inch border uncovered around the edge.
Fold the edge up and over the filling, forming loose pleats.
Brush dough with the egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.
Bake until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Transfer the galette to a wire rack and let cool. Cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream or frozen yogurt.
Lemon Rosemary Zucchini Bread
This savory bread goes very well with scrambled eggs or an omelet.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (390 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoons salt (omit if you use salted butter)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 cups grated zucchini (from about 1 pound of zucchini), squeezed dry
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Coat a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and dust the bottom with flour.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and rosemary.
Beat the eggs in a mixer until frothy. Beat in the sugar. Beat in the melted butter, olive oil and milk. Stir in the lemon zest and grated zucchini.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a third at a time, stirring after each incorporation.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes. If you gently press down on the surface of the loaf, it should bounce back and a bamboo skewer or toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven. Let cool for a few minutes and then remove the loaf from the pan to cool on a rack.
Healthy Fruit and Oat Bars
These easy-to-make granola bars are lower in fat than many commercial snack bars and don’t have any of the additives or preservatives. I store them individually in zip-lock snack bags in the freezer. My husband is a golfer and he loves to put one in his bag on golfing days.
12 bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup refrigerated egg substitute or 2 eggs
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups oats
- 1 cup dried fruit (apricots, berries, cranberries, etc.) chopped
- 1 cup walnuts or nuts of choice, chopped
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Use a silicone dessert bar pan and coat with cooking spray. Place the pan on a cookie sheet
In a large bowl, whisk the egg substitute, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract.
Stir in the oats, dried fruit, nuts and flour.
Divide the mixture evenly in the pan and flatten each slightly with a spatula.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool; turn out.
Put each bar in a zip-lock snack bag and place bags in a larger freezer bag to store in freezer.
Are you concerned about how much food we waste? I know I am and a good way to stop the waste is to come up with ways to use leftovers that are not boring. Another way to not be wasteful, is to keep track of your food purchases that you keep in the refrigerator and the pantry. The bell peppers that looked so beautiful at the market won’t look that way when you find them in the back of the refrigerator vegetable bin two weeks later.
Recently, I roasted a pan of winter root vegetables and served them with slices of leftover turkey meatloaf. You can see the recipe for the Apple, Sage and Turkey Meatloaf on the post link:
http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2016/01/05/healthy-weeknight-meat-entrees/
The meatloaf and the roasted vegetables went very well together. Of course, there were plenty of roasted vegetables leftover and I decided to make a Roasted Vegetable Galette with the leftover vegetables for another meal later in the week.
Roasted Root Vegetables
Ingredients
- 4 medium golden beets peeled and quartered
- 6 medium red-skinned potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into eighths
- 2 bunches fresh carrots, tops removed and cut into thirds
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, core removed and cut into eighths
- 6 large cauliflower florets cut from one head
- 2 large garlic cloves, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Several thyme stalks and sage leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix together the oil and honey on a large baking sheet with sides. Add the vegetables and garlic and mix until all the vegetables are coated in the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and distribute the herbs evenly over the vegetables.
Bake for an hour or until the vegetables are tender and browned. Stir the vegetables after about 30 minutes to prevent sticking.
Roasted Vegetable Galette
Tip: Make 2 Galettes – one for dinner and one to freeze. The extra Galette will come in handy on a night you do not feel like cooking. All it needs is a salad. I made a cucumber salad to go with our dinner and it was just right.
One Galette serves 4
Ingredients
- Two prepared 9 inch pastry rounds
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 6 cups diced roasted root vegetables, divided
To assemble the Galettes:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place parchment paper on two large baking sheets with sides.
Place one pastry round on each baking sheet.
Place 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese in the center of each pastry round and top each with 3 cups of the diced roasted vegetables, leaving a 1 ½ inch pastry border.
Brush the uncovered pastry with water.
Fold the border up and over the filling to form a rim, pleating as you go. See photo above.
Bake the Galettes until the crust is golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm.
Wrap the second Galette in heavy duty foil, place in a freezer ziplock bag and freeze.
When you are ready to use the second Galette, place the foil wrapped Galette on a baking sheet in a 400 degree F oven and heat for about 45 minutes. Open the foil and expose the top of the Galette during the last 15 minutes of baking.
Dilled Cucumber Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 English cucumbers
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1/3 cup Greek low-fat yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon agave syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh dill, finely chopped or 1 tablespoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
Directions
Halve cucumbers lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds. Slice crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick pieces.
Toss the cucumbers with 2 teaspoons salt and place them in a colander set over a bowl. Let stand 15 minutes.
In a medium serving bowl, combine the yogurt, dill, vinegar, agave and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
Remove the cucumbers from the colander and pat dry with paper towels. Add to the bowl with the yogurt dressing; toss to combine. Chill until serving time.
