Celebrating …. everything

Evolution is inevitable, if…

The ideas I held, years back, when revisited today, clearly express the experiences I had up till then. I have been documenting recipes for more than twenty years, and it is always curious when I go back, and revisit a recipe. Why did I make that choice? How will I reshape my future endeavors based upon today -- yellow cheddar in a block was exotic at a time when I had such limited the scope for my expression. Now, moked Gouda is everyday, while I flipped for the lavender studded Truckle that seduced me in Sydney. It wasn’t until I moved out of the relative safety of my known world that I was jolted towards dynamic growth afforded by meeting things completely alien to me.

Oh, the awakening of creativity prompted by the strange and unfamiliar. An explosion of ideas and possibilities opened up for me – exploring and experimenting became the air I drew in. Encountering a host of ideas I had no concept of did not paralysis me, rather it became fuel for my core, and in return I exhaled a meal that exalted all that we share, and flights of fancy I wanted to share. 

Stepping into the unknown has been the greatest gift I have given myself. I’m thrilled to meet a new soul, and with foodstuffs…if I have not seen it before I buy it because for me inspiration is found in the void between comfort and fear.

Spicy Bar-b-que Sauce - yields approx. 3 cups

2 chipolte chilies
5 black cardamom seeds
1 small onion
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup ketchup manis
1/4 cup pomegranate syrup
1-1/2 pounds tomato
1/8 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cooking Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a 1 quart sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 60 minutes. Fish out the 5 cardamom seeds, and discard. Place the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator. 

Fired Up

So the Fourth has come and gone, and the official season of the grill is in full swing. I will admit to being right there, at the top of the bell curve rarely utilizing the oven to make dinner this time of year. And yes, many of the sides I make this time of year are raw, from the garden, salads that are “cooked” more likely through exposure to salt and/or vinegar than radiating heat. Soaring temperatures and humidity is showing no signs of easing up, and I am no than glad to cook outdoors.  In my heart I am a wood or charcoal griller, however, when you are in a relationship and have to negotiate the purchase of mutually used items I confess we have a propane-fired number. In order to get the smoky notes that only wood can give I use herb stems, garlic and onion peelings, or any aromatic trimming that might otherwise land in the compost pile to lace so much of what I grill. Placed either underneath the food itself or over the high flame of an indirect set-up I am constantly looking to add that note of cooking al fresco. Because all the caste-offs I use are still “green” they do not catch fire, but rather smoke, which gives my that primal taste I crave.

Though there are times I actually have to turn on a burner to boil water for some grains or blanch, ever so quickly, a vegetable. Still not sure if I made a mistake and did not get the grill with a burner unit – I figured I would constantly be battling with the evening breeze.

I have put us on a once to every two indulgence of b-b-que ribs or butt. And the reason for this is that we both require a slab each (at a minimum) and 5-pounds of butt is gone by lunch the next day. Clearly, we have pork control issues. While I tend to be a dry rub kind of guy once in a while I like it wet, however, I can not imagine using any of the commercial sauces out there for they are too sweet, too ketchup-based and not nearly as complex as I like it. Why don’t I just remember this in May when the temperatures are still kitchen friendly, and just put up a couple of jars?

Spicy Bar-b-que Sauce - yields approx. 3 cup 

2 chipolte chiles

5 black cardamom seeds

1 small onion - diced

3 garlic cloves - chopped

2-tablespoons tomato paste

1/4-cup honey

1/2-cup ketchup manis

1/4-cup pomegranate syrup

1-1/2 pounds tomato – roughly chopped

1/8-cup cider vinegar

2-teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a 1 quart sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Fish out the 5 cardamom seeds and discard.  Place the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator.