Chef Geoffrey Zakarian's Half Sour Pickles And BBQ Sauce

      

These two recipes from Chef Geoffrey Zakarian are definitely keepers. Pickling cucumbers is too darn easy not to try it. I suggest following the instructions exactly the 1st time out. You can blanch the cucumbers thereafter if you like pickles less raw.

Directions:  

Toss all the ingredients in a canning jar, screw on its lid and store in the refrigerator for at least 5 days before eating.

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I love a scrumptious barbecue sauce. I have 2 recipes for you. For mine click here. The one below is extra special!

The BBQ Sauce for Burgers

The Barbecue Sauce Ingredients

Directions:

Toss all the ingredients (except for the bacon) into a stockpot and simmer on a stovetop for 40 minutes. You can save the bacon to top the burgers. Chef Geoffrey tosses them into his BBQ sauce at the end of the cooking time, but I prefer my sauce to be healthier with fewer calories. {I don't put bacon on burgers either. For me, it's too much of a good thing. I eat crispy bacon with eggs for a weekend breakfast. Moderation is ideal.}

Thank you, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, for sharing your restaurant recipes!

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Homemade Chicken Fingers

Deceptive photo, they weren't burnt or dry.

My senior mom has become a very picky eater. The supermarkets where I shop don't carry Tyson's Chicken Tenders, meat in a form she'll eat, so I bought 2 huge chicken breasts (nearly 3 pounds at $1.99 per pound = $5.49), cut them into pieces with my trusty meat shears, and made homemade chicken fingers for the 1st time ever in my life. How hard could it be? Not hard at all as it turns out. So crispy, tender and delicious, I'll post my easy-breezy recipe below (so I too can make it again):

Debbie's Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts - I had 2.76 pounds.

For the crust:

1 cup oatmeal

3/4 cup dried parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon homemade saltless creole seasoning (I now made it without salt and add salt or bouillion cubes in recipes.)

1  1/2 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt (It's what I had.)

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons dried garlic

1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1) Cut the chicken breasts into chunks or thick strips.

 

2) Into a food processor add the oatmeal flakes, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic, and creole seasoning. Pulse until finely ground and pour into a mixing bowl.

3) Spray an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray or grease lightly with butter.

4) Wet the chicken pieces with drops of milk and drop them into the dry oatmeal mixture. You need about 1/2 cup of milk to sprinkle on the chicken pieces.

5) Arrange the coated chicken fingers on a greased or sprayed baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400-degree F oven until brown. The chicken meat will turn from pink to white in about 20 minutes.

Chicken fingers (the whole breast) or tenders (the pectoralis minor part of the chicken) are about the only way my mom will eat chicken nowadays. She ate them, so tonight we got the job done.

Freeze the leftovers. 

A side dish: Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

3 potatoes, unpeeled and cubed

1 small onion, diced

olive oil

garlic powder

parsley 

tarragon

1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun or steak mix seasoning

A few turns of the peppermill

Directions:

1) Wash, slice or cube unpeeled potatoes (any variety) and onions.  

2) Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the seasonings.

3) Transfer to an olive oiled, foil-lined baking tray.

Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 25 - 30 minutes.

Another side: BBQ Beans

Bon Appètit!

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Barbecue Franks And Beans

For this pot of franks and beans I soaked a half bag of dried pinto beans overnight than simmered the pot on medium-low heat for 2 hours until the beans tenderized. I used turkey franks and tossed in carrots for color and vitamin A. You can easily use canned beans to reduce your cooking time by 1 1/2 hours, which I do sometimes. The sauce thickens more as it cools. 

An old summer standby: On the 4th of July baked beans were on sale because the supermarket knows what people want to eat at a cookout. However, I returned cans of a popular brand to the grocery shelf because they contain too much sugar for my liking. Instead, I bought 5 cans of regular beans and made my own recipe of Barbecue Franks and Beans without adding any sugar. Barbecue sauce is sweet enough! And so, the dish was delicious. Here is the recipe for your next cookout:

Know that you can: Begin with a package of dried beans, but I did not think that far ahead, therefore used canned beans. Canned beans save the time of overnight soaking and are cooked and tender straight out of the can. (In other words, who the heck knew yesterday, come today I'd make baked beans?)  

Barbecue Franks And Beans
(About 4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 cans (15 ounce) beans (Any bean will do: navy, pink, pinto, Roman, etc.)
1 onion, diced
2 stocks of celery, sliced
2 carrots, diced (I like vegetables for oomph!)
1 large chicken bouillon (Use beef, pork, any flavor of bouillon.)
barbecue sauce to taste (I had about 1/2 cup of Kraft's hot barbecue sauce to clear out of the refrigerator. Sometimes I make my own BBQ sauce also.)

1 small can tomato sauce

1 squirt of tomato paste, if you have it (Leave out if you don't.)
Spices to taste: I used my Cajun spice mix and an extra sprinkle of dried powder garlic

1/4 teaspoon of cumin
2 - 3 franks, sliced (beef; or turkey franks. Turkey franks went into this batch. I grilled the franks with a 1/4 teaspoon of cumin in a pan 1st. When lazy I simply slice and toss them into the pot, but grilling separately adds a depth of flavor. Portions: If I use 5 cans of cooked beans or 1/2 package of dried beans I'll toss the entire package of franks into the pot and increase the amount of cumin. So eyeball how many franks to add ... to end up with the right ratio of franks to beans to barbecue sauce. Make sure you are left with some liquid in the pot.)

Photo: Frenchs

Directions:

1) On the stove top toss the beans, diced onion, celery, carrot, bouillon, barbecue sauce, tomato sauce/ paste, spices and sliced grilled franks with cumin into a pot. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the mixture thickens. 

Eat hot. I served it with corn on the cob and my own version of Cole slaw.

Easy-breezy, no-fuss meal. "Delicious" doesn't always require lots of thought and time to pull together. BBQ beans can be cooked on the stove top or baked in the oven. Oven baked beans will require about 30 - 40 minutes depending on quantity. The stove top is faster. Both ways work! So glad I didn't settle for overly sweet, ready-made baked beans, but flavored my own.

Beans are tasty, filling and healthy. Let's eat more beans this summer! Make meat a side, or enhancer of a dish. Eating less meat is good for you, your budget and the environment.

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Let The Barbecues Begin

Man Crates, a merchant who sells gifts for men, asked me to blog on the topic of outdoor grilling and to discuss the essentials that go into throwing an awesome barbecue. As it happens, May kicks off the season. With a little planning, a cookout can be fun and memorable for hosts and guests alike.

Consider these ...

Eleven Tips For Hosting The Perfect Barbecue:

1) It all begins with the people. Invite friendly, helpful people who like to mingle and talk to everyone. If your guests are genuinely nice, you will have good karma at your party. Fortunately for me, my friends are the type who if they see a need, will pitch in and help. They are delightful! (Here in Manhattan, I once saw a woman drop some chips on the floor and sweep the crumbs under a table with her foot. Unbelievable! Did she forget she was in someone's home?) Be sure to go around to introduce people. Set the tone for warm and friendly!  

2) A cheese platter (of Swiss, cheddar, brie, etc.) and crackers will get the party started. Perhaps some hummus and cut up raw veggies to munch also.

3) The traditional meats to grill are burgers, chicken, bratwursts or hot dogs. These usual suspects taste great grilled. Depending on your budget, there's also steak, ribs and fish. We use a Cajun rub on the chicken and beef for people who like spice. (Here are two other easy recipes for homemade BBQ sauce.) Cheddar cheese to top burgers, if requested. Other fixings are pickles, relish, tomato slices, lettuce, purple onions, ketchup and brown mustard. Sauerkraut for the bratwursts and hot dogs. We prefer whole grain, crusty breads.

4) For a large crowd, make a big pot of chili and batches of corn bread. Or a sizable ham. Better to have too much food rather than too little. Chili, or ham can be made days ahead of the barbecue.

5) Cold slaw, German potato salad, baked beans, grilled corn-on-the-cob and a green salad will round out a menu. We try to keep our sides relatively healthy.

6) Drinks can include ice tea, craft beer, plus fine red and white wines. In the past, we served soft drinks, but now try to keep it healthy. Pitchers of ice water favored with (1) mint, or (2) lemon slices are refreshing. Some people like to make a signature alcoholic drink, but we don't, to be honest. We'd rather eat than drink at a barbecue.

7) Often guests want to bring something. I think side dishes, bags of ice and desserts are thoughtful. Bring a signature side dish, cake, pie or cookies to help feed a hungry crowd. What you bring should be ready to serve (or display, if flowers) so it doesn't add to the workload of an already busy hostess. Don't make her stop what she's doing to get you a dish to reheat your food, or find a vase for your flowers. I never thought twice about bringing a hostess flowers sans a vase before I co-hosted several large parties, myself.

8) For cookouts, I like serving fresh, in season fruit like watermelon, cantaloupes, blueberries, strawberries, cherries or peaches. 

9) Ice cream is an easy crowd pleaser. Buy some wafer cones, and ask guests if they want one scoop or two ... delish! Don't forget the chocolate sprinkles.

10) Another essential element of a barbecue is listening to great music. So whip out the soundtracks of the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, plus anything current you fancy. All your favorite artists playing while guests mix.

11) If you need games to turn the party up a notch, try playing musical chairs. Buy a few desirable prizes for the winners. Another fun activity is a dice game called Left, Right, Center. Click here for how to play. We found playing the game with real money (over chips) to be more fun. $3 per player is all it takes to add more excitement to the game. Keep it friendly!

And so, my tips for throwing the perfect barbecue come down to: Comprise a good guest list; prepare ahead as much as possible; keep the menu fresh, healthy, simple and pleasing; ask guests to bring ice, sides, or desserts; have lots of great music; plus a few backup games. Enjoy your guests!

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Chili, Mmm, Mmm, Good!

Three summers ago, I had lunch at the White Horse Tavern in Nashville, Tennessee where I ate the best bowl of chili in my life.  Ever since, I've tried to find the recipe, without success, though other chili recipes have come mighty close.  Usually chili is prepared Cincinnati-style -- with ground beef, which is certainly tasty and convenient, but what I consumed down in the Music City had succulent chunks of tender beef that had fallen off the bone.  In fact, it was a medley of all kinds of colorful, tender ingredients, including fresh peppers, onions, kidney beans, cilantro, tomatoes and other flavorful sensations.  The finished dish was hearty, spicy and so mouthwatering.  Ahhhh, the memory … I must take another trip down to Honky Tonk Land real soon.  Great city! people! and food!

The chili I made last weekend is also a keeper.  The recipe comes from Meghan M., who won first place in a chili cook off, hosted by the staff at People Magazine:

Meghan's Chili

2 pounds london broil

2 tablespoons Frank's Hot Sauce [or Louisiana Hot Sauce]

1 tablespoon Tabasco

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup coarsely chopped onions

½ cup chopped green peppers

½ cup chopped red peppers

2 large garlic cloves, minced  [I mince 3 - 4.]

2 16 ounces, canned tomatoes, or 4 cups fresh peeled tomatoes

1/4 to 1/3 cup chili powder

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 16 ounces can kidney beans

1 16 ounces can black beans

1} Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.  Put the london broil in a dutch oven with water so that the water is ½ way up the meat.  Add 2 tablespoons hot sauce and 1 tablespoon Tabasco.  Cover and cook in the oven for about 5 hours at 250 degrees.

2} When the beef is tender, remove from the liquid and pull the meat apart with a fork.

3} In a dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil, add the onions, peppers and garlic, and stir until tender; about 10 minutes.

4} Add the tomatoes (with liquid), chili powder, salt. Heat to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

5} Stir in the beans and pulled meat. Heat and serve. Leftovers are delicious!

Alternatives:  At times, I substitute 2 pounds of lean, beef round cuts, first browning them in a pan, then simmering all the ingredients on the stovetop (low flame) for 2-3 hours.  Sometimes I add a teaspoon of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar to enhance a BBQ flavor.  Add 1/2 teaspoons of mustard and cumin seeds for extra zest. [You can adopt the recipe for a crock pot also.]

Thanks for sharing your winning recipe, Meghan!  Chili is a real stick-to-your-ribs meal and so perfect for Autumn's nippy evenings.

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