White Bar-B-Q Sauce (It's a north Alabama thing)

White Bar-B-Q sauce recipe

Combine:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1tsp lemon juice
2 tsp prepared horse radish
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

This is best served over grilled chicken or grilled salmon.

Braciole and a simple tomato sauce

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
2. 1 garlic clove, minced
3. 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
4. 1/3 cup grated provolone
5. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
6. 4 tablespoons olive oil
7. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8. 1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
9. 1 cup dry white wine
10. 3 1/4 cups Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce
11. Simple Tomato Sauce:
12. 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
13. 1 small onion, chopped
14. 2 cloves garlic, chopped
15. 1 stalk celery, chopped
16. 1 carrot, chopped
17. 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
18. 4 to 6 basil leaves
19. 2 dried bay leaves
20. Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
21. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
22. 
    
23. SImple Sauce
24. 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes
25. 1 small can of tomatoe paste
26. 1 clove chopped garlic
27. 1/2 onion
28. 4 Tbs Butter
29. 4 Tbs extra Virgin Olive Oil
30. 1 Carrot
31. 4 oz Dry Red Wine
32. Salt & back pepper to taste
33. Red Pepper to taste
34. 
    
35. In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. 
36. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. 
37. Add carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. 
38. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and
39. Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
40. 
    
41. If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.Yield: 6 cups
42. Prep Time: 15 minutes
43. Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
44. 
    
45. Directions
46. 
    
47. Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.
48. 
    
49. Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.
50. 
    
51. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
52. 
    
53. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.
54. 
    
55. Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.

Mid-week leg of lamb, mashed fingerling potatoes and salad

Mid-week leg of lamb, mashed fingerling potatoes and salad

Perfect for an early fall evening.

Crock pot roast leg of lamb with roasted mashed potatoes, onions and a simple salad.

Prep time 20 minutes

Cook time 20 to 30 minutes

Crock pot time 11 hours

This meal can begin in the crock pot while you are at work and then be finished in 20 to 30 minutes.

Roast Leg of Lamb

3lb leg of lamb

1 lb yellow fingerling potatoes

2 large red or white onions- cut into wedges

2 or 3 carrots - slices

1 tbs Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, parsley, thyme & rosemary)

3 cloves minced garlic

1tsp salt

1tsp white pepper

½ cup red wine

¼ cup of Olive Oil

Mashed potatoes

1lbs of yellow fingerling potatoes (cooked with lamb)

1/4cup  butter

¼ nonfat organic milk or more to preference

Salt to taste

Sprinkle all four sides of the lamb with garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Place in crock pot with clean scrubbed potatoes, onions and carrots. Add wine and olive oil. Cook on low for 11 hours

Drain “pan juice” off meat and potatoes with colander. Remove potatoes. Return lamb onions and carrots to crock pot or 350 degree oven and keep warm.

Mash potatoes (leave peeling on) with mixer add butter, milk, salt and pepper whip until fluffy.

Salad

Lettuce and vegies of your choice

Pan gravy can be made from heating the dripping reserved from the crockpot and whisking in1 tbs of cornstarch.

Serve gravy over lamb and potatoes with onions, carrots and mashed potatoes

Serve this meal with a red wine and some ground horse radish.  

Peppered Tilapia

 

Ingredients

1 Lb Tilapia

3 Tbs Olive Oil

1 Onion

2 cloves of freshly minced Garlic

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 sliced Jalapeno Pepper (seeds removed)

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup all purpose flour

2 tsp dried parsley

Lemon wedges

1)      Sautee Onion and Garlic in Olive Oil over medium high heat.  Add red pepper flakes, Jalapeno Pepper, dry white wine

2)      Flour fish fillets and shake off excess flour and sauté over mixture until flakey, add parsley.

3)      Serve with lemon wedges

 

This pairs nicely with a Chardonnay with a heavy citrus influence, a rice pilaf and wilted garlic spinach.    

Spaghetti and Meatballs with a Chunky Red Tomato and Onion Sauce

Spaghetti and Meatballs with a Chunky Red Tomato and Onion Sauce

3 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup butter

1 tbs minced garlic

2 pealed and diced carrots

1 large onion (any variety) diced

2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

½ green pepper diced

3 cans Italian diced tomatoes

½ cup dry red wine

Salt and pepper to taste

1)In large skillet, melt butter add olive oil 2) Add garlic and onion – sauté over medium heat until translucent 3) add all other vegetables, salt and pepper - sauté 4) turn heat up to medium high add red wine. 5) Simmer for 3 minutes reduce heat to medium low 6) add tomatoes and all remaining herbs 7) simmer until half the liquid has cooked out. Reduce heat to low and keep warm

 

Meatballs - Ingredients

1 pound ground chuck (or ground turkey)

6 ounces dried bread crumbs

2 large eggs

6 ounces whole milk

6 ounces grated Parmesan

2 ounces finely diced fresh garlic

2 ounces finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 ounces finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. If mixture seems a little loose add more bread crumbs.

Roll meatballs loosely about the size of a small baseball and place on baking sheet. Place into preheated oven for approximately 45 to 50 minutes  or until done.  

 

Pasta

While meat balls are baking and sauce is staying warm, cook pasta of your choice according to package directions.

Combine sauce and pasta, serve with meatballs.

This pairs well with a red dry, wine like Cabernet Sauvignon and a simple salad.

Saturday Afternoon Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

For the chicken:

• 1 lb bonless skinless chicken thigs
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the gumbo base:

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen sliced okra
• 1 pound andouille sausage, cut on the bias into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• Sliced scallions, for garnish
• Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

For the chicken:

1. Place the chicken pieces in a large pot; cover with the broth, water, Cajun seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to medium low; simmer until the chicken is tender and just cooked, about 30 minutes.
2. Transfer the cooked chicken pieces to a plate to cool. Strain the broth and skim off any excess fat. Reserve 4 cups for the gumbo. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and discard; set the chicken pieces aside.

For the gumbo base:

1. Heat the oil in a large, wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until it is hot and shimmers, about 3 minutes. Slowly sprinkle the flour into the pot, stirring constantly with a wire whisk to prevent any lumps from forming. Cook, stirring constantly (and taking care to scrape out the corners of the pot), until the roux is dark brown (it should resemble melted chocolate), about 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Add the onion and garlic and stir to coat the vegetables in the roux. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the bell pepper, celery, and bay leaf; cook until the vegetables soften slightly, about 4 minutes.
3. Slowly stir in the reserved chicken broth, mixing well to incorporate; season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in the tomatoes, okra, reserved chicken meat, and andouille. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Taste the gumbo to check the seasoning. If necessary, add more salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve over cooked white rice, topped with scallions and parsley.

Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, Stuffed Squash and A Simple Salad

This is a Brown family favorite. It makes for a great meal on a Tuesday or on the weekend. The spicy/sweet dry rubbed pork and mellow richness of the squah in this meal pairs well with a chilled, crisp, tart, apple and citrus flavored chardonnay or a crisp, green hard apple cider like Woodchuck’s “GrannySmith”  or a Woodchuck "Dry and Dark".

 

Rubbed Pork tenderloin

Combine equal parts: garlic, onion powder, cumin and paprika. 1 half part cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. 2 parts dark brown sugar. Grill over medium charcoals until done. Let it form a crust. Flipping once. Let rest 6-10 minutes before slicing against the grain.  

Stuffed squash

4 whole yellow summer squash (small to medium in size)

Boil squash until tender, do  not over boil. Let cool. Cut lengthwise, be careful to not ruin the squash as you remove the innards as you will need to fill them later. Remove innards of the squash and reserve. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and fill the squash with the mixture. Grill over medium to low charcoal, rotating often until cheese melts.

Innards from squash

 3 Green Onion

1 sleeve Ritz cracker

¼ cup Mayo (made from olive oil)

2 cups Cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp Salt and pepper

Fresh vegetable salad

Combine whatever vegetables you have in your garden and serve without salad dressing or if you must ruin perfectly fresh veggies then use a vinaigrette.