Memorial Day is quickly approaching and it is a time to get together, remember those who we have lost, and a time for family.  My own family visits friends, go fishing, and enjoy a nice barbecue.  Proper barbecue (BBQ) is slow-cooking meat at a low temperature for a long time over wood or charcoal. In North America, BBQ originated in the late 1800s during the cattle drives. The cowboys were fed the less than perfect cuts of meat, often brisket, a tough and stringy piece of meat that required five to seven hours of cooking to tenderize. Other barbecue meats used were pork butt, pork ribs, beef ribs, venison and goat.

The slow cooking would allow the toughest of meats to tenderize during the slow cooking process.  It is no secret that I enjoy cooking over a fire.  BBQ and smoking meats is a nice way of creating a tasty meal out of the cheapest cuts.  Sometimes even sealing up a tough piece of meat, like brisket, can be tender using a slow cooked method.  On of my favorites, is using a cast iron pot on the fire or grill.  I place thinly sliced onions or leeks at the bottom with the brisket on top with just a bit of salt, pepper, and chili powder and then place it fat side up and cover the pot.

The onions will keep the meat from sticking to the pot, help flavor the meat, and help keep it moist while it slow cooks.  When using this method, I let it cook for 2-3 hours.  It’s hard to resist though as it cooks, it smells so good.  When done, I use the onions as a side dish to be served with the brisket.  I avoid the sauces as it just creates a mess.  Keep the flavors simple and you will enjoy your dish.

Other variations can include:

• marinade of soy sauce and honey or using curry powder for an Asian influenced
• marinade of Coca-Cola, so a bit of a “pop.”  The sugar in this version will help caramelize the outside while leaving the inside moist and flavorful.
• A Latin inspired, chili powder and cumin with garlic

Using a wood fire:

Depending on the types of wood you use, can determine the heat of the fire and how long it will last.  Hard wood like Oak, will burn slower and longer.  Pine will burn fast and hot.  I prefer to use fruit tree wood or cedar due to its aromatic influences.  Wood fires are very different the standard BBQ or stove/oven cooking.  I strongly encourage you to try wood fire cooking if you haven’t already.  Please make sure you use safe precautions including having a bucket of water or a hose ready in case the fire gets out of control.

I hope all of my readers have a safe Memorial Day.

I was recently at a barbecue party this past weekend with friends.  The typical choices were there – hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers.  But, some of my friends who were vegetarian (no meat) and gluten free were out of luck.

The veggie burgers had gluten added.  I suggested one of my balck bean “burger” recipes and many asked that I post it here.  This is not a vegan dish as egg, sour cream, and cheese are added.  A vegan friendly recipe is posted below.

Ingredients

I must apologize to my fans.  I’ve been remiss in entering stories and recipes on my blog.  I’ve been busily preparing for new season, planning shows, doing further research, writing articles, etc. I hope you all will be able to forgive me.

I plan on not disappointing.  Going off of the beaten track, I thought I would offer readers something different this time.  Below is an Asian dish that has been modernized for today’s kitchen.  A fairly easy recipe that busy people can cook eat or save in bulk for future meals.

In the near future I hope to offer more of my traditional faire of cuisines.

Feeds 4:

Chilli chicken

• 10 small skinless chicken drumsticks
• 3/4 cup of dark soy sauce
• 1 large onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 green finger chillies
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil

Soak the chicken in the soy sauce. Chop the onion into large pieces, the chillies into little ones and slice the garlic.

In a wok or kadai, bring the oil to heat on high. When it’s hot, fry the garlic until golden then add all the other ingredients and stir every few minutes until the chicken is cooked. You’ll know because the chicken will separate from the bone. While it’s cooking make the noodles.

Hakka noodles

• 1/2 package of medium egg noodles
• 1 large tea mug shredded cabbage
• 1 large tea mug shredded carrot
• 1 green pepper
• 5 spring onions
• 1.5 tbsp chilli garlic sauce (any Chinese one will do nicely)
• 1.5 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 garlic clove
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp flavourless white oil

Cook the noodles and set aside. Chop the garlic clove and mix it together with the sauces. Slice the green pepper finely and chop the spring onions.

Next, bring the oil to heat on high in a wok or kadai. When the oil starts sizzling, pour in the sauce mixture and in a few seconds the vegetables, bar one chopped spring onion. Cook for about two minutes until they soften, then mix in the cooked noodles, add salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle the noodles with the remaining chopped spring onion and eat straightaway.

Earlier this week, my family grilled up chicken for our family dinner.  A friend joined us and it was very tasty.  Looking into my fridge, I was thinking what I could make for dinner tonight using the left over chicken: two drumsticks and a breast. In this tight economy, people are using every resource they have to stretch their dollar.  When I lived alone, I was able to make five dinners from one whole chicken.  I would cut it up into wings, drumsticks, thighs, breasts, and back.  Each breast was a meal in itself (2), the wings made a light dinner (1),  and the drumsticks and thighs were combined for other dinners (2).  I would save the back of the chicken.  Once I had two of them, I would stew the backs to make chicken stock that could be made into soup, stew, pilaf, or risotto.
I would even debone the backs for some additional meat to add into the stock. But, many times, eating leftover chicken time and time again can get boring.  There are several suggestions on the Web regarding left over recipes, but I thought I would post a pair of my favorites.

Chicken and Black Bean Stew (modified)

Ingredients:
Precooked chicken
1 cup of chicken stock
3 TB olive oil
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed 3 times
1 lb of carrots, cubed
1/2 lb green beans, cleaned, stemmed, and cut into 1 inch length
2 lbs of red potatoes, cubed
1 small onion or 1 leek, rough chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of chili powder (I prefer chipotle or ancho powder)
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp of fresh ground pepper
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cut up the leftover chicken into pieces.  In a large pot, begin heating the oil.  Once heated, add the chicken to brown slightly, stirring occasionally and add the leeks or onions and the garlic.  Add enough water to cover the chicken.  While continuing to stir, add the black beans and carrots.  Continue to stir and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes, stock, and the cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, and black pepper.  stir once to blend and cover the pot to continue to cook (about 15 minutes).  Stir and check the tenderness of the potatoes.  At this point, add the green beans and salt to the mixture and continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes.  Keep in mind, potatoes will often absorb the salt, so you should continue to taste the dish.

The  potatoes will thicken the dish turning it into a stew.  I really enjoyed serving this dish over rice.  Other items may be added to this recipe.  Stewed tomatoes may often be added giving this dish a “chili” like appearance.

Asian Chicken Soup

One of my family’s favorite recipes for the sick is my Asian influenced Chicken Noodle/Vegetable Soup.  The secret to this recipe is baby/young ginger root that can be acquired at various Asian markets.  It is sweeter than standard ginger and contains vitamins C, B6, B12, A, antioxidants, and beta carotene.  It’s tasty too.

1 quart chicken stock leftover chicken, deboned.
2 medium sized carrots
2 cloves of garlic
2 pieces of baby ginger, minced or sliced
1/2 cup of pea pods
1/4 cup of green onions, diced
1/4 cup of shelled edemade/ soybeans
Rice noodles or rice
Salt or pepper to taste

optional ingredients: red peppers, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, baby corn, mushrooms, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, cabbage, and cilantro.

Saute the chicken in a separate pan to slightly brown it before adding it to the broth.  Add the sliced up the carrots, baby ginger, green onions, and garlic.  Add these vegetables with the chicken and then add to the broth.  Keep the soup on a low simmer.

Add the noodles or rice and continue cooking until almost done.  Add the pea pods and the soybeans and any other green vegetables.  The rice or noodles should be done, but the green vegetables should be served el dente – cooked, yet crisp.  Season with salt and black pepper. This dish can become more colorful with the use of the optional vegetables and ingredients as well.  If it doesn’t cure you, it will certainly taste good and make you feel better.