AMAZING RIBS FOR THE 4TH OF JULY

Posted in Pork by

I’ve been making ribs the exact same way for many years, but when I read this recipe, I predicted they would be spectacular.  Indeed, my expectations were spot on.  If you are also very partial to a particular tried-and-true recipe for barbecued ribs, please try this version:  they are sticky, sweet, spicy, juicy, tender, you and your guests will leave only a pile of very clean rib bones on the plate!

STICKY BALSAMIC RIBS
(adapted from The Parsley Thief, original recipe from Gourmet, 2009)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup  dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons + 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar  
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt + 1/2 Tablespoon salt (divided)
4 racks baby back pork ribs 
1 + 1/2 cups water (divided)
1 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

 Mix the rosemary, 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar plus the cayenne pepper in a small bowl.  Mince the garlic, add 1 teaspoon of salt to it and mash with the side of a large knife to form a paste.  Add it to the marinade with  1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt and  1/2 teaspoon pepper & mix all the ingredients together.  Rub evenly over the ribs and place in a baking dish. Marinate, chilled, for 8-24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Arrange the ribs in a large roasting pan and pour 1/2 cup water inside, under the ribs.  Cover tightly with foil, and  bake the ribs until the meat is very tender, about 2 and a half hours.  Remove from the oven and transfer the ribs to a platter.

Add 1 cup of water to the pan, and using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the browned bits.  Strain the liquid into a measuring cup, or gravy separator to remove the excess fat.   Transfer to a skillet and add  1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and  1/4 cup brown sugar.  Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer gently until reduced to about 1 cup, 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat the grill.  Brush some glaze over both sides of the ribs and grill, turning occasionally, until the ribs are hot and with nice grill marks all over, 6 to 8 minutes.   Brush the ribs with some more glaze and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments:  This is a perfect recipe for the heat wave we’re going through (111 F last week in Manhattan, 106 F this week in Norman), because the initial baking happens at a reasonably low temperature. Plus, you can do that step very early in the morning, even a couple of days ahead of your party.  Remove the ribs from the fridge an hour or so before  dinner, turn the grill on, and assemble a few side dishes. In less than 10 minutes you will be ready to enjoy THE most amazing ribs ever!   The balsamic glaze is a nice change from the usual barbecue sauce. I can see it complementing a thick piece of grilled salmon quite well.

Need the perfect dessert for the 4th?  Try my beloved’s husband patriotic pie!

ONE YEAR AGO: Baby Back Ribs on the 4th of July

TWO YEARS AGO: Blueberry Muffins

THREE YEARS AGO: A Pie for your 4th of July

AND THE WINNER IS…

Posted in General by

Adele! 

I will be in touch with you by email so that I can send you “The Brazilian Kitchen” as a token of my appreciation for your support to the Bewitching Kitchen.

To everyone else who commented, thanks for playing…  😉

SUNNY KAMUT SALAD WITH ROASTED LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Posted in Rice and Grains, Salads, Vegetarian-friendly by

If you have cholesterol-issues,  omit the egg on top, otherwise go for it!  I actually do a lighter version of the “sunny-side-up” using a trick I read somewhere last year.  I spray a very small amount of olive oil on a non-stick pan, once it’s very hot I place the egg, and season it with salt and pepper.  When the bottom part is setting up, I quickly pour 1 tablespoon of water on the side of the egg, and cover the pan with a lid.  It works best with a lid smaller than the frying pan, so that the egg is fully enclosed by a shot of steam.   This makes the top of the yolk set nicely without that slimy white that turns most people off…  and the amount of fat in this “pseudo-fried” egg is pretty negligible.    Eggs are a great source of protein, and since I have super low cholesterol,  I enjoy them many times per week.     And now, let’s go straight to the  heart of the matter…

SUNNY KAMUT SALAD WITH ROASTED LEMON VINAIGRETTE
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

to cook the grain:
1 cup kamut , soaked in water (6 hours to overnight)
4 cups water for cooking
1/2 tsp salt

recipe for dressing: 
click here

for the salad:
asparagus, finely sliced in tiny “coins”
diced tomatoes
diced cucumber
sliced celery stalks

Cook the soaked kamut by mixing it with water and salt in a saucepan, bringing it to a boil and gently simmering it for 45 minutes to 1 hour  (taste to decide when it’s fully cooked, but don’t let it get mushy).  Once the grain is cooked to your liking, drain the water. Cool it to room temperature.

Make the salad dressing as described in the “roasted lemon vinaigrette” link. Reserve.

Add the asparagus, cucumbers, and celery slices to a small bowl, moisten with some of the salad dressing, mixing to lightly coat the veggies. Amounts are flexible, use as much or as little of each veggie as you feel like.

When ready to serve the salad, mix the cooked kamut with the veggie/vinaigrette mixture, add the tomatoes, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  If you like, add  some lemon zest on top. Enjoy it as a side dish for meats, or with a “figure-friendly” sunny-side egg on top.  It is also excellent all by itself.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments:  Kamut is a close relative to farro, so you can use either one.  Sometimes farro is hard to find, whereas I never have any trouble getting kamut. I am quite fond of salads made with grains because they are filling, nutritious, and lighter than most types of side-dishes one would pair with meat.

Is this post coming from the new Bewitching Kitchen?  No, not yet.  Life is extremely frantic and won’t get much better in the near future. Until the dust settles,  I will be publishing posts from stuff made before our move.  Rest assured, there will be quite a bit of blog-noise when the first post from the new kitchen is up!  😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Pane de Casa & Crostini

TWO YEARS AGO: Down-home Dig-in Chili (fantastic recipe, by the way!)

THREE YEARS AGO:  Cinnamon Rolls

THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB: GRANOLA BARS

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Secret Recipe Club by

I knew the last Monday of this month would arrive at a particularly busy time, when we would be barely moved into our  new home, trying to adjust to the new environment.  I didn’t want to miss the party, so I had my  contribution  to “The Secret Recipe Club” taken care as soon as I got my  assignment.  This month I was matched with the blog  “Life and Kitchen”,  hosted by Lindsay, a super-busy young mom with a full-time job and a master’s thesis under way.  In other words, she struggles with a gazillion commitments, but still finds time to keep a great blog going!   Her writing is quite refreshing, I caught myself smiling all the way through reading many of her posts.  I finally settled on a recipe I’ve always wanted to make: granola bars.  They were a major hit in the Bewitching household, as I married a former-hippie.  Hope you try and like them too!   😉

GRANOLA BARS
(from Life and Kitchen, originally adapted from Ina Garten)

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8 x 12 inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Toss the oatmeal and almonds together and then toast them on a sheet pan by baking them for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When you take the toasted mixture out, reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.  Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the toasted wheat germ.  Then add in the honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt while it is still warm and mix it all together.   Add the raisins and dried cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and press the mixture evenly into the pan.   Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours at room temperature before cutting into squares.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments:  No matter how frantic your life might be, it’s good practice to read a recipe carefully before attacking the preparation.  It’s called common sense. Otherwise, you may set yourself up for trouble, like some people.

Indeed, I started by toasting 2 cups of rolled oats instead of oatmeal.  Once everything was nicely toasted, I realized my mistake, and did the only sensible thing to do: frantically ran around the house screaming at myself  “I am SUCH an idiot”;  “I am THE QUEEN of the idiots”!   Where’s George Costanza, my long lost brother?

Crucial decisions had to be made.  I had no time to start all over, and found only about one cup of oatmeal in our pantry.  I grabbed the baking sheet and scooped the mixture with one of those handy Chinese type tools, that kept the almonds and allowed the oats to fall back in the baking sheet.  By the way, oats that fly and fall on the kitchen floor will cool enough during their journey so they won’t pose a risk to your pets. Quite the opposite, they will be happy to do the cleaning for you.  

Once I got toasted rolled oats separated from toasted almonds, I saved 1 cup for the recipe, and mixed with 1 cup of oatmeal.  Proceeded without toasting the oatmeal, as the clock was ticking, and we had tickets to go see Prometheus at the IMAX. No way we could miss that.

As a result, the bars were a bit more crumbly than they should, as oats don’t bind as well as oatmeal, for obvious reasons.  But, you know what? The crumbled pieces made FANTASTIC granola!

I ended up with enough squares to last us for a while, nicely wrapped (just make sure to let them dry well for a full day before wrapping).

Lindsay, it was great to “meet” you through this month’s Secret Recipe adventure!

And a reminder for my readers:  if you click on the crazy looking frog at the bottom of this post, you’ll see the contributions of all other members of Group D for this reveal day.  Make sure to check them out!

ONE YEAR AGO:  Awesome Broccolini

TWO YEARS AGO:  A Twist on Pesto

THREE YEARS AGO: Ciabatta: Judging a bread by its holes



MOVING IS NOT FOR SISSIES

Posted in General by

Remember that New Year Resolution I broke a while ago?  No more cookbooks in 2012?  Well, I should try and keep that going for many, many years…

Two boxes hold exclusively bread books.  Everything else required “only” 8 boxes.

A little update on the moving situation: The company we are working with has been a huge disappointment.  They gave us a window of three days for the move to happen, with the assurance of a confirmation of the exact day and approximate time 48 hours in advance.  That never happened, and when the final day (yesterday) came and went, they told us the sub-contractors “forgot” to schedule us.   We shouldn’t worry, though, they arranged for another sub-contractor to do the job right away.

So, we basically packed the whole house ourselves, and now sit here, hoping the alternative company will indeed park their truck here at 11am and get this adventure going.

Moving brings deep philosophical thoughts to mind.  Yesterday I sat outside for a while, staring at the sky, and wondering how a civilization that landed the man on the moon, that built spacecrafts like the Voyager-1, still boldly going where no one has gone before, failed so miserably at the design of the packing tape dispenser.

UPDATE OF SOAP OPERA:  We won’t be moving today.  Maybe tomorrow, but not even that is sure yet.  Sometimes, the only path to take is the one of least resistance.