BBQ Spareribs

Happy Independence Day, everybody!

Be safe as you celebrate America's 236th birthday and, as George Washington said, "Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all."

It's also National Barbecued Spareribs Day, so I fired up the grill and cooked some, low and slow. I'm not sure I achieved all the milestones described throughout that site - like the "highly prized smoke ring" - but they were finger-licking good!

I removed the membrane from the back side of the ribs. You don't have to, since it won't interfere too much with eating them, but it's easy enough to do and worth the few seconds it takes. Then, I coated the ribs with some chipotle oil and a liberal shake of BBQ spice rub.

Since I have a gas grill, I put a foil pouch with damp (not soaked) hickory chips on the bottom below the flames, set a disposable foil lasagna pan filled about two-thirds full with water on top of the grates, and perched the ribs on a cooling rack above the water. Then, I carefully monitored the heat for the first half hour to make sure it stayed around 225F.

Over the next three hours, I only eyed the thermometer to make sure the temp was steady, not once opening that grill. At that point, I turned up the heat and slathered on some of my favorite sauce to get the ribs good and sticky. In the end, I was rewarded with tender, juicy, perfectly cooked ribs.

Unfortunately, that's all the cooking I can do this week. We've got a bunch of leftovers to get through, and we're heading out for a family wedding celebration over the weekend, so I don't want to cook food we won't be able to eat.

If you feel like taking over from here, Thursday is National Apple Turnover Day, Friday is National Fried Chicken Day and Saturday is National Strawberry Sundae Day.

Cheers!

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

It's National Eat Beans Day, folks! For me, that meant one thing on a gorgeous summer day: homemade black bean burgers.

There are several recipes out there, so I reviewed a bunch and then came up with my own. Yes, that's right, this recipe is a Ticket to Bite original. I gave them some smoke and spice and they turned out awesome, if I say so myself! It's quite hot, so I cooked them indoors on a grill pan, which worked perfectly - got those nice grill marks and everything! We loaded on our favorite toppings and condiments, toasted some buns and chowed down. (If you're curious, my wife had roasted red pepper, provolone, ketchup and yellow mustard on hers, while I opted for spicy pickle relish, grilled onions, provolone and honey mustard on mine.)

Trust me, these burgers couldn't be simpler and they are delish! Hearty, low fat, packed with protein, this is a quick, meatless weeknight dinner you won't want to skip.

Here's how I made them:

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 shallot, minced
1 egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground chipotle
1/4 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp smoked salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Mash the beans in a bowl to the desired consistency. Add the remaining ingredients and form into 4 patties about 3/4" thick. Saute in a grill pan with a little oil (or throw them on the grill) till heated through.

Sweet Spiced Chicken w/ Anisette

It took some hunting, but I'm happy to report I found an entree that uses anisette liqueur! The lion's share of recipes that use anisette are baked goods, and many meals use star anise - the actual spice it's made with - but not the liqueur. Thankfully, Food & Wine magazine published a chicken dish seven years ago that fit the bill and is still online!

It's a very tasty recipe, folks. The anisette and spices, which I typically associate with baking and the holidays, are delicious on chicken. I paired it with mixed veggies and couscous and ended up with a delicious dinner!

I turned the heat under the chicken down to medium/medium-low after browning the first side, and the sauce caramelized a bit which made it even more yummy. The measurements for the spices seem very slight, but don't fret - there's plenty of flavor in this dish and no need to boost those amounts.

Don't worry about heating up the kitchen either, since the chicken cooks quickly. Here's how I made it:

Olive oil
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 water
1 Tbsp anisette liqueur
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch each of ground cloves and ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Saute the chicken for 3-4 minutes till golden brown, seasoning the top side with the salt and pepper. Meantime, mix the wine, water and anisette in one small bowl and th cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in another.

When the chicken is ready, flip it over, lower the heat a little, add the garlic and begin to brown the other side. After the garlic cooks a little, add the anisette mixture into the pan, cover and simmer till the chicken is cooked through and the sauce reduces and thickens. Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!

Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day

It's too darn hot to cook and we're not very hungry, so we decided to have a light snack for supper. Ice cream!

After a quick ride, we turned in to Bumpy's Polar Freeze in Schenectady. Why there? They have 101 flavors of soft-serve ice cream, people!

You won't find chocolate-covered bacon or sushi-flavored goodies here, but there's still lots of choices you won't typically find. I ended up with Key Lime Pie soft-serve in a waffle cone, and it cost less than $3. Also tempting? Coconut, Rum Raisin, Red Velvet and Elvis (that'd be peanut butter and banana, thank-yuh-very-muuuch).

Oh, and if you feel like you've overindulged, just take their bumper boats for a spin. You'll feel much better.

Week #23: National Food Holidays

Greetings, gals and pals! In honor of our nation's birthday, I decided to focus on this week's American food holidays.

Now, the first week of July is National Canned Luncheon Meat Week but, alas, I won't be preparing any meals made with Spam.

Today, July 1st, is both National Gingersnap Day (my faves!) and Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day. Recently, I had some AMAZING ginger ice cream at Lewis Brothers Homemade Ice Cream in Provincetown, MA. It was unbelivably creamy, studded with lots of crystalized ginger, and incredibly delicious, so if you visit that wonderful city "like nowhere else" anytime soon and it's on the specials board, you absolutely must give it a try!

July 2nd is National Anisette Day, so I'll have to see what I can come up with there... Anisette liqueur is easy to incorporate into baking, coffee or a dessert, but I'll try to find a delectable dinner entree that uses it.

Stay tuned!