UnclePhool BBQ Sauce

It is once again summer. Time for cooking outdoors over the open flame.

BBQ sauce is one of those areas of cooking that sparks much debate and contest. Heck, even the mention of USING a sauce gets some folks dander up. I happen to like good sauces.

There are, of course, several different types of BBQ sauce; Carolina Mustard, Memphis, Texas; but I am partial to the tomato-based ones from Kansas City. Thick, spicy, sweet, tangy. I worked for a couple years making a few different versions that I liked. But they take time and have a ton of ingredients. So I decided to try and come up with a simple to make sauce that even my father could consistently get right.

This one is made in 20 minutes in a single pan. You should already have the ingredients in your pantry (except the chipotle--get some from Penzey's). Very easy and freezes great in small cups. Works on chicken, pork, brats, pulled pork, brisket, elk, yak, even deviled eggs. Works well either cold or warmed up a bit. Just remember to put it on at the end of or after cooking. This, like most sauces, is not well suited for the actual cooking process.

UnclePhool BBQ Sauce

1 cup  ketchup

1/2 c.  water

1/4 c.  apple cider vinegar

1/4 c.  brown sugar

2 T.    olive oil

2 T.    paprika (smoked is nice)

1 T.    chile powder (use whatever heat you like)

1 t.    garlic powder

1 t.    ground chipotle (or 1/2 t. cayenne if you can't find)

1 t.    onion powder

1 t.   Worcestershire sauce

1 shot  whiskey

Stir everything together in a small sauce pan. Heat over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Stir. Reduce heat to low and heat another 15 minutes stirring every 2-3 minutes. Refrigerate. Best the next day. Keeps for 2 weeks or so in the fridge. Freezes very well.

This is only a starting point for you to make it your own. Another option:

Add 1t. cumin, 1 T. fresh lime juice, and replace the whiskey with tequila
or
Remove chipotle and add 1 t. mustard powder, 1 T. yellow mustard, and a shot of gin

Enjoy. Have fun. Eat Well.

Nazi Rules For Jazz Performers

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While I have been mostly writing about food, I did not intend this column to be solely on the culinary arts. Could not help but post this gem sent to me by a former bandmate. Now, I did not write this, and I certainly cannot subscribe to rule #10.

 

Nazi Rules For Jazz Performers

Josef Skvorecky on the Nazis’Control-Freak Hatred of Jazz.

Famed Czech radical Josef Skvorecky recently died at 87 in his adopted land of Canada. J.J. Gould remembers Skvorecky through his memoirs, including a detailed list of the rules for jazz performers during the Nazi occupation. The Reich’s Gauleiter for the Nazi Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia issued a 10-point regulation that Gould calls “the single most remarkable example of 20th-century totalitarian invective against jazz.”

1.   Pieces in foxtrot rhythm (so-called “swing”) are not to exceed 20% of the repertoires of light orchestras and dance bands;

2.   In this so-called jazz type repertoire, preference is to be given to compositions in a major key and to lyrics expressing joy in life rather than Jewishly gloomy lyrics;

3.   As to tempo, preference is also to be given to brisk compositions over slow ones (so-called “blues”); however, the pace must not exceed a certain degree of allegro, commensurate with the Aryan sense of discipline and moderation. On no account will Negroid excesses in tempo (so-called hot jazz) or in solo performances (so-called “breaks”) be tolerated;

4.   So-called jazz compositions may contain at most 10% syncopation; the remainder must consist of a natural legato movement devoid of the hysterical rhythmic reverses characteristic of the barbarian races and conductive to dark instincts alien to the German people (so-called “riffs”);

5.   Strictly prohibited is the use of instruments alien to the German spirit (cowbells, flexatone, brushes, etc.) as well as all mutes which turn the noble sound of wind and brass instruments into a Jewish-Freemasonic yowl (so-called “wa-wa,” “hat,” etc.);

6.   Also prohibited are so-called drum breaks longer than half a bar in four-quarter beat (except in stylized military marches);

7.   The double bass must be played solely with the bow in so-called jazz compositions;

8.   Plucking of the strings is prohibited, since it is damaging to the instrument and detrimental to Aryan musicality; if a so-called pizzicato effect is absolutely desirable for the character of the composition, strict care must be taken lest the string be allowed to patter on the sordine, which is henceforth forbidden;

9.   Musicians are likewise forbidden to make vocal improvisations (so-called “scat”);

10.  All light orchestras and dance bands are advised to restrict the use of saxophones of all keys and to substitute for them the violin-cello, the viola or possibly a suitable folk instrument.

Chile Cashews

Cashews never last very long around the house. Santa used to leave a large bucket under the tree, but they always seemed to disappear in the next day or so. Especially when uncles and cousins started showing up.

On their own, cashews are great. It is one of the nuts I can eat. Salty. Fatty. Crunchy. A great snack. Easy to take in a bag on the airplane. Then I found Trader Joe's Chili-Lime cashews. Holy cow! those are good when you can find them. An open bag around my house or office is gone in no time. I started thinking that perhaps I could work on making my own cashews. This recipe works really well with 1.5 - 2 pounds peanuts as well.

UnclePhool's Chile Cashews

• 1.5 or 2 pounds whole roasted salted cashews or peanuts

• 1   egg white beaten until frothy (about a minute with a hand whisk)
• 1 T.   water
• 2 T.   fresh lime juice (the juice from both halves of a small lime)
• 1 T.   sugar
• 2 t.   kosher salt
• 1 t.   cumin
• 1 t.   chili powder
• 1 t.   paprkia
• 1/2 t.  cayenne

Preheat oven to 250F. In a large bowl whip the egg white. Add all the liquids and spices and mix to combine. Add the cashews and mix to evenly coat. Spread evenly in one layer on a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone pad. Bake for 60 or so minutes (or until they are dry and loose) stirring every 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let fully cool. The flavors take a little while to set up. Store in airtight zipbag or other sealing container.

whisk until the egg white is frothy

add the spices and liquids

add the cashews (or peanuts)

mix until evenly coated

spread out on parchment or a silpad in a single layer and bake
I usually use one tray per pound of nuts.

Spicy Ketchup

French Fries, Chicken Nuggets, and even Fish Sticks have long been known as vehicles for kids to transport ketchup to their mouths. Heck, it was even considered a vegetable during a previous Presidential administration. I have usually been a mustard guy, but do love the sweet and slightly tangy taste that ketchup provides.

Ketchup, or catsup, or Tchuppy, or whatever else you call it has been a staple for more than 100 years. During college in Pittsburgh, it was hard to ignore who the king of the tomato sauce is. Heinz everywhere. At least I was never turned off by their product. I just think that could be easy ways to give it a little lift.

I think most folks know that I really like spicy stuff. Sriracha (aka Rooster Sauce) is one of my favorite sauce additives. I add it to soy sauce for dipping my gyoza. It is great in Florence Hsu's pot sticker sticky buns. I even squirt some into ground beef for burgers.

If you are not familiar with it, your should be!! Originally from Vietnam, I saw it in nearly every restaurant I ate at in Hanoi and Saigon. I can usually find it in my local supermarket and certainly you can find it in any Asian grocery.
Here is an easy way to add a little spice to your ketchup and change the taste of fries and nuggets forever.

Spicy Ketchup

• 4 parts Ketchup
• 1-4 parts Srirachi (Rooster) Sauce

start mixing it 4:1 and keep adding Sriracha until you get the heat and taste level you like. Have the kids try a little bit and have them help decide how much.


See I told you it was easy. You could even go to the local Bed Bath or other kitchen store and get a small squeeze bottle to store your mix in to have at anytime. Or I wait until my ketchup bottle is down to 1/2 full, then go get a new bottle of Sriracha and mix it in with the remaining ketchup. Easy! Just make sure that you label it. Keep it in the fridge and it will last as long as regular ketchup does.

Chorizo en Casa

Food is perhaps the most effective memory trigger for me. For others it might be a smell, or a sound, or a color combination. For me it is food. One of the food items that makes my tongue wag at mere mention is chorizo.

Chorizo is, for me, a guilty pleasure. Yeah, it is just pork and spices, but somehow something that tastes that good must be bad. Several memories spring up immediately. I used to love having chorizo in my burritos at Hacienda del Sol. I remember some great chorizo tapas at a bar outside the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. I regularly enjoy chorizo in my breakfast burritos today.

There are two kinds of chorizo: Spanish (made from chopped pork and smoked paprika) and Mexican (using ground pork and red chiles). Usually the Spanish version can be found cured or smoked and can be sliced and eaten straight away. Mexican chorizo is usually sold raw in bulk or links (the Spanish would call this chorizo fresco). Generally it is the Mexican style that we find in the grocery stores in the states and usually cut it out of the casings and cook it up.

My friend Julie on time asked me "Have you ever read the ingredients list?" I admitted that yes, I had, but I like it and therefore I just eat it and ignore the label. It did get me thinking that perhaps in my quest for making things myself and controlling the ingredients lists I should give chorizo a shot. I present to you here the results of my efforts. As always, I would appreciate your feedback.

The obvious way to use chorizo is to brown it and add to tacos or burritos or salads. But why not try:

• add browned chorizo to cottage cheese (perfect if you are on one of the caveman diets)
• substitute chorizo for Italian sausage in your regular spaghetti sauce
• add one pound raw chorizo to one pound buffalo or lamb for some fantastic burgers
• make it with beef and use in Sloppy Jose's

So, for those of you without easy access to Mexican groceries or good carnicerias:

Chorizo
1 pound ground pork (or beef, lamb, yak)
2 T.  cider vinegar
1 T.  olive oil
1 T.  water or red wine
Mix these together in bowl


2.5 T.  New Mexico red chile powder (or smoked Spanish paprika)
1 T.  oregano
1 t.  garlic powder
1 t.  cumin
1 t.  sugar
2 t.  kosher salt
1/2 t.  black pepper
1/2 t.  ground corriander
1/2 t.  cayenne
Mix the dry ingredients in a small dish the mix everything together.
Leave the mixture in the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge overnight if you have the patience to let the flavors all mix.

Italian Sausage

I have said it many times: I am a dedicated carnivore.

I especially like when meat comes in the form of sausage. The spices, the portability, the variety of things you can do with it. One of the most adaptable is Italian. Hot or sweet, it works as a link with peppers and onions or browned on your pizza. Growing up, I remember getting really good sausage from the local butcher, cutting the casings off, and browning to add to spaghetti sauce. At college there was a fantastic sandwich shop that made their own hot and sweet italian sausage for their offerings (Primanti's I miss you).

Our local coop has been supplying some wonderful pork from Iowa that started me thinking again about making my own bulk sausage. I found a variety of recipes that use 10 or more pounds of pork to stuff your own. I am not into making that much, but rather prefer to mix my batches a pound at a time.

Italian Sausage
1 lb. ground pork
Mix in
3 T. red wine
Dry Mix
3 T. Italian spices (combo of parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, cilantro, margoram)
1 T. fennel seed
1 T. paprika
1 t. salt
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. black pepper
1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 t. cayenne

Mix the wine with the  pork. Control the heat with the cayenne and make it as hot as you want.Mix the dry ingredients together then with the pork-wine. Use as you would any bulk Italian sausage--pizzas, tomato sauces, garlic soup.

Buttermilk Grilled Chicken

After a spring of cold and snow, it was nice to have Cousin Kathy and Lulu come for a visit and give me an excuse to grill. Not that I need one of course, but they brought the sun down from Madison and I thought we should take advantage of it. I also thought that I could make this a "no touch raw meat" method.

I generally enjoy working out my own ideas, but I found an outstanding base from one of my college roommates, Karl Bechtel. He posted a nice buttermilk recipe that I decided to modify for my palette. This is easily done on a grill but would also work wonderfully inside the oven if you prefer.

Buttermilk Grilled Chicken

2-3lb  Chicken (I used 1/2 and 1/2 breasts and thighs, Karl used a cut up whole chicken)
2c.  buttermilk
2T.  cumin
1T.  sweet paprika (or use any paprika you want really--like smoked Spanish)
1t.  ground chile powder (not chili powder--use arbol, or NM red)
2t.  oregano
2t.  salt
1/2t. onion powder
1/2t. garlic powder
several good grounds of fresh pepper

Wisk together the dry ingredients then mix in the buttermilk. Put the chicken pieces into a sealable bag (either with tongs or just dump them in) and combine the buttermilk mix and chicken together.

Now, be patient. Let this sit in the fridge overnight or up to about 24 hours or so (you really need at least 4-6 hours for the enzymes in the buttermilk to work their magic on the chicken). If you think about it, go into the fridge once or twice, pick up the bag, massage it a bit, flip it over, put it back, grab an adult beverage, come back later.

About half an hour before you are ready to cook, take the bag out of the fridge, set a rack on a cookie sheet liked with paper towel, use tongs to take the chicken out of the bag one piece at a time, and put them on the rack. Let the chicken drain and come up to room temperature (you should always do this before grilling meats). Get your grill ready. Don't overcook. Enjoy.

As with any recipe there are endless variations you could do with this. Perhaps you could try:
- parmesan, garlic, and chives
- greek spices and dill and use part buttermilk and part yogurt

Put this together with a nice cabbage slaw or maybe some potato salad and your taste buds will thank you. I would love to hear if any of you have tried or liked anything similar.
Thanks to Karl for getting me started on this one.