Garam Masala

Use this as a basis for your Indian inspired dishes.

The raw spices in the grinder, ready to be crushed into Indian cuisine goodness!

3 large cinnamon sticks, about 3 tablespoons of cinnamon bark bits
3 tablespoons whole cloves
1/4 cup green cardamom pods, shelled, husks discarded, should be about 2 tablespoons of seeds
4 large black cardamom pods, shelled, husks discarded, should be about 1 tablespoon of seeds, optional

Combine the cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamom seeds, black cardamom seeds, if using, in a spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind until fine.

Store the spice mix in an airtight container away from direct sunlight.

Yield: about 1/2 cup.

Spicy Tequila Lime Chicken Wings

With the Super Bowl coming up in a few weeks, I thought it would be good to share a recipe I found last year.

The glaze makes these irresistible!

This takes some time. As always, make sure you marinate the full time specified in the recipe.

Maybe even longer.

Ingredients

1 pound chicken wings, tips removed and wings split
1/2 cup sliver tequila
2 tablespoons lime juice, from 1 large lime
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest, from 1 lime
2 tablespoons harissa paste, I thought more interfered with the other flavors
1 tablespoon agave
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
nonstick cooking spray

Instructions
Put the chicken wings in a zip top bag. In a small bowl, whisk together the tequila, lime juice and zest, harissa paste, agave and salt. Now, add the marinade to the wings and seal the bag, removing as much air as possible as you close it. Toss the wings in the marinade to coat evenly. Place in a bowl then put in the refrigerator and allow the wings to marinate for 2 to 4 hours.

Regular readers can predict my next statement.

Let them marinate more.

Last time I made these I had them marinating for about 18 hours. All I’m gonna say is giving the marinade more time to do it’s job is a good thing. Good things come to those who wait.

Cooking the Wings
First, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Since the marinade is also our glaze, make sure you don’t throw it out.

Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. I used the largest Pyrex dish I have for this. The result of this is plenty of room for the wings. Lay each wing out in the dish so they aren’t touching. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, flipping the wings half way through, until cooked through and have a deep golden brown color. Since we are being more aware of food safety lately, we should check the temperature of the wings and ensure it is about 165 degrees F.

While the wings are baking, place the marinade in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes or until it is reduced to a glaze consistency.

Finally, remove the glaze from the heat and add the cooked chicken wings. Toss to coat.

Feast.

This is a barbecue sauce recipe using Kentucky bourbon whiskey. For best results, refrigerate for a day or two, allowing the flavors to develop.

Thick and delicious, homemade sauces allow you to control flavors and the amount of salt in them.

Ingredients

1/2 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup bourbon whiskey
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, and whiskey in the skillet. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Mix in the ground black pepper, salt, ketchup, tomato paste, vinegar, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and hot pepper sauce.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Run sauce through a strainer if you prefer a smooth sauce.

Oh this is a good one.

Freshly washed blackberries, ready to use for our cobbler.

2 1/2 cups fresh blackberries, washed
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted

First you should take care of the blackberry and sugar mixture because it needs to sit for a while. Stir together just the berries and sugar in a large bowl and let it sit out for 25-30 minutes.

This will allow the juices of the blackberries to come out so that they can be sweetened by the sugar. We can then taste the true flavor of the fruit. This process is called macerating.

After about 20 minutes, you should turn on the oven to about 375º and start preparing your batter.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and milk with a wooden spoon. Next, stir in the melted butter and hand-mix it until the ingredients are well incorporated and you have few clumps.

Pick out a clean baking dish, a 9×9 Pyrex type dish will do. Pour in the batter and smooth it out. You can choose to line it with parchment paper or not, but don’t grease the pan as there is plenty of butter in the batter. Finally, pour the macerated blackberries on top with all the sugar included and evenly distribute it over the batter.

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how golden you want it. Let it set up for a good 15 minutes so it will hold its shape. It should be bubbling and will be very hot, be careful.

Serve warm or room temperature with warmed cream or fresh whipped cream. You can store this at room temperature with foil over it for 2-3 days, probably longer in the refrigerator.

I like to use this on whatever cut of beef I happen to have around.

Cook normally, I like either cook on a charcoal grill or roast in the oven.

3 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoky paprika
2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ancho powder
1 teaspoon chipotle powder

Mix ingredients well and store in airtight container. Will keep for about six months. Makes about 1 cup.

This takes some time.

But like so many of the dishes I make, it is worth the time and then some.

Don’t try to marinate this for less than 24 hours, you will wonder why it isn’t melt-in-your-mouth good.

Ingredients:
5 lbs sirloin tip roast
1⁄4 cup brown sugar
1⁄4 cup bourbon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1⁄2 cup soy sauce
1 1⁄2 cups water
1 tablespoon meat tenderizer

Directions

Sprinkle roast with tenderizer. Place in large zip lock bag and set aside mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.

Pour over roast and force as much air as possible out of bag and seal.

Marinate in refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Remove from refrigerator and let sit for 1 hour to come close to room temperature.

While roast is resting, place wood chips of your choice in bowl of water to soak.

Fill a large chimny with charcoal and let burn until a fine white ash forms on the outside of briquettes.

Place a disposable aluminum pan in center to catch drippings and pile charcoal on each side and sprinkle wood chips over both piles.

Place roast over pan and cover.

Keep at a medium temperature and check for doneness at regular intervals.

This is an excellent way to marinate and cook chicken.

Although I’ve not tried it, I am pretty sure this would work well with pork tenderloin cutlets as well.

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce
4 large garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
3 tablespoon olive oil
juice from 2 limes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 lbs of chicken

Put all ingredients in a Ziploc bag and shake it up.

Add all of your chicken to a Ziploc bag and pour in your marinade. Allow it to marinade over night.

After the meat has marinaded, cook as you wish. Grilling is excellent.

This is quick meat free dish I’ve made several times.

It’s important to note that when rinsing the chickpeas, be sure you remove the translucent husk that is on the outside of the peas. This will require some agitation of the peas in water. I like to use a strainer for this.

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 whole large onion, diced fine
salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons curry powder, any variety
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable stock
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can (13.5 ounce) coconut milk
1 tablespoon honey, more to taste
1 tablespoon sriracha or hot sauce, more to taste
Lime wedges, for serving, optional
Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Instructions
Cook the basmati rice according to the package instructions.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes, until the onions are soft and starting to turn golden. Sprinkle in the curry powder and garlic and stir, cooking for another minute or so. Pour in the vegetable stock and stir to scrape up all the brown bits in the pan. Add the coconut milk, honey and a squirt of sriracha. Bring to a boil, add the chickpeas, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, honey, or Sriracha (or lime juice, if using.)

Serve the curry over the rice. Garnish with the cilantro.