Tag: main course
Smoked Chimichurri Spareribs
Smoked Chimichurri Spareribs
I love ribs like there’s no tomorrow. I’m always trying to come up with new ways of preparation. I’ve been on this Argentinian kick and felt that it was time to smoke some ribs and introduce chimichurri sauce to them. The ribs marinated for a day in a garlic and onion base marinade, then smoked with hickory wood for 3 hours. For the last hour of smoking, I brushed on a layer of chimichurri sauce. The ribs turned out absolutely phenomenal. Tender enough to cut in between the bones with a butter knife. I served them with my chimichurri green bean salad and some smoked provoleta in a cast iron skillet with some crusty bread.
Equipment
- food processor
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- 4 lb spare ribs
- chimichurri sauce
Rib Marinade
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
Wood Chips
- hickory
Instructions
- Blend all of the marinade ingredients together in a food processor.
- Marinate the spareribs for 24 hours in a gallon sized storage bag.
- Take the ribs out of the marinade and place on a rack on a baking sheet. Let dry out in the refrigerator for a day. Then let rest at room temperature for an hour before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Place the ribs in the smoker and smoke for 3 hours.
- Brush a liberal amount of chimichurri sauce on the ribs. Smoke for 1 more hour.
- Let the ribs sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Nepali Chicken Momo
Nepali Chicken Momo
Momos are steamed dumplings found in various forms all over South Asia in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and the Himalayan region of India. The dumpling are typically made out of a basic flour dough, filled with ground meat (lamb, chicken, beef, and even yak), herbs, and spices. They get steamed in a bamboo steamer and served with harissa and a tomato pickle relish. They require a little work, but are still fairly simple to make. I recommend making a large batch, freeze down in a single layer on a baking sheet, then store in a gallon sized freezer bag. That way, you can have momos anytime you want.
Equipment
- rolling pin
- bamboo steamer
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 lb ground chicken thigh
- 1 cup white onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup green onions finely chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 dried red chili grohnd
Wrapper Dough
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix all of the filling ingredients together. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before filling the momos.
- Mix all of the dough ingredients together. Knead for 5 minutes. Cover with a wet paper towel and let sit for 30 minutes.
Assembly
- Portion out 1” dough balls on a well floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough balls into a 4” disc. Place a tbsp of the filling in the center.
- Crimp over the edges to seal.
- You should yield at least 30 momos.
Cooking
- Bring 2” of water to a boil in a pot. Rub oil on the grates of the bamboo steamer. This will keep the momos from sticking. Place the momos in the steamer, making sure that they don’t touch one another.
- Steam for 15-20 minutes.
Chicken Fatteh
Chicken Fatteh
In Arabic, fatteh means “crumbs”, which is what chicken fatteh is: leftovers turned into something new. This Lebanese dish was created from leftover toasted pita bread, roast chicken, and chickpeas. Pine nuts and fresh parsley are added to the mix. Then a garlicky yogurt sauce is poured over the dish and everything get mixed together. Obviously, if you don’t have these as leftovers, you can toast your own pita chips and sauté the chicken.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas drained
- 2 pita bread cut into 1 1/2” cubes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup pine nuts or almonds
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into small cubes
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- salt and white pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp parsely finely chopped
Garlic Yogurt Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cut the pita bread into 1” pieces. Toss with olive oil. Season with salt.
- Place on a rack on a baking sheet. Toast in a preheated 400 degree oven for 8 minutes until crispy. Set aside.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Toast the pine nuts for 1 minute. Remove from the pan.
- Add in the chicken. Season with garlic powder, ground coriander, thyme, paprika, salt, and white pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes until cooked completely through. Set aside.
- Heat up olive oil in a small pot over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the yogurt, tahini, and salt. Simmer over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes until warm, consistently stirring. The yogurt sauce should not ever be brought to a boil.
- Equally divide the ingredients between 2 bowls, placing each ingredient next to each other in a circular pattern.
