Tag: main course
Sausage and Peppers
Sausage and Peppers
Sausage and peppers was brought to New York by Southern Italians, where it was first served in 1927 during the Feast of San Gennaro. While great on its own, this comfort food can be served with pasta and sauce, polenta, or on a hoagie bun with mozzarella cheese. This recipe can also be prepared in an oven.
Ingredients
- 4 Italian pork sausages
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red bell pepper sliced
- 1 large green bell pepper sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- hoagie buns optional
- shredded mozzarella cheese optional
- parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Simmer the Italian sausages in 1” deep water in a large sauté pan over medium heat for 10 minutes; flipping halfway through. Remove from the pan.
- Heat up the olive oil in the same pan over medium heat. Sauté the peppers and onions for 5 minutes.
- Add in the Italian sausages. Brown for 5 minutes on the first side.
- Flip the sausages. Brown for 5 minutes. Add in the garlic. Cook for a minute. Stir in the red wine vinegar, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Cook for another minute.
Garlic Scape and Pork Stir Fry
Garlic Scape and Pork Stir Fry
Garlic scapes are really popular in Chinese stir fries. Scapes are the stems and flower buds of garlic bulbs; being a great substitute for garlic, leeks, green onions, and Chinese chives. This stir fry utilizes garlic scapes with marinated pork, cooking in only 5 minutes.
Ingredients
Pork and Marinade
- 1 lb boneless pork shoulder cut into small strips
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
Stir Fry
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil divided
- 2 tsp ginger grated
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 1 lb garlic scapes trimmed; cut into 2” pieces
- 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 2/3 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Mix together the pork and marinade in. Marinate for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pork from the marinade and save the juices.
- Heat up 1 1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a wok over medium high heat. Sauté the pork for 1 minute on each side. Remove from the wok.
- Add in the rest of the vegetable oil. Stir in the ginger and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add in the carrots and scapes. Cook for 1 minute. Add the cooking wine and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Pour in the chicken stock. Cook for 30 seconds covered. Add the pork and its Cook for juices back in; along with the white pepper, sugar, sesame oil, and soy sauce uncovered. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook for 15 seconds. Remove from the heat.
Grilled Baby Back Ribs
Grilled Baby Back Ribs
You definitely can say that making ribs is my thing. I’m more of a fan of spare ribs, but when I see a nice rack of baby backs, it’s hard to pass up. These were quite meaty being a 3lbs rack and needed to be mine. I typically do everything but straight up traditional bbq ribs, but I felt now was a good time to demonstrate how to do a simple version of ribs on the grill.There are a few things to know when making grilled bbq ribs. First, there is a membrane on the bottom side of the rack. Some people like it removed; others don’t care. Ask your butcher to remove it for you if you desire it off. Second, it is easier to handle half racks of ribs instead of full racks. So cut the ribs in half unless you’re looking for a full rack presentation. Lastly, use your favorite dry rub and bbq sauce. You know what you like. I used a rib dry rub that my girlfriend Val prefers on pork. She also made the homemade bbq sauce for this recipe. If you don’t have a particular dry rub that you like, I recommend salt, pepper, garlic, smoked paprika, and a little cayenne pepper if you like spice.The type of charcoal you use makes a difference. While I like using hardwood charcoal for flavor, it burns fast and more will need to be added since these ribs take more than an hour to grill. For these ribs, I used charcoal briquettes. They burn hotter and will last the whole rib grilling process. For the majority of the time, the ribs will be cooked indirectly. After they’re seared, it’s a low and slow process. A 3lbs rack will take at least an hour to grill; flipping every 5-10 minutes to ensure even cooking; plus at least 15 more minutes of grilling with the bbq sauce on.
Equipment
- chimney starter
- charcoal
- charcoal grill
- brush
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back ribs about 3lbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup rib rub
- bbq sauce
Instructions
- Rub your ribs with olive oil. Aggressively season with your favorite rib rub. Let rest for 2 hours.
- Start your charcoal in a chimney starter until they are grey. Pour them on one side of the grill in a single layer. Place the grate on the grill. Brown the ribs on the top side for 8-10 minutes with the cover on the grill.
- Flip them over and brown 8-10 minutes on the other side with the cover on.
- Move the ribs to the outer edge of the charcoal. Grill for 40 minutes, flipping every 5-10 minutes to ensure even cooking. Brush on bbq sauce and grill for 10 minutes with the cover on.
- Let the ribs rest for 10 minutes before cutting in between the bones.
