If you’re a French fry foodie, you may have tried what is now the big rage; double frying the fries. It definitely makes a big difference in the crispiness and flavor. And while you have your Dutch oven out, there’s no better meal to pair those tasty fries with than classic fish and chips! You’ll be frying the potatoes before and after the fish, surprisingly with no fishy flavor. I love this dish and I hope you do too!
garlic powder
Butternut Squash Hummus with Naan Bread Bites
It’s my yummy holiday gift to you! In cooking school this week I shared a new version of hummus. This one is so seasonal and celebratory! Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus is simply spectacular, especially when paired with my all-time favorite Naan bread! So you’re getting two gifts in one! I can pretty much promise these two treats will be your new favorites all year long!
Dry Rubbed BBQ Ribs
I have no idea if it’s Kansas City, Carolina, Texas, Memphis or St. Louis style. All I know is that this dry rub is magic dust on a rib. Just in time for your summer menus, this Dry Rubbed BBQ Ribs recipe is the perfect seasoning for a meaty slab of pork or beef ribs, finished off with just a light brushing of barbecue sauce. So let’s tackle cooking first. Slow and low. It’s the only way to keep those juices moistening the meat. For the rub, don’t overpower. Generally, whatever sticks to the slab should give you just the right amount of flavor. And because BBQ sauce is loaded with sugar or honey which can burn, save it for the last 10-15 minutes, and then just lightly coat it on the slab at the end of the cooking process. You want the flavor of the rub to come through. Now for the rub. It’s an incredibly simple formula I found in an old paperback cookbook called Tasty Vittles. This rub is the perfect combination of sweet, spicy, hot and salty. You can add a slightly citrusy kick if you’re using something like a chili lime sea salt, or burn it up big time with various chili powders. I’ve been on a quest for a good basic rub that I can make ahead, keep it in a jar in the pantry, and shake out onto a slab whenever I’m craving ribs, and this is it! Start with the basic rub and then add your own special touches using some of your favorite herbs and spices, a little at a time, until you make it your own. Rub some ribs and reap the rewards this summer!
Homemade Focaccia Bread Rounds
If you were one of those enterprising folks that got caught up in the sourdough bread making frenzy during quarantine, you realize by now that the process isn’t exactly a piece of cake. (That requires another type of flour!) Sourdough bread making days, at least at my house, start early in the morning with hydrating the flour. That is followed by a technique called Autolyse which begins the gluten bonding process. Then, it’s the hours-long method of letting the dough rise, punching it down, letting it rise again, punching it down and letting it rise a third time. Finally its incorporating the add ins (like kalamata olives or rosemary) and shaping the bread for the oven. I haven’t even talked about the commitment of keeping, feeding and caring for the bread starter for years to come. (My Amish Friendship Bread starter, which I have kept alive for 14 years now, requires daily love and a babysitter when I’m on vacation!) So let’s talk about another type of bread that’s much easier to make; Focaccia. What started as a poor man’s bread in Italy has become a classic Italian sandwich or dipping bread and an American favorite! Focaccia is about as close to full-proof as any homemade bread can be, and it’s wonderful for a Panini sandwich as well as dunking it in good extra-virgin olive oil. This is the recipe for the homemade Focaccia bread we served at my restaurants for years. Enjoy!
