Cherry Good Ribs

Serves: 8

Ingredients:
8 pounds pork spareribs
1 (21-oz.) can cherry pie filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Cut ribs into serving portions of 2 to 3 ribs each.
Put ribs in a large stockpot or Dutch oven; add water to cover ribs. Season with salt, if desired. Simmer, covered, for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender. Drain; set aside.
Meanwhile, purée cherry pie filling in an electric blender or food processor. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion; cook, stirring, until onion is tender. Add pie filling, soy sauce, mustard, ginger and Worcestershire sauce; mix well. Simmer, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Reserve some sauce to serve with ribs.
Place ribs on gas grill over low heat or on charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from slow coals.
Turn ribs 3 to 4 times and brush frequently with cherry sauce.
Cook 20 to 25 minutes, or until thoroughly coated with cherry sauce.
Discard any sauce used to barbecue the meat.
Serve ribs with the reserved cherry sauce.

Culinary Cafe

Barbecued Shrimp

Jumbo shrimp at their best.
Serve this dish with warm French bread to sop up the sauce.
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 pounds medium to large shrimp in their shells, about 42
2 tbps Bayou Blast
16 turns freshly ground black pepper, in all
2 tablespoons olive oil, in all
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 bay leaves
3 lemons, peeled and sectioned
2 cups water
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 dry white wine
1/4 salt
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
12 rosemary biscuits
Peel the shrimp, leaving only their tails attached.
Reserved the shells, sprinkle the shrimp with 1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning and 8 turns of the pepper.
Use you hands to coat the shrimp with the seasonings.
Refrigerate the shrimp while you make the sauce base and biscuits.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Add the reserved shrimp shells, the remaining Creole Seasoning, the bay leaves, lemons, water, Worcestershire, wine, salt, and the remaining 8 turns black pepper.
Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat, allow to cool for about 15 minutes, and strain into a small saucepan. There should be about 1 1/2 cups. Place over high heat, bring to a boil, and cook until thick, syrupy, and dark brown, for about 15 minutes.
Makes about 4 to 5 tablespoons of barbecue sauce base.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the seasoned shrimp and saute them, occasionally shaking the skillet, for 2 minutes.
Add the cream and all of the barbecue base. Stir and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove the shrimp to a warm platter with tongs and whisk the butter into the sauce.
Remove from the heat.
Makes about 2 cups.
Mound the shrimp in the center of a platter. Spoon the sauce over the shrimp and around the plate. Arrange the biscuits around the shrimp.
Garnish with chopped chives.
Bon Apetit !

Culinary Cafe

Mignonnettes aux fraises et au poivre rose

Mignonnettes aux fraises et au poivre rose


Ingrédients pour personnes

4 mignonnettes de porc
2.5 dl de crème
1 c. à soupe de cognac
1 cl de porto blanc
500 g de fraises
1 échalote
75 g de beurre
2 c. à soupe de poivre rose en grains
1 ravier de cresson de fontaine
poivre
sel

Faire cuire et brunir les mignonnettes dans un
beurre chaud, les saler et les poivrer. Les retirer de la poêle et les
réserver au chaud sous une feuille de papier aluminium. Evacuer la graisse
excédante et arroser la poêle de porto, de cognac et de crème fraîche.
Laisser réduire correctement à feu vif puis mélanger avec les fraises
réduites en purées et tamisées.

Relever, selon votre goût, de poivre rose en grains et laisser chauffer.
Rectifier l'assaisonnement d'une pincée de sel et verser le tout sur les
mignonnettes. Garnir de bouquets de cresson de fontaine et servir avec des
pommes de terre nouvelles.

Grilled Chile Wings

Many years ago, on my first trip to Buffalo NY, I was caught by the intense and fiery flavor of the Buffalo Wings (or Evil Wings) that help one swallow some dozen beer during the happy hour.
Since then I am always trying to cook some similiar appetizer whenever I am barbecuing at my home or at my friend´s houses.
I already did a number of variations - this one is not so hot but it´s tasty too.
If you do have your own recipe for that - lets us try it too.

Grilled Chile Wings

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
24 chicken wings
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Carrot and celery sticks

Use side burner or preheat grill.
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and let boil for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, pour into a large bowl and let cool.
Add chicken wings to the marinade and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
Grill over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve with celery and carrot sticks.

This recipe by Culinary Cafe Web Site

BRAZILIAN FEIJOADA

Actually in has been since long I have a desire to share food recipes using various spices.
Trading spices for longtime and being a food lover, I would love to learn new cooking experiences and share the mines.
The problem is that I´ve no idea how to start...

Well will try like this: Creating a blog ( no idea how it works ) a post a recipe.
Hope some people may come in try a recipe and possibly coment and even send back one of theirs...
Will begin with something Brazilian - because I`am brazilian and love this dish.

Every Wendesday and Saturday lunch millions of brazilian have a FEIJOADA for lunch.

So here´s a receipt that I got from a nice website www.brazilbrazil.com .
Actually I never tryied this feijoada - in Brazil each restaurant or household has his own recipe - but the website is nice and the most important - they allow to publish it for free !

That´s a nice beginning I guess....


BRAZILIAN FEIJOADA
(Trimmed-down version, for the cholesterol-conscious)

Reputedly introduced in Brazil by black slaves as early as the sixteenth century, "feijoada" -- a bean potpourri type dish -- is roughly the Brazilian equivalent of our American "soul food".
It is without a doubt the country's national dish.
It is in fact so popular throughout Brazil that most restaurants, from the humblest inner-city " lanchonete" to the sophisticated hotels lining the Bahia and Rio shores, designate specific days in which "feijoada" is served at lunch time as "o prato do dia" -- the day's special. Other eateries pride themselves in the fact that they serve it every day and advertise it in the yellow pages and/or in conspicuous blackboards outside their premises.

Cachaca, Pinga, Capirinha
Since "feijoada" is in general a particularly "heavy" dish, it is only served at noon.
The recommended post-feijoada activity is a nap.

Because of the high fat content in the true feijoada, Brazilians believe that it must be watered-down with a "caipirinha"," a mixture of lime juice, sugar and "cachaça" or "pinga," a strong liquor derived from sugar cane (often better than 100% proof!!!).
Like its Mexican counterpart, the margarita, the "caipirinha" -- also known as "batida" and "caipir¡ssima" -- is made with lots of crushed ice, in a cocktail shaker. Hence the name "batida" or shake. As of the last few years, middle and upper-class Brazilians, particularly of the female gender, have been turning to the "capivodka," which utilizes a far less detectable base...

In a real feijoada, or as the Brazilians say, "uma feijoada leg¡tima," every part of the pig is thrown into the pan. It is also a known fact that the sight of the pig's ear, tail or snout floating in the feijoada will upset the gringos. So feijoada is often made -- to the dismay of the traditionalists -- with only the noble parts of the pig.
This reduces the fat content and makes it visually less offensive to gringos.

Rice is the main staple of Brazilian cuisine. As such, it is only too logical that it be the ideal companion for the "feijoada." This main dish is customarily presented with "farofa" (mandioca meal fried with a variety of ingredients that include bacon, garlic, onion and boiled eggs). Another side dish is "couve mineira" (collard or mustard greens cut in very thin strips and fried at the last minute in oil, garlic, and bacon). In addition, the presentation features "fatias de laranja" or orange slices. The citric acid in the oranges is also supposed to counteract the fat in the pork. The meal is then topped off with what is lovingly referred to as "Romeu e Julieta," a side dish made up of "queijo mineiro" (a special soft cheese from the state of Minas Gerais, vaguely resembling our Monterey jack) and a slice of "goiabada" a dark sweet paste made with the guava fruit.

What follows is one of many recipes intended to introduce the uninitiated to the art of making Brazil's culinary claim-to-fame. Try your hand at it soon and GOOD LUCK!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS (serves ten-fifteen)

1 lb. black beans
1 lb. smoked ham hocks
1 of each: pork foot, ear, tail, tongue (optional)
1 lb. Mexican "chorizo," "pepperoni" or Brazilian "linguiça"
1/2 lb. Chunk of lean Canadian bacon or Brazilian "carne seca"
1/2 lb. Smoked pork or beef ribs
3-4 strips of smoked bacon
1/2 lb. lean pork
1/2 lb. lean beef
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
salt to tasteblack
pepperhot sauce (optional)
short prayer (in Portuguese or English) that your "feijoada" will be edible.

PREPARATION
Soak beans overnight in large container.
Next morning, cook beans for 4-5 hours at low heat.
Place ham hocks, chorizo, ribs and Canadian bacon in deep pan with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Change water and bring to a new boil, repeating the procedure at least three times to tenderize cured meats and remove excess fat.
In a large frying pan saut‚ onion and garlic using either vegetable or olive oil (smoked bacon strips optional) for two or three minutes. Toss in cubed pork and beef. Saut‚ an additional two-three minutes.
Mash 5-l0 tablespoons of beans and add to large pot. The resulting paste will thicken sauce.
Add two tablespoons of olive oil, three garlic cloves all chopped-up or mashed, along with a tablespoon of white vinegar and a teaspoon of red-hot pepper.
Stir, heat over medium fire for two-three minutes, then transfer to contents of frying pan. (You may use two frying pans, if necessary) Let simmer for l0-l5 minutes.
Add contents of frying pan(s) to the beans and let boil at medium heat for 1-2 hours.

Serve over rice, with additional red-hot sauce, if desired.
APROVEITEM A FEIJOADA! ENJOY!