Pulled Pork BBQ — KC Style

     KC is known for BBQ and we are definitely fans of Gates products. Several years ago I saw Ollie Gates on a Martha Stewart show; he shared his recipes for his famous rub and sauce and we’ve made them ever since. They were the inspiration for this pork BBQ that is great for sandwiches.

Pulled Pork BBQ

1 large onion, diced

Olive oil

1 bone-in pork butt or roast, about 4 pounds

Gates BBQ Rub, about ½ cup+

Gates BBQ Sauce, about 1½ cups+

1.     In a large pot, sauté the chopped onion in olive oil.

2.     Massage the pork liberally with Gates BBQ Rub on all sides. Add to the pot of onions and brown the top and bottom.

Rub covers surface of pork.

3.     Transfer pot to a 250° oven. Or, transfer pork to an electric roaster or slow cooker. Add about 1 cup of water and spoon Gates BBQ Sauce liberally over the top of the pork. Cover and roast in oven (or electric roaster) about 3½ to 4 hours or until meat falls apart; check several times during the baking process, adding more sauce as needed. If using a slow cooker, cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours. 

4.     When tender, use a fork to separate large chunks of meat; remove any larger pieces of fat. Add more sauce if desired.

After cooking, pork was so tender that it literally fell apart.
I used a fork to separate larger chunks.

Serving Suggestion: Pile pulled pork onto a bun; drizzle with additional BBQ Sauce and top with coleslaw or, serve it on the side.

Remembering Dee – My Best Banana Nut Cake

Dee's cade iced with caramel frosting and sprinkled with
chopped walnuts & the 2003 article about her cooking skills.

     Today, March 9, is the date of Dee Robinson’s birth. In 2003 she celebrated her 70th birthday at a dinner hosted by her daughter, Joanna Berry. But, according to Joanna, “She always insisted on making her own birthday cake every year!”

     In April of that year I interviewed her for my monthly food column. I was impressed with her enthusiasm for cooking, baking, gardening, family and . . . LIFE in general!

     One of the recipes she provided for the article was for a banana cake. Dee found this recipe in a 1953 Better Homes and Gardens magazine and it was one of her favorites.
     Although I did make her cake recipe exactly as directed, rather than serving it “banana split” style (as specified in the instructions), I iced it with a quick caramel frosting.

    This recipe, along with others that Dee provided, can be found in the second edition (2002-2003) of Home Cooking, Dickinson County Style cookbook, available at the Dickinson County Heritage Center. 

Scents of food stir up childhood memories, cooking for and feeding someone is one of the sweetest gestures in the world, even watching someone eat can be a delight. Food and love are undeniably connected.

-- quote from Savory.tv 

My Best Banana Nut Cake  Yield:  Two 8” square or 9” round cakes

2/3 cup solid shortening, such as Crisco®

2½ cups cake flour*

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

1¼ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

About 3 sieved bananas (to yield 1¼ cups) -- Dee freezes them and then they slip right of peel when thawed (instead of sieving, I just mashed them)

2/3 cup buttermilk

½ cup or 2 large eggs

2/3 cup chopped nuts (Dee prefers English walnuts)

For the topping: sweetened whipped cream; banana slices and maraschino cherries for garnish, if desired.

1.     Preheat oven to 350°. Line two 8”x8”x2” square or 9”x1”x1/2” round cake pans with parchment or waxed paper. Spray pan with pan release (such as Pam®).

Pan Preparation — Cut parchment paper to fit the inside of  pans for easy removal of cakes after baking.

2.     Place shortening in mixing bowl; stir just to soften.

3.     Sift in dry ingredients; add bananas.

Sifting — I use a fine mesh strainer and push the dry ingredients through with a silicon spatula.

4.     Add half the buttermilk; mix until all flour is dampened. Then beat vigorously 2 minutes. 

5.     Add remaining buttermilk, eggs and beat 2 minutes longer; fold in nuts.

Mixing Batter —  This is a thick batter.

6.     Divide batter among prepared pans.

Dividing Batter — Divide batter between two pans.
It helps to use an offset spatula to level and spread the thick batter.

7.     Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. 

8.     Cool baked cake on rack.

Cooling — Baked cakes cook on wire racks.

Loosening Edges — Kitchen knife is  carefully run around pan's edge to loosen cake

The Flip (step 1) — Place a piece of waxed paper and a cooling rack on top of cooled cake.

The Flip (step 2) —Flip over.

Transfer Complete — Remove cake pan; cake is now resting, bottom side up, on waxed paper.

Finishing: Spread cooled cake with whipped cream and garnish with bananas and cherries, if desired.

*Cake flour is made predominantly of soft wheat with a lower gluten content (all-purpose has about an 11% gluten content while cake flour weighs in at about 6-8%) . Its fine texture and high starch content make it ideal for making tender cakes, cookies, biscuits, and pastries that do not need to stretch and rise much.

Although the results make not be totally the same, this is the recommended interchange if you don’t have cake flour on hand — 1 cup of all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons plus 2 tbsp cornstarch  as a substitute for cake flour

Quick Caramel Frosting

8 tablespoons (one stick) butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed + 1 tablespoon molasses (or use 1 cup dark brown sugar)

¼ cup whole milk

2 to 2¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.     Place the butter and the brown sugar in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir and cook until the mixture comes to a boil, about 2 minutes.

Heating the ingredients over medium heat.

2.     Add the milk, stir and bring the mixture back to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat.

Milk has been added.

3.     Add 2 cups powdered sugar and vanilla. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mix and beat until frosting becomes smooth and thickens (add the additional ¼ cup powdered sugar if needed).

I used the wire whip for the Kitchen Aid mixer to beat the frosting.

4.     While the frosting is still warm, use a spreader to immediately ice the cake. If the frosting begins to stiffen, dip the spreader into warm water or, add a few drops of warm water to the frosting. 

Preparing Cake for Frosting — Rounded top of the first layer was trimmed off with a serrated knife so that the cake would set flat.

Placing 1st Layer on Cake Plate — First layer has been inverted onto cake plate, cut side down.

Adding the Filling — First layer has been covered with a thick layer of frosting that serves as the cake's filling.

Adding the 2nd Layer — Second layer of cake is centered over first, rounded side up.

Frosting Top & Sides of Cake: Remaining frosting is piled on top and spread over top and sides.

GOING GREEN WITH GRATIN! Broccoli & Cauliflower Gratin

I’m “going green” in March because it’s just the thing to do and also because I am a judge for an international St. Patrick themed recipe challenge sponsored by Very Good Recipes (Details follow the recipe.) 

About My Recipe:

     I’ve been wanting to combine broccoli and cauliflower to create a gratin for sometime so, this veggie dish seemed to be an appropriate way to introduce the March Saint-Patrick Challenge.

     The word gratin can refer to a dish that is prepared in the au gratin style, which means that it's topped with seasoned bread crumbs and cheese and then baked. Gratin can also refer to a flat, oval shaped dish with handles on each end. Perhaps the most popular gratin recipe is Potatoes au Gratin but other vegetables are often prepared in a similar style.

     For our green gratin (made in Kansas, USA), I combined broccoli with cauliflower and simply baked it in a square casserole dish.  I used a velouté sauce instead of the customary béchamel (white sauce). It is identical to a white sauce except that light-colored stock (chicken, veal, fish, vegetable) is used in place of the milk. 
    Or, if you're not into just white, leave out the broccoli and increase the cauliflower for Cauliflower Gratin.

 

Broccoli & Cauliflower Gratin  Makes a 9”x 9” casserole or double the amounts for a 13”x 9” dish

2½ cups broccoli florets (about ¾ to 1 lb.)

2½ cups cauliflower florets (about 1 lb.)

1 cup stock or broth (beef, chicken or vegetable)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ to ½ teaspoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the stock)

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Dash cayenne pepper

1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese – divided use

¼ to 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

Drizzle of olive oil

1.     Preheat oven to 425°. Spray baking dish with cooking spray.

2.     Vegetable Prep — Cook broccoli in large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes or until almost tender. Remove with slotted spoon and place in a large bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Add cauliflower to boiling water; cook 3 minutes or until almost tender. Place in ice water. Remove both vegetables to a colander and drain well; pat dry. Place in prepared baking dish.

Adding the cooked broccoli & cauliflower to ice water stops the cooking & helps broccoli retain it's bright green color.

3.     Velouté Sauce — Over low heat in saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth and cook 3 to 5 minutes to develop flavor. Remove from heat and add stock or broth; return to medium heat and stir constantly until sauce is smooth and thickened. (Thickened sauce should coat a spoon. Run your finger down the back of the spoon – a clean line should form and hold,) Then add ¼ tsp. salt and continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes to improve flavor; add black pepper, dry mustard, cayenne and ½ cup Cheddar cheese. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed. Pour sauce over vegetables. 

Start the sauce by melting the butter over low heat.
For additional explanations, see our béchamel link.  

4.     Topping — Place panko in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil (just enough to lightly coat bread crumbs – they need this in order to brown). Distribute over vegetables and then sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese.

5.     Baking — Bake, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Make Ahead – Prepare recipe through step 4; refrigerate. About 20 to 30 minutes before ready to bake, remove dish from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature; bake as directed in step 5.

VGR Challenge Badge

PLEASE CONSIDER THIS YOUR OFFICIAL INVITATION to enter the challenge or if you’d prefer, just follow the progress at Very Good Recipes . . . and find out how people around the world are going green!

The other judges for the contest include:

•           Angie from Big Bear's Wife

•           Antonella from Sapori in Concerto

•           Colette from Cakes, Bakes and other Bits

•           Dima from Dima's Kitchen

•           Drina from Eaternal Zest

•           Marta from Princess Misia Recipes

•           Maslinka from Ja u kuhinji

•           Pauline from Poppy Cooking

•           Stefania from Big Shade

Challenge runs from Friday March 9, 2012 until Sunday April 1, 2012.

Contest Rules as posted on Very Good Recipes:

·      There must be at least one picture in your recipe, and both the recipe and picture need to be your own. If your recipe is inspired by another, please mention it in your recipe.

·      You cannot use an already published recipe to participate in the challenge, you need to publish a new recipe (otherwise there's no challenge!)

·      We would love to have participations from all around the world, including from blogs in languages other than English. Please do include an English translation of your recipe in your post though. :-) If you need help with the translation (proofreading etc.), we will be glad to help if we can.

·      You can participate with only one recipe.

For Additional Contest Information — go to Very Good Recipes of Saint-Patrick Challenge   

Who Knew? Meatballs are the NBT! Spaghetti & Meatballs

   A while back I posted a Basic Meatball recipe. I like to make up a batch of these and use them in a variety of ways . . . including pulling out a few for somewhat traditional-style spaghetti and meatballs.

    Didn’t realize when I first posted the recipe that meatballs are the NBT (next big thing) in the food world. Almost immediately I had a note (on Linkedin) from Ronnie Fein concerning an article she had written for MediaNews-Hears. And, since then, I’ve noticed that meatballs have been featured in every cooking magazine that I’ve leafed through.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Meatballs (if using frozen meatballs, thaw them)

Olive oil

Marina Sauce (see recipe that follows) or use your favorite

Spaghetti, cooked according to package directions.

Parmesan cheese

1.  Meatballs — heat up some olive oil in a large heavy pot or skillet. When the oil’s hot, add a few of the meatballs; remove when they are brown on the outside (do not cook through as they will finish cooking in the sauce later; repeat until as many meatballs as needed are browned.

Brown a few of the meatballs at a time.

2.  Sauce — In the same pot or skillet, add prepared sauce. Or, if making from scratch, remove all meatballs and prepare the sauce in this pan.

3.  Adding Meatballs to Sauce — With the pot or skillet set on medium-high heat, add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for about 30 more minutes. Stir a couple of times as they heat.

4.  Serve meatballs over prepared spaghetti and top with Parmesan cheese.

Basic Marinara Sauce

¼ cup+ olive oil

1 medium to large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

2  bay leaves

1.  In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.

2.  Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Sauté until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

3.  Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. 

Rice, Cheddar & Spinach Pie — What this dish needs is . . . a one-of-a-kind pottery pie plate!

He's not in the kitchen!
Barry at work in his workshop

     While I’ve been in the kitchen, Barry’s been outside working in his man cave (i.e. workshop). After months of manual labor, he has the shop insulated and hopefully is at a point where he will again start making pottery. Although we have quite a collection of his handmade kitchenware and other decorative pieces throughout the house I am certainly looking forward to some new pieces!

     While he’s been outside, I’ve been in the kitchen trying out new recipes and this is my latest experiment. It’s inspiration came from the March/April 2012 issue of EatingWell magazine. This is what they said about it, “This rice, spinach and Cheddar pie is a cinch to prepare—especially if you have leftover cooked rice. If you don’t, follow package directions for 4 servings to get about 3 cups cooked rice.”

     Of course, I can never leave well enough alone . . . and since I had both fresh spinach and kale on hand, I used them instead of the frozen spinach called for in the original recipe. Seasoned salt replaced the regular salt and, I added some hot sauce! We deemed it quite suitable for brunch or a meatless meal. But, I’m thinking a nice, deep-dish hand-thrown pottery pie plate would make it even better! And, I really need a few other things as well! 

A shelf of pottery in Barry's studio.

Rice, Cheddar & Spinach Pie    6 servings

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

About 16 to 18 oz. fresh spinach or, a combination of spinach and kale (removed from stems & chopped)  

3 cups cooked brown rice (could use instant or quick-cooking)

1 to 1½ cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (the recipe called for 1 cup but I thought it could have used a little more – also think a spicy cheese blend would be good)

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ teaspoon seasoned salt

4 large eggs

¼ cup milk

1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce (such as Tabasco®)

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a 9” pie pan with cooking spray.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Add spinach (or spinach-kale combination); add lid and left cook on low until greens are wilted. Let cool slightly.

The greens have wilted.

3. Add rice, cheese, pepper and salt to the skillet and stir to combine.

4. Whisk eggs, milk and hot sauce in a medium bowl. Stir into the spinach-rice mixture. Transfer to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Pie is ready to go into the oven.

5. Bake the pie until lightly browned in spots, about 25 minutes.

6. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.

I served fresh veggies with a wedge-cut of pie.

My Pottery Wish List:
(Barry – this is a hint . . . in case you haven’t figured that out)

This small mixing bowl
is very handy.

I can always use more plates and goblets!

This big bowl is perfect
for bread dough.

Peanut & Jelly Power Bars . . . finally a homemade granola-type bar that makes the grade!

    Last fall ABC Nightline crews were in Greeley, Colorado at one of the public school’s cafeteria. Juju Chang interviewed our nephew, Jeremy West, nutrition services director for Weld County District 6.

     Jeremy’s been on the forefront of Colorado’s back-to-scratch lunchroom cooking movement and his staff is involved with the Cook for America program that is also designed to promote healthier eating.

     On 1/24/2012 the Nightline show aired and related news stories were available in print and on the Internet. A recipe for Aspen Power Bars, linked to one of the articles, caught my eye.

     Full of oatmeal, fruit and either sunflower seeds or nuts, they reminded me of granola bars. Up to this point, my attempts to make a decent homemade bar have been dismal! Generally they crumble into hundreds of pieces or threaten to break our teeth as we struggle to take a bite!

     Based on past results, I did cut the recipe in half (just in case). And, of course, since Barry doesn’t care for coconut, I removed it and made a few other adjustments along the way.

     And . . . these granola-type bars actually made the grade! Flavorful, moist and, they cut without crumbling.

     They are full of protein (peanut butter and dry milk) and fiber. But, despite the fact that I did reduce some of the some of the sources of sugar, there is still quite a bit of it in the recipe.

     Below is my variation and following the recipe is a link to the original one and to a couple of stories about Jeremy’s lunchroom program.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bar —Aspen Power Bars (w/out the coconut)

Dry Ingredients:

1½ cups of dry, old fashioned oats

¼ cup packed brown sugar

¾ teaspoon Kosher salt

¾ cup sunflower seeds or chopped nuts (I used sunflower seeds)

¾ cup of powdered dry milk

¼ cup cup raisins

¼ cup cup dried cranberries

Wet Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter

¼ cup honey

Heaping ½ cup peanut butter

1 heaping teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup seedless raspberry jelly

1.     Line a 8½” x 12” sheet pan (termed a fourth pan in a commercial kitchen) with foil that overlaps the edges of the pan and spray with nonstick pan spray. (The foil allows you to easily lift the bars out of the pan after they have been baked and cooled.)

Check out our detailed instructions for lining pan with foil.
Yes, the recipe is on my i-Pad in the background!

2.     Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of a mixer.

3.     In a saucepan, melt butter, and then add honey, peanut butter, vanilla extract and jam. Stir until all items melt and are combined.

4.     Pour melted ingredients over dry ingredients; mix ingredients well.

5.     Press firmly into prepared fourth sheet pan.

A latex glove is ideal for pressing the mixture into the pan.

6.     Bake at 400º (350º for convection oven) for 10 to 15 minutes.

7.     Cool. Grab edges of foil and pull bars out of pan. Remove foil and cut into bars.

Look - no crumbling bars!

Original recipe for Aspen Power Bars

Related Stories:

Schools Restore Fresh Cooking to the Cafeteria

Cook For America Swaps Mystery Meat for Homemade Meat Sauce, One School Cafeteria At a Time