Memphis-Style Ribs

It’s BBQ Time!

Kate, over at Gluten Free Gobsmacked decided to host a BBQ Party, and we are all invited!  We all picked a letter of the alphabet to plan our dish around.  I picked the letter “M” and decided to make authentic Memphis-Style Dry-Rub Ribs.  They turned out much better than I expected for a first attempt!  The meat was so tender that it was just falling off the bone.  I served my ribs with home-made cole slaw, which provided just the right amount of crunchy freshness.  (You can find the slaw recipe that I used here.)

(The photo, alas, is not mine, due to a broken camera.)

Ingredients:

1 big rack of spare ribs (you can use baby back ribs if you want, but I like the bigger spare ribs)

FOR THE RUB:

2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups hickory chips or chunks, soaked in cold water

Directions:

Wash the ribs and blot dry.

Combine the ingredients for the rub in bowl and stir to mix.  Rub as much of the mixture on both sides of the ribs as needed to coat.  If you have time, let the ribs “marinate” for a few hours in the fridge.  I didn’t, and it didn’t matter. 

Wrap the ribs tightly in aluminum foil and place in a baking pan (you don’t want a mess in the bottom of your oven).  Cook in a 325 degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours.  This will vary depending on how many ribs you are cooking and what kind they are.  You want them mostly done.

While they are cooking, prepare the grill. If using a charcoal grill, arrange the coals on one side. The meat will go on the other side, so you are cooking over indirect heat. You also want to adjust the vents so the air comes up under the coals and goes out over the meat. (If you have a gas grill, well, you are on your own.) Put the hickory chips on the fire before the ribs.

Place the ribs on the grill and cover the grill. They don’t take long on the grill, maybe 1/2 hour, because they will come out of the oven mostly (if not completely) cooked. The ribs are done when the meat is very tender and it has shrunk back from the ends of the bones. If you want to add wet sauce, add it to the ribs only a few minutes before removing them from the grill (otherwise you will burn it).

Serve, and enjoy!

Menu-Swap Monday, June 23, 2008

Welcome to the Gluten-Free Menu Swap
Monday, June 23, 2008

 

I am hosting this week’s menu-swap, an idea started by Natalie at Gluten Free Mommy as a way for us to get organized (or at least try to!) and to share our recipes, plans, ideas, and thoughts about gluten-free eating for the week.  This week’s ingredient is OREGANO.

Fresh Oregano

I chose oregano as this week’s ingredient because it is an herb that I often cook with and because I have tons growing out in my garden.  I cook a lot of Mediterranean food — whether that’s Italian, French, or Greek — all of which make use of the herb.   Oregano is also a main component of chili powder.

There are several different varieties of oregano: Greek, which is what most people are familiar with; Mexican, which is what goes in chili powder; and Italian, which is a cross between Greek oregano and sweet marjoram.

Send me those menus!  You can leave your link in the comment section or email me at kieferwilson(at)comcast(dot)com.

 

Kimberly at Living Free is joining us for the first time - Welcome!  She has a great looking menu of what I think of as comfort food:  eggplant Parmesan, pizza, and black bean burgers.  The pasta salad with red pear, walnuts and feta sound especially good.

M-Elle of Cooking & UnCooking has a great menu planned for breakfast, lunch and dinner!  (I’m lucky to be able to plan dinner.)  She’s featuring a Gingered Basa (which, I think, is a kind of fish?), RAW Chili, and a Mandarin Chicken Salad.  And head back next week when she will be hosting the menu-swap.

Sea at Book of Yum as usual, has an excellent vegetarian menu with an international flair.  Included this week is Mexican: Black Bean and Corn Soup; Japanese: Miso Eggplant and Grilled Sesame Tofu; and Indian: Cumin Rice with Chickpea and Spinach Curry.  Her “dressing” of the week is actually a chutney — a Mint Cilantro Chutney.  Sounds great!

Gluten Free Goodness has even more oregano growing in her garden than I do!  (And I’m jealous that she already has tomatoes!)  But back to the menu - it looks good too, and seems to be featuring a few things from that garden.  Nightshade stew with oregano and avocado; halibut with pesto; rotisserie grilled chicken with oregano and caramelized spring onions.

Fresh Ginger also has nice looking oregano plants - aren’t fresh herbs great!?  She’s starting today with Crab Cakes (I want your recipe); moving on to a Potato Pizza tomorrow; and then is planning on something Thai then Indian later in the week.  She also made pulled pork and a polenta sausage mozzarella casserole over this past weekend.

Asparagus Thin is aiming for simple meals this week - and it still all looks delicious!  She is planning Stuffed Tomatoes, Swedish Meatballs with a root vegetable gratin, a Caribbean Curry, Tortilla de Patata, and Baked Catfish.

Natalie at Gluten Free Mommy, menu-planned in reverse — she shopped first, then planned her menu around that.  She wrote about her experience, and found it to be much easier than expected due to all her past menus swirling around in her head.  She’ll be serving up Spaghetti with meat sauce, Black Bean Soup with Quesadillas, Sesame Chicken, Flank Steak with Spicy Asian Noodles, and then finally Pizza night!  Also, check out her menu for additional links to simple and easy recipes.

Esther at Lilac Kitchen has her menu up now too.  (She’s starting karate lessens, so watch out!)  She’s trying to increase iron levels with dark green and red meat.  Thus a menu featuring steak, potatoes and spinach; chicken tacos; omelets with cauliflower and broccoli; lamb ribs (yum!); and a potato and chickpea curry.  Keep a watch for the daring bakers’ reveal, which was apparently a big success!

Deborah at One Beggar’s Bread starts out with a description of peanut butter and honey pancake sandwiches.  Sounds good to me!  She has her menu planned out for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The week starts with several BBQ dishes, both chicken and salmon, then she’s making pizza (I’m glad you like it), and quesadillas. 

_____________________________________________________

My Menu:

Sunday:
Memphis Style Pork Ribs
Cole Slaw
(check back for the rib recipe - I’m “bringing” it to Kate’s BBQ)

Monday:
Ravioli
with homemade pesto!
(I think I have enough basil in my garden)

Tuesday:
Out to dinner with friends

Wednesday:
Something on the grill
probably kabobs
potato salad

Thursday:
Braised chicken
(Italian style with oregano and other herbs)
Gnocchi with (fresh) Sage Butter

Friday:
Pizza
(because you can’t have pizza without oregano!)

—————————————————

Possibility for the weekend:
Summer vegetable stew with braised rabbit

And I plan to bake more of Kate’s flat bread for sandwiches. It’s so easy to make, and really yummy!

 

I’m Back!

But in a limited capacity.  I broke my camera at the very beginning of my vacation, so now it has been sent off to be fixed.  Fortunately, I had bought the extended warranty that protected it against such treacherous and sneaky things as gravity (and owner stupidity).  So I am without camera for 2-4 weeks.  Ugh.  I’ll have to get creative at describing my food with words instead of pictures.

 

I am still hosting this coming week’s Gluten Free Menu Swap.  So send me those menus.  The ingredient is OREGANO.  I wish I could share a photo of my herb and vegetable garden - it’s growing like crazy!   

Adopt-A-Blogger: It’s a Wrap!

 

 

Sea at Book of Yum started an event called Adopt A Gluten Free Blogger as a way for people to discover all the great gluten-free blogs out there and try new recipes. 

This month, the event is being hosted by Thomas at The Gluten Free/Casein Free Diet Experience.  Sometime after June 9, he will have a “roundup” of all the different posts.  So be sure to check it out.

This month, I chose to adopt Kate at Gluten Free Gobsmacked.  I had originally intended to make her croissants, but I did not have the time.  However, as I have about half her site bookmarked to try, I did not have any trouble coming up with another idea.  I decided to try making her “mock lavash bread” or as she also refers to it, “gluten-free sandwich wrap Take 3.”

I thought it might be difficult to make a wrap bread, but it was actually one of the easiest breads that I’ve made.  (Way to go Kate!)  And one of the tastiest!  (Again, way to go Kate!)  The only thing I changed on the recipe was to cut back on the amount of “optional” spice that goes into it.  I added a little, but not much.  The best thing about making it is that everything more or less goes in the mixer at once.  No waiting for the yeast to proof or dough to rise.  The only remotely hard part was spreading it out thin enough, but even that wasn’t bad. 

It’s was great for lunch today and I plan to have another sandwich for dinner (to be eaten on the plane flying to vacation - yeah!)  And as you can see below, it even worked well as a breakfast “burrito.”

 

Menu-Plan June 2, 2008

Wow, I just noticed that I haven’t posted since May 19! A lot has been going on that has kept me busy.

First the big news - I finally have a job lined up for the fall (when my current boss retires). I’m so glad to be done with the whole job search and interview process. It was starting to get rather stressful.

My husband and I recently celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary at a fabulous restaurant — St. John’s Restaurant in Chattanooga, TN. I’ll have to write more about that dinner later. They never fail to provide some of the best food I’ve ever eaten, and keep it safely gluten free for me. (They even gave us each a free glass of champagne since it was our anniversary.)

And now I get to go on vacation! Yeah! We are going to Cape Cod to visit my family. It’s still a little on the cool side up there, but that will be such a nice change from the 90+ and humid I am experiencing just now. I’m almost organized. At least I don’t have to worry too much about food - just something for the actual trip up there, which really just means a few snacks. I’ve got someone looking after my house, my pets, and my plants. And work can always survive without me.

So I’ll be even more absent from my blog for a little while.

I’m a bit late in getting my menu up. Natalie, the founder of the Gluten-Free Menu Swap, is hosting this week, so check out her page for a round-up of lots great menus.  The ingredient of the week is cabbage.  I don’t have any in the house, so I think I’ll have to skip it.  Sorry!  So here’s my menu, sans cabbage:

Monday:
Grilled Sausage
Potato Salad
Garden Salad

Tuesday:
General Tso’s Chicken
Rice

Wednesday:
Pasta Primavera
(or some such pasta with vegetables)

Thursday:
Pork Roast
Roast Vegetables

Friday:
Leftovers before heading to the airport

I am hoping to make Kate’s Croissants this week. I forgot a few of the ingredients when I was shopping this weekend, so I’ll have to head to the store tomorrow. They might have to wait until I get back. I adopted her in the “Adopt a Blogger” for the sole purpose of making them, but she has so many yummy recipes, including her recent potstickers or her lavash bread, that I will get something up this week. I think I have half her blog bookmarked!

Oh, and I’ve also been working in the garden a bit.

Menu-Plan May 19, 2008 and Fish Tacos

Better late than never….

 
Monday:
Grilled Chicken
Potato Salad
Garden Salad

Tuesday:
Out to Dinner with Friends
(Big River Grille)

Wednesday:
Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

Thursday:
Out to Dinner for Anniversary (#9!)
(St. John’s Restaurant)

Friday:
Either Pizza or Burgers

 

And now for your dining pleasure…

Fish Tacos

From Food & Wine Magazine, June 2008

Ingredients:

2 Hass avocados—halved, pitted and peeled

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt

1 small jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons minced red onion

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

5 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 small head of napa cabbage, shredded (4 cups)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing

2 pounds thick red snapper fillets with skin, cut crosswise into ten 2-inch-wide strips

Ten or twelve corn tortillas, warmed

2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

Hot sauce, for serving

Lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

Light a grill. In a medium bowl, mash the avocados, sour cream, jalapeño, red onion, cilantro and 3 tablespoons of the lime juice. Season the guacamole with salt and pepper and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole.

In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Brush the fish with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderately high heat until lightly charred and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer the fish to a platter and pull off the skin.

To assemble each taco, spread a dollop of guacamole on a tortilla. Top with a piece of fish, a few tomato slices and a large spoonful of the cabbage slaw. Serve with the hot sauce and lime wedges.