sweet & hot rice

with the addition of raisins, and cardamon seeds, and dried hot pepper flakes, this rice give the sweetness and fire at the same time.

amounts are to your preference….
cover the bottom of the cooking vessel  with chopped leeks
add the rice (one cup)
add the liquid (two cups)
consisting of
vegetable broth
ginger garlic paste *
cardamon  seeds, about 5 pods, broken open
a dash of curry powder
a dash of cinnamon
a dash of smoked dried hot peppers.
dual stage microwave cook 10 minutes full, 10 minutes 1/2 power
when complete fluff, and stir in chopped raisins and nuts.

*in a small food processor, fill the bowl with good sized pieces of ginger and garlic, I buy extra to store for future recipes. (of course peel both). I eyeballed about equal amounts of both, add a small amount of vegetable oil. Process and slowly add more oil till the grinding produces a paste. Store in a small mason jar container and refrigerate. I chose the vegetable oil for neutrality versus olive oil. Much more efficient than buying either ginger and/or garlic paste from the market.

 

 

Smoked tabouleh chicken salad

What started as a grille setup to smoke some jalapeño  peppers ended  up as a smoky salad combination for some bulgar wheat and chicken thighs with radicchio and bok choi.

After I finished smoking the jalapenos two chicken thighs were lowered into the smoker about midway from the top grate to the charcoal level. On the top grate some bok choi leaves and two quartered pieces of radicchio were placed and the smoking began with some mesquite pellets added to the charcoal. Meanwhile a box of tabouleh mix (wheat salad) was prepared. As I like bulgar wheat this is the only product I could find at the superstore that is bulgar wheat sold under the Near East brand. As they have couscous in many styles, bulgar wheat is not readily available alone by name.Once the chicken was sufficiently cooked and the radicchio and bok choi was wilted  and smoked they were cut to salad size. Reserving the bok choi leaves. The whites of the bok choi was still crunchy and sliced.

Added to the mix was chopped tomato, and cucumber. The leaves of the bok choi are spread on the serving plate, then the rest of the chopped mixture added.

Now top with the tabouleh and sliced chicken, also feta cheese was added as garnish.

A different taste with a smoky blend of ingredients.

shopping

Summer co ntinues, mostly with light salad type meals

BBQ ll

a day to sit back an fire up the smoker , this time some beef ribs. not a large amount, 2 short sections that easily fit on the grille/smoker.

First here is the rub of 2016 ran out of last years batch BBQing the cornish hen.

I used a 4 pepper blend , thyme vs oregano and dried ancho pepper

Blend in a food processor

Apply the rub, and smoke. these only took about 2 hours, at about 325.

The result a bit overdone, but a good bark and hot flavor, serve with a dipping sauce, a hot BBq sauce is my preference. Also pork ribs are better suited for this as they have more meat on the bone if using country style ribs.

First attempt at spring rolls

With some rice paper wrappers from the Chinese/American Market, it was time to get rolling!

Any ingredient(s) will  do so I have some chicken, mushroom and corn salsa type mix that I had prepared previously. A quick lookup of recipes indicated that chopped crunchy vegetables would be a good addition. Carrots, onions and celery with lettuce was added.

I merely rinsed the rice paper under warm water for several seconds and rolled.

Done! an easy wrapper to do , not shown was a dipping sauce of hoisin sauce, thinned with double black soy sauce and a bit of chili paste added in. This type of wrapper versus tortilla type bread, lets you showcase the ingredients.

White bread with Black/White sesame seeds

Luckily, I have a convection/microwave oven in a room off the kitchen which can be closed off from the kitchen so the heat from the oven does not enter the kitchen /dining area during the heat wave. Proofing the dough goes easy in this hot and humid weather since the room temperature is in the mid 80’s or better.

Let’s hit the road!

Off the the farmers market we go, not exactly the best choice for a Sunday, the bulk of the Farmer’s Markets locations are set up  Saturday and during the week.

First stop Slater Park Farmers Market. 

Que up to the fresh fruit and veggies, broccoli crowns, cucumbers, zucchini, onions and the like available some priced by each and some by the pound. Didn’t get to note all the prices but the corn is 75 cents per ear. Cauliflower $4 each, carrots $2/lb, cukes $1 ea, green peppers $1 ea.

Specialty items available, Sacred Cow Granola and the Honey Shop. The vendors  there  offer tasting samples and an abundance of information on their products. Items considered pricey compared to store brands, but a farm to table product, a part of the cost is to support the local craft people and farmers. I couldn’t afford to shop these products often but occasionally it’s worth a purchase to taste and use these products in a recipe. The apple cider vinegar for example, will make an excellent vinaigrette dressing for greens by simply adding olive oil.

Next we’re off to the SEMAP,South eastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership farmers market Stony Creek Farm in Swansea.

Again for a Sunday not a big gathering but a few booths, here on an actual farm site.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…………………

local shopping

 

Some recent local ingredients from the Chinese American Market