BBQ BAKED BEANS
INGREDIENTS:
¼ pound bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. dried cannellini beans, washed & picked over to remove debris or dark-colored beans
1 cup strong black coffee
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 ½ tablespoons prepared brown mustard
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
½ tsp. hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
8 cups of water
Salt
Ground black pepper
PROCEDURE:
- In a large Dutch oven, sauté bacon until fat is rendered out, add onions and garlic and cook until fragrant
- Add the rest of the ingredients – except for one tablespoon of BBQ sauce
- Bake for 4 hours at 300 degrees with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake for another 1 – 1.5 hours. Add the 1 tbs. of BBQ sauce and salt and pepper at the end of the cooking process to your desired taste.
GRILLED POTATO SALAD
INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs. baby red potatoes
½ cup celery, thinly sliced
½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
½ lb. good quality bacon
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup Dijon mustard
2 tbs. sugar
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
PROCEDURE:
- Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy and separate from rendered fat and set aside
- In boiling, salted water, par cook the potatoes until soft but still a bit firm
- Add the olive oil, salt and pepper to the reserved bacon fat and use this mixture to toss the potatoes in
- Grill the potatoes on a hot grill until they get nice marks and the potatoes are soft
- In a large bowl – whisk together mustard, mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper
- Once potatoes are cool, add all ingredients together and toss lightly
- Chill before serving
CORN SUCCOTASH
INGREDIENTS:
12 ears of summer corn (white or yellow), shucked and cleaned
1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 ½ cup red tomato, small dice
1 ½ cup red bell pepper, small dice
1 cup of blanched green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 cup of zucchini, small diceSum
¾ to 1 cup of honey lime vinaigrette
Salt and pepper
PROCEDURE:
- Grill ears of corn on an open flame grill until well charred and cooked
- Cut kernels off the cob to get roughly 6 cups of charred corn kernels
- Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, toss well
- Season with salt and pepper to taste
HONEY LIME VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup olive oil
Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
- In a blender, add everything except the oil and mix until combined
- With the blender running, add the oil in a thin stream through the hole in the lid
- Blend until well-mixed