Vietnamese Shrimp Pops with Peanut Sauce

Here's a great recipe from Weber's Way to Grill. As far as technique goes, this is fairly easy, but it tastes like you put a lot of effort into it.

Serves: 4 to 6
Prep time: 30 minutes
Chilling time: 30 minutes to 1 hour

WAY TO GRILL: direct high heat (450° to 550°F)
GRILLING TIME: 4 to 6 minutes
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

Sauce
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, stirred
1⁄3 cup old-fashioned peanut butter, stirred
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon hot chili sauce, such as Sriracha
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Shrimp Pops
1 pound ground pork
¾ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
2 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup vegetable oil

Directions:
1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan combine the sauce ingredients. Place over medium heat and cook (but do not simmer), whisking constantly, just until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes (the sauce will thicken further as it cools). Remove from the heat.

2. In a food processor or blender, pulse the shrimp pop ingredients and process until a chunky paste is formed. Pour the vegetable oil onto a sheet pan and brush it evenly all over the surface. Using 2 spoons, shape the mixture into small ovals or quenelles, placing them on the oiled sheet pan as you make them. Turn them, making sure they are well coated with oil. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour to firm up the texture.

3. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat.

4. Place a quenelle on the end of each skewer. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the shrimp pops over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until they are opaque throughout, 4 to 6 minutes, turning once or twice (cut one open with a sharp knife to test for doneness). Arrange the shrimp pops on a serving platter. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.

©2009 Weber-Stephen Products Co. Recipe from Weber’s Way to Grill™ by Jamie Purviance.

Grilled Pork with Bourbon Whiskey Marinade

Recipe courtesy of: Kittencal

Your going to love this marinade!..

Plan ahead, there is a marinating time of 8-24 hours, you should have enough marinade for a small pork roast or 2 tenderloins or 7 (3/4-inch) pork chops… if you are rationing your bourbon you may reduce to 1/3 cup but 1/2 cup is better to use.

Yield 2-1/4 cups (approx)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (use only low-sodium)

1/2 cup bourbon whiskey

1/4 cup Worcestershires sauce

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh minced gingerroot (or use 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger powder)

3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon Montreal steak seasoning spice (or can use 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper)

Do not add in any salt to the marinade

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.

Pour over 2 pork tenderloins or 7 3/4-inch thick pork chops or a small pork roast

Cover and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

Remove the pork and discard marinade.

Grill as desired.

Mexican 4-Layer Tortilla Stack

Here is a wonderful recipe adapted from a very similar recipe by my friend Kittencal

Serves 4-6

3/4 pound ground chuck (You could substitute both meats with 1 1/2 pounds of bulk hot sausage for extra flavor)
3/4 pound ground pork
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 ounces taco seasoning mix (2 envelopes)
1 1/2 cups of water or whatever amount is required by taco mix
1 10-ounce can tomatoes with chiles (Rotel is a good one)
5 10-inch flour tortillas
2 16-ounce cans refried beans, divided
1 cup sour cream, divided
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, divided (use more or less to taste)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set oven rack on lowest position.
Grease a 10-inch round cake pan or round casserole dish.
Saute both meats together along with garlic, onion, and bell pepper until no longer pink. Drain fat and add taco seasoning mix, tomatoes with chilies, and water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Assembly
Assemble in the order given, as the beans protects the tortillas from absorbing too much moisture. Place one tortilla into the bottom of the pan, and assemble layers as follows:

• spread 1/2 cup of the refried beans on top only of the first tortilla
• sprinkle with 1 cup meat mixture making sure the meat stays on the beans
  
• spread 1/4 cup sour cream
• sprinkle 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• sprinkle 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  
• spread 1/2 cup of the refried beans on one side of a tortilla, turn it over and place it on the stack, then spread 1/2 cup beans on the top of the same tortilla resulting in beans being on both sides
  
• repeat layering procedure 3 more times or until you run out of ingredients
  
• end with the fifth tortilla with beans spread on the bottom only

Wrap in foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes. Then sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and return to oven for about 5 minutes or just until the cheese melts.

NOTE: I used a squeeze bottle to apply the sour cream and worked great. Also, I found it necessary to press down on the stack after each tortilla to level it out a bit.

Slow Cooker Country-Style Pork Ribs

Another great Kittencal recipe.

Notes from our test kitchen; do not substitute pancake syrup for maple syrup it does not work well in the recipe, use you favorite honey barbecue sauce, do not use a smokey flavor sauce, this also works well using thicker cut pork steaks… a 5-quart slow cooker is needed for this recipe

Servings 6

Ingredients:

1 large onion or 2 smaller onions, sliced

4 large garlic cloves, sliced in half (garlic lovers can use more)

2-1/2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs

1 (18-ounce) bottle of honey barbecue sauce

pinch cayenne pepper, or adjust to taste

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup spicy brown mustard (I use French’s spicy brown mustard)

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste

Instructions:

Place the onion slices and garlic clove halves into the bottom of the slow cooker, place the ribs on top.

In a bowl combine barbecue sauce with cayenne pepper, maple syrup, brown mustard and black pepper; pour over the ribs.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours or until meat is tender.

Serve the meat with the sauce (you may remove the garlic halves if desired or leave them in).

Pork and Chorizo Burgers With Poblano Mayo

Emeril Lagasse said this is one of his favorite recipes in his new cookbook, "Emeril at the Grill." The poblano mayo can be used for other applications, too.

Makes 4 servings

8 ounces chorizo, casings removed, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 ½ pounds ground pork

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ teaspoons Creole Seasoning

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne

4 large hamburger buns or 4 (6-inch) lengths French bread, split in half horizontally

1 cup coarsely grated Pepper Jack cheese (optional)

Poblano mayo (recipe follows)

Preheat a grill to medium-high.

Place chorizo in a food processor and process until finely chopped (the sausage should appear crumbly). Transfer to a large bowl and add pork, garlic, Worcestershire, Essence, salt and cayenne. Mix gently but thoroughly, being careful not to overwork the mixture. Form the mixture into four 1-inch-thick patties, about 8 ounces each, and place them on the grill. Cook to a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes per side. During the last 2 minutes, toast the buns. If desired, sprinkle the cheese over tops of burgers and cook until melted.

Place burgers on bun bottoms and set them on plates. Generously top each with 2 tablespoons of green chile mayo, and place the tops of the buns over the sauce. Serve immediately.

Poblano mayo

Makes about 1 ½ cups

1 cup good-quality mayonnaise, preferably homemade

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled, seeded

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine mayonnaise, garlic, chile and lime juice in a food processor, and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keeps up to 1 week.

NOTE: Poblano Mayo will soon be available at SourtherFlavorZone.com. The site is still under construction. It will be ready very soon, I hope.

Dirty Rice

This is a recipe I developed back in the '70's. I have shared it countless times. Everyone seems to enjoy it...I hope you do too.

Serves 8-10

• 16 ounces bulk pork sausage, hot (I like Jimmy Dean)
• 2-3 bunches green onions
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Black Orchid Cajun Seasoning *
• 2 1/2 cups white rice, cooked
  

1. Bring rice in 4 cups water to a boil and simmer on lowest flame for 20 minutes.
   
2. Chop green onions into ¼” pieces separating green tops and white bottoms.
   
3. On high heat, sauté sausage breaking it apart until it looks like loose ground meat. Add bottoms of green onions and cook until meat is cooked through. Add a small amount of water to prevent drying out.
4. Turn off heat and mix in Cajun seasoning (add more or less than 1 Tablespoon to your taste). Add green onion tops and toss in hot meat mixture until just heated through, about 30 seconds.
5. Add cooked rice and mix very well.

COMMENT: This rice is an excellent accompaniment for all meats. We simple cannot barbecue without this on the menu.
*RESOURCES:
Black Orchid Cajun Seasoning - FoodieAffair.com

Texas Chili

Servings: 12
Yield: 1 1/4 gallons

1 1/2 Quarts Chicken Broth
1/3 Pound Bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 Cup Celery, finely chopped
7 Cups Canned Tomatoes, diced
2 Teaspoons Sugar
4 Pounds Pork, cubed
3 Pounds Beef, cubed
3 Medium Onions, cut into 1/2" pieces
3 Each Green Bell Pepper, cut into 3/8" pieces
6 Each Green Chili Peppers, long
1 Teaspoon Oregano
2 Tablespoon Black Orchid Ground Cumin *
1 Tablespoon Pepper
4 Teaspoons Salt
6 Tablespoons Black Orchid Chili Powder *
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
1 Teaspoon Thyme
1 Cup Beer
6 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine celery, tomatoes, and sugar and simmer 1 1/2 hours.
2. Boil chili pods 15 minutes until tender, remove seeds and cut in 1/4" squares.
3. Mix oregano, cumin, pepper, salt, chili powder, cilantro, and thyme with beer. Whisk until there are no lumps.
4. Add beer mixture, chilies, tomato mixture, and garlic to chicken broth.
5. Cook bacon and reserved drippings.
6. Pour some drippings into skillet and add pork to brown. Repeat for remaining pork.
7. Add cooked pork to broth mixture and simmer slowly 30 minutes.
8. Cook beef in bacon drippings and add to broth mixture. Return to simmer slowly for about 1 hour.
9. Add onions and green peppers, simmer 2-3 hours longer. Stir with wooden spoon every 15-20 minutes.
10. Cool 1 hour then refrigerate 24 hours.
11. Reheat chili for serving. 12. Stir in lime juice just before serving. and add your choice of toppings.
*RESOURCES
Black Orchid Ground Cumin - FoodieAffair.com
Black Orchid Chili Powder - FoodieAffair.com