March 1, 2008

[BarbCA]

Penzey's is still stocking them. They come and go as sometimes they're Ok and other times they can't be imported. They aren't a true pepper corn but a small berry that when dried resembles peppercorns.

The FDA stopped their importation for some time as they are reputed to cause symptoms similar to poison ivy. I have never experienced this.

[arimou0]

According to my research:

Pink peppercorns have a delicate, fragrant, sweet, and spicy flavor. They are  reminiscent of a mild citrus zest and sweet berries. Pink peppercorns go especially well in fruit sauces, vinaigrettes, and desserts. These peppercorns have a rich rose color that adds an elegant appearance to any cuisine.

Now that is interesting. I have a vague idea of what I am going to make. but since I have been sick for several days now I have not gone out to hunt for them. I hope I get better soon. Damn I hate this flu season

[williams94086]

I'm new to the whole Jousting scene ... so, be gentle on the rookie.  :-)  When I read the ingredients for this month, I was excited -- it's basically one of my favorite dishes -- Adobo.  For the full scoop, I posted about it today:  http://www.eatingoutloud.com/2008/02/filipino-pork-adobo-for-amy.html

Adobo is a Filipino dish typically made with either chicken or pork, and sometimes a combination of both.  The dish is a blend vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic cooked with the meat and seasonings until a dark tangy sauce develops and caramelizes.  It is such a great flavor combination that will make your eyes pop and tastebuds dance.



Pork Adobo
2 lbs. pork
1 tablespoon peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cups water
3 garlic cloves crushed
Juice from 1 lemon

In a medium pan, add the peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, soy sauce, vinegar, water, and lemon juice.  Cut pork into chunky pieces -- I used a pork shoulder roast cut into 2x3" strips.  Place the pork in the pan and allow to marinate for 15 minutes before turning on the burner. 

Turn burner to medium heat and bring pan to a boil.  Adjust heat and simmer for 45 minutes.  Keep pan partially covered.  The liquid will reduce to form a sauce on the meat.  I reduce the sauce until it is no longer visible in the pan, but is fully coating the meat.  The meat will take on darker color at this point and caramelize in the pan.  Serve over rice.

Adobo is piquant in flavor due to the vinegar and if you'd prefer to remove the edge off the dish you could add a teaspoon of sugar during the last 10 minutes of cooking.  Alternatively, I did see several recipes referencing the use of 7-Up as a liquid sweetener.  Personally, I love the tang.

Given the Joust requirements, I used a mix of white/pink peppercorns in the marinade but you may use whatever type you have on hand.  I had one of those fancy peppercorn blends, so picked out the ones required for the Joust :-)  And, my adobo doesn't normally include lemon, but in researching adobo I discovered some recipes do use this ingredient.  I decided to use only the juice for added tang and light citrus flavor.  I'm not sure if it was the peppercorns or lemon, but this did turn out to be the best-ever adobo.  The ingredients also work amazingly well as a rib marinade before grilling.

[Queen]

That looks awesome Allen! Congrats for being our first Jouster this month!

[Valli]

And the games begin. This dish looks incredible Allen

[Valli]

 With the warmer weather fast approaching..insert Val doing the happy danced here...I am flashing up the BBQ. My friends "down under" will appreciate this recipe as well...or of course you can bake them in the oven quite easily as well for the same amount of time and put them on a broiler rack for the final glazing.  To use this months ingredients I chose :

pink peppercorns, pork baby back ribs, and a combination of lemon, lime and oranges

**Citrus Spice-Rubbed Baby Backs Ribs**

4 racks of baby back ribs (8 to 10 pounds total)
5 teaspoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons sweet paprika
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon pink peppercorns (crushed)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Citrus Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows)

*********************************
Locate the membrane on the back of the ribs; it’s a thin filmy substance on the underside. It can be left on, but for better results and flavor you want to remove it. Do so by running a sharp blade along the line of one of the bones and under the membrane, lifting it up. Use your hands to pull up the excess membrane. It may take a couple of passes to get all of it. In a bowl, mix together the dry rub ingredients. Make sure all the brown sugar is broken up and the spices evenly distributed. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap long enough to double over the entire rack of ribs. Lay out the rack, with the underside up. Take about a third of your mix and pat it onto the ribs. Turn the ribs over and pat the remaining portion over the top of the ribs. Fold over the plastic wrap and wrap tightly around the ribs. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. If using a charcoal grill, place a drip pan in the center under the grate. Cover the grill and adjust the vents to obtain a temperature of 325° F. If using a gas grill, set it up for indirect grilling.

Pour the orange juice and lemon juice into a spray bottle or mister. Spray the ribs on both sides with orange/ lemon juice mixture and set them on the grill grate away from the fire. Grill the ribs until cooked, 1 -1/4 to 1 -1/2 hours. Spray them with orange juice every 20 minutes. Five minutes before the ribs are done, lightly brush them with the Citrus Barbecue Sauce. (Save most of the sauce for serving.) When ribs are cooked, the meat will have shrunk back from the bones and will be tender enough to pull apart with your fingers.
Transfer the ribs to a platter. Sprinkle the ribs with the remaining rub and lightly brush again with sauce. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Serves 4 - 8

Citrus Barbecue Sauce

2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
*****************
Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and whisk to mix. Gradually bring the sauce to a simmer over moderate heat and simmer until thick and flavorful, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl or clean jars and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until serving.


Makes 3 cups

Check out the link here These were delicious

http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com/2008/02/royal-foodie-joustpork-citrus.html

[williams94086]

Thanks, Jenn and Valli!  I can hardly wait to see those ribs ... they sound fantastic, especially the sauce.   It reminds me of this barbecue joint in Austin that used to advertise their sauce was so good you could drink it. 

[Kat]

Who this is my first joust & we are dreaming up ideas over here, what else do we have to do when its -40. 

BTW - I saw pink peppercorns at Williams-Sonoma tonight

[Dharm]

Awesome entries so far!!  Love the Adobo and Valli, your Ribs sound just fantastic.  I need to get my act together... maybe this weekend but maybe not.  It's my princess's birthday on Sunday so I'm busy deciding what to make for her.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll do something for the joust for her menu!!

[Núria]

Here we are again!!!! This month I know perfectly what I will cook, for me is an easy one... thank god! But still have to buy the ingredients.

I love Valli's baby pork ribs and also Allen's adobo! Great start this month. 
Buen provecho to all!!!

[voodoolily]

Ooh, adobo and ribs sound so good! I'm glad people are having fun with these ingredients! Who doesn't love the idea of a pink peppercorn? It's perfect for Valentine's Day.

[glutenfreehippie]

Could I do something as a gluten-free substitute for the barley? Gluten-free vegan that I am... Maybe Quinoa or Tofu?

That aside, I'm SO looking forward to this! I've already got some ideas bubbling (found a perfect citrus element at the farmer's market last week, great timing!) and look forward to searching out pink peppercorns in my small town.


Blessings,
Lyra
http://glutenfreehippie.blogspot.com

[glutenfreehippie]

Here's my entry!

Ginger-Lime Tofu with Citrus Marmalade Glaze, Coconut Quinoa with Pink Peppercorns, Orange Balsamic Chard and Radish Greens



I'm so pleased with this menu, because they compliment each other so well. The delicate flavour of the quinoa counterbalances the citrus kick of the tofu, and the greens had a smooth, almost creamy texture from the radish tops.

The tofu was wonderful in itself, with the texture very akin to pork, and even the color was spot on. I find that red wine and tofu cooked together in most forms makes for a good substitute for heavier meats in recipes. My fiance said that it reminded him very much of a gourmet version of orange beef he used to get at Chinese restaurants, and he gobbled up everything left in the pan, including the leftover glaze!

A wonderfully pink Valentine's meal, indeed.

---

Ginger-Lime Tofu with Citrus Marmalade Glaze

13 ounces of firm tofu
3 tbs. grated ginger
5 tbs. lime juice
2 tbs. red wine (merlot)
2 green onions, diced (just the dark green tops; reserve the whites for later)

Cut tofu into quarters, then slice each quarter lengthwise into three cutlets. Place tofu into a freezer-safe container, and add in red wine, ginger and lime juice, making sure to coat.
Place in the freezer overnight (this firms up the texture of the tofu, making it more meat-like.) Remove from the freezer and allow the mass to thaw.
Drain and spread tofu cutlets onto a cookie sheet, and place in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, then flip, and return to the oven for 20 more minutes. Both sides should be a nice golden brown.
Arrange the tofu in a baking dish. Pour on the marmalade glaze and top with diced green onion.
Bake at 400 degrees for another 10-15 minutes, or until the glaze has reduced slightly. (It will get very bubbly, the bubbles should start to rise just a bit.) Garnish with diced green onion tops and diced red bell pepper [not pictured - thought that up while we were eating!]

Citrus Marmalade Glaze

1/2 cup marmalade (lemon, grapefruit and orange, with black currant juice)
1/4 cup white wine (chardonnay)
large pinch of ground pink peppercorns
1 tsp. whole pink peppercorns
1 tsp. lime juice
1 tbs. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. wheat-free tamari
pinch cayenne pepper, to taste

Simmer all ingredients in a small saucepan over VERY low heat (watch that it doesn't burn!) to till it reduces by about 1/4.

Coconut Quinoa Pilaf with Pink Peppercorns

2 cups sprouted quinoa
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup coconut water
1 tsp. lime juice
squeeze of lemon
1 tsp. coconut oil
2 tsp. ground pink peppercorns

1/4 onion, thinly sliced and caramelized with 2 tsp coconut oil and splash of coconut water (reserve pan for sautéing the greens)

Heat coconut oil in a pot on med-high heat, and add quinoa, sautéing for about 5 minutes. Add coconut water, lemon, lime, pepper, and salt, and simmer on med-low for about ten minutes, until the liquid evaporates. Once the quinoa cools a bit, toss in the onions. Serve on a bed of watercress.

Orange-Balsamic Chard and Radish Greens

4 chard leaves, roughly chopped (stem sliced thin and reserved)
1 large bunch radish tops, destemmed and large leaves torn in half
Whites from diced green onion
Juice from half a navel orange
Splash balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. coconut oil
pinch salt

Warm 1 tsp. coconut oil in the pan you used to caramelize the onions, and add the green onions. Sauté for 2 minutes, until softened. Add chard, toss to wilt slightly, then add the radish greens, orange juice, salt and balsamic. Once wilted, plate with a sprinkling of ground peppercorns and a few raw chard stem pieces.
---


Thanks for offering such great ingredients; I had a lot of fun brainstorming and putting this together. Definitely making all of this again! 

[voodoolily]

That looks reeeaaalllly tasty, Lyra! Pretty, too. 

[Queen]

That is one nice looking dish Lyra! I love the creativity.