Month: August 2016

Jackfruit “Pulled Pork”

~ The Blind Guy Cooks ~ Leave a comment

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As many of you know, my daughter Elizabeth is a vegetarian which has allowed me to expand my cooking horizons. She and her boyfriend visited this weekend, and I smoked a couple racks of ribs for him to enjoy. He loves ribs. As usual, I did not want my daughter to feel left out so I made a vegan “pulled pork” using jackfruit.

Jackfruit has been widely cultivated in India and South Asia for centuries but is relatively unknown in the United States. That, however, is changing as people here in the United States are beginning to eat less meat. When allowed to ripen, jackfruit has a very sweet taste and aroma likened to a taste combination of  pineapples, mangos, and bananas. Young, or unripened jackfruit, is firmer and more fibrous. It is often used in curries in India.

For this recipe, look for canned, young jackfruit packed in water or brine. Do not use jackfruit that is canned in syrup. It will be far too sweet and very mushy. It can easily be found in Asian markets or other stores that carry a larger selection of Asian foods.

Here is what I did:

Jackfruit “Pulled Pork”

Ingredients

2 20 oz Cans of Jackfruit in brine or water (not syrup)
1 Medium onion, chopped
3 Cloves of garlic, minced
1 3/4 Cups vegetable stock
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, vegan if you desire
1 Teaspoon liquid smoke
2 Tablespoons molasses
1 Teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
1/2 Teaspoon chili powder
1/2 Teaspoon ground dry mustard
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 Cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Drain and rinse jackfruit. Cut larger pieces into smaller pieces keeping the triangular shape. This lends to a stringy pork-like look later.

Sauté the jackfruit, onion, and garlic in a large skillet until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Then add the vegetable stock, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, molasses, thyme, chili powder, mustard, and pepper. Stir well so all ingredients are combined, then cover. Simmer on low stirring every 15 minutes. After about 45 to 60 minutes, remove lid and cook down any remaining liquid.

Use a potato masher to lightly mash the jackfruit once the broth has all cooked down. The jackfruit will easily shred and take on the appearance of shredded pork. You will want to leave some larger pieces and not a mush.

Spread shredded jackfruit onto a lightly greased, rimmed baking sheet. Place in 400°F oven for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, stir in 1/4 cup BBQ sauce and place back in oven for 10 more minutes or until it is very browned and caramelized. Remove from the oven and place in serving bowl. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup BBQ sauce. Serve on buns with additional BBQ sauce if desired. It may also be topped with a creamy coleslaw.

Loretta’s Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Ice Cream Treats

~ The Blind Guy Cooks ~ Leave a comment
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My mother eating sweet corn at a very early West Point Iowa Sweet Corn Festival. She is the woman in the middle. My Aunt Bertha is to her left. She is holding my cousin Bob. My Aunt Carol is the youngest woman on the right. The goofy kid in the left-hand corner is my cousin Jim.

 

My hometown is celebrating the 64th Annual West Point Iowa Sweet Corn Festival this weekend. The festivities begin on Wednesday with the Shuckfest where 17 to 20 tons of sweet corn is shucked in preparation for the festival.

The whole community turns out to help shuck the corn which is accomplished in just a little over one hour or so. The corn is then steamed, dipped in butter, and served free to the public over the course of the four day festival which runs from Thursday through Sunday.

The Sweet Corn Festival is a time for reunions and homecomings. Many class and family reunions coincide with the festival weekend and the festival is the time when many former residents return for a visit. If you grew up in West Point, you know that the Sweet Corn Festival is the highlight of the year.

IMG_3886My childhood home is about a half a block from the city square where the festival is held so the weekend saw a lot of visitors at our house. There was food galore at our house because you never knew who would be stopping by and my mother would have been embarrassed if she didn’t have something to offer. My favorite thing that my mother would make for the festival weekend were her Peanut Butter and Rice Krispie Ice Cream Treats.

I could not make it back to West Point this weekend for the festival, but I did make these treats. I thought of my my mom a lot.

Here is her  recipe:

Loretta’s Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Ice Cream Treats

Ingredients

1/2 C corn syrup
1/2 C peanut butter (I prefer chunky)
4 C Rice Krispies
1 quart vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

Directions

In large bowl, stir together corn syrup and peanut butter. Add cereal and stir until well coated.

Press one half the mixture firmly and evenly into buttered 8 x8 pan and the other half in a second buttered 8 x 8 pan. A large square of waxed paper will help to press the rice crispy mixture. Place in freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.

Spread one half with softened ice cream.

Cut the second pan of Rice Krispies into the size of portions you want and place it on top of ice cream. This will help when you are cutting the treats after refreezing.

Cover pan with aluminum foil and return to freezer to harden ice cream again; 2 – 4 hours.

Cast Iron Skillet Peach and Pecan Cobbler

~ The Blind Guy Cooks ~ 1 Comment

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A cast iron skillet is the most versatile piece of cookware you can own. You can use it on the stovetop, in the oven, over a campfire, or even on a grill. You can fry in them, make casseroles in them, or even bake in them. I will make corn bread in nothing but a cast-iron skillet.

Here is a recipe I created for a Cast Iron Skillet Peach and Pecan Cobbler. I baked mine on my gas grill. The directions I am sharing are for an oven. Yeah, I include a little rye whiskey in the recipe. You can use bourbon or omit whiskey if desired. Increase lemon juice to three tablespoons if omitting.

Cast Iron Skillet Peach and Pecan Cobbler

Ingredients

Topping

1 cup all-purpose flour
⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling

1½ cups pecans
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2¼ pounds peaches, cut into ½-inch wedges, approximately 6 to 8 depending on size
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 Lemon, juiced
1 Tablespoon rye whiskey or bourbon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Topping

Add flour, brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and mix until well combined. Add butter. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until clumps form and no dry spots remain.

Filling

Preheat oven to 350°.

Toast pecans in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet until slightly darkened in color about 8 to 10 minutes. Shake the baking sheet tossing the pecans every couple minutes to prevent from burning. Cool slightly then chop coarsely.

Add the pecans, peaches, brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, rye whiskey, ginger, coriander, cumin, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl and mix well ensuring peaches and pecans are well distributed.

Grease the bottom and sides of a 10″ cast-iron skillet with unsalted butter. Pour peach mixture into skillet. Crumble the topping over filling.

Bake until topping is golden brown and juices are thick and bubbling around the edges about 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature with or without vanilla ice cream.