More BBQ (a little less beer)

We had bought bratwursts for the Memorial Day BBQ, but on that day we decided that we had plenty of food already and didn't need to grill them. Thank goodness, because we ended up making a fabulous grilled dinner to go along with them that we wouldn't have had otherwise. To top our grilled brats (and veggie dogs) we made a smoky pimento relish and a curried apricot-and-tomato ketchup, both of which pumped up this more typical fare. In addition, we ate smoky glazed asparagus and grilled corn-on-the-cob. This meal was definitely a perfectly unique taste of the summer grilling I love so much.


Smoky Pimento Relish (Food and Wine, June 2009)

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 canned chipotles in adobo, stemmed
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
1 cup roasted red peppers
salt

1. In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes with the olive oil, chipotles, garlic and caraway seeds until finely chopped. Add the roasted red peppers and pulse to a chunky puree. Season with salt and serve.


Curried Apricot-and-Tomato Ketchup (Food and Wine, June 2009)

1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. Madras curry powder
salt

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the apricots, tomato, cider vinegar, water, sugar, and curry powder. Simmer over moderately low heat until the apricots are soft, about 15 minutes. Scrape the contents of the saucepan into a blender and puree until smooth. Season the ketchup with salt and transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate until cool, about 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature or chilled.


Smoky Glazed Asparagus (Food and Wine, June 2009)

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Tbs. sweet smoked paprika
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 lbs. thick asparagus, peeled [we had about 1.5 lbs. of thin asparagus that I did not peel and it worked fine]

1. Light a grill. In a shallow dish, whisk the mayonnaise with the oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, salt and cumin. Add the asparagus and toss; let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Grill the asparagus over moderately high heat, turning, until tender and blistered in sports, 6 minutes; serve.

Spicy Hot!

Any one who knows us, knows that we LOVE spicy food. But, we've found that finding truly hot hot sauces is quite difficult. Naturally, we decided that since we couldn't find anything fantastic in the grocery stores, we would just make our own. It turns out that making your own is actually cheaper than buying hot sauces in the store. This first attempt will definitely not be our last. It's really easy and really hot. The faint of heart (or tongue), be wary of this one!


Volcanic Hot Sauce (www.sweatnspice.com)

We ended up adding an extra tsp. of molasses to really make that flavor stand out. It has a unique mustard flavor that goes really well by itself on tortilla chips.

10-12 habaneros, jalapenos, scotch bonnet, or serrano peppers (we had a mixture of habaneros and jalapenos)
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. molasses
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 Tbs. salt

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add more salt and molasses to taste, if needed. Pour into a clean bottle.