Barbecue

Simple 4-Ingredient Homemade New Pickles

New pickles are my favorite.  They still have the crispness of a raw kirby with just a hint of pickling.  Kirby cucumbers are in season.  They are plentiful, inexpensive and make wonderful pickles with just four simple ingredients and 1-2 days of refrigeration.

homemade pickles

INGREDIENTS

4-6 medium Kirby cucumbers
2 cups unchlorinated or bottled water
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
3-4 cloves Fresh garlic

your favorite herbs (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Fill a mason jar with unchlorinated or bottled water.

Dissolve salt in the unchlorinated or bottled water.

Tightly pack whole or half kirby cucumbers into a glass jar and add garlic cloves.

Fill the jar with the salt water, making sure the cucumbers are completely covered. Cover the jar and refrigerate for 1-2 days or more.

VARIATIONS

Add your favorite flavors to customize your new pickles.  Try slices of jalapeno, peppercorns, hot pepper flakes or your favorite herbs and seasoning.

Grilled Salami Slices: Netanel’s Simple and Humble Delicacy

A few weeks ago, my son, Aaron went fishing with his uncle, his cousins and two of his cousins’ friends.  Aaron loves to fish and wherever we go on vacation, Aaron usually schedules a fishing trip.  As a mother, I have learned that a fishing outing is so exhilarating when the fish are biting and so disappointing when the fishing crew comes home empty-handed.  More importantly, I have discovered that our fishermen love to catch fish, but are not as exuberant about preparing and eating the fish that were caught. Luckily, our fishermen did not come empty-handed and even more luckily, the fish that were caught were being saved for a future feast in Manhattan.

Now, I was under no obligation to prepare the fish and better yet, under no pressure to force them to eat the fish.  So, I offered to make an impromptu barbecue for the hungry fishermen.  I checked the refrigerator and I had some beef sliders, but no hot dogs.

I did have a couple rolls of salami.  My nephew’s friend, thirteen-year old Netanel, offered me his own recipe for grilled salami.  I was going to grill the salami whole, but Netanel insisted that we cut it into thick slices.

grilled salami sliced

I took Netanel’s lead and we slathered the salami slices with barbecue sauce.

The barbecued salami slices came off the grill caramelized and just perfect.  It was delicious served up with different types of mustard and dips.  It was such a hit that I told Netanel that I would now incorporate grilled salami as a part of our standard barbecue.

Tonight, I prepared this delicacy and dressed it up for its blog debut.  It did not disappoint.

grilled salami on grill

 

INGREDIENTS

grilled salami ingredients

Salami, cut into thick slices
Sauce: barbecue, pesto, spicy mayo, mustard and/or horseradish sauce
Sesame seeds or your favorite spices (optional)

 

DIRECTIONS

Cut salami into thick slices.  Coat with your favorite sauce and your favorite toppings.

Heat on grill for a few minutes, flipping over when golden brown and carmelized.

Serve immediately with your favorite topping and/or condiment.

grilled salami on platter

 

 

 

 

Cowboy Caviar: Fashioned from Barbecue Leftovers

I recently posted a wonderful recipe for Cowboy Caviar: A Simple and Hearty Salad with Attitude.  It has become one of my favorite  go-to salads when I have a limited assortment of vegetables in my refrigerator.  It really is a simple and hearty salad that can be fashioned from pantry staples, yet with enough fresh ingredients to make it a respectable salad.  Today, cowboy caviar has earned a whole new level of respect in my mind.

Because….I fashioned a delicious and colorful cowboy caviar from last-night’s barbecue leftovers.

barbecue leftovers

No one would have guessed that the key ingredients of corn and baked beans were from last night’s barbecue.  Leah even remarked that she loved the smoky flavor of the grilled corn.  For an extra measure of flexibility, I served the cowboy caviar two ways.

I filled one bowl of vegetarian cowboy caviar.

cowboy caviar from leftovers-vegetarian

I filled another bowl with the cowboy caviar mixed with cubes of leftover grilled hot dogs.

cowboy caviar from leftovers

From now on, I may have to plan a barbecue so as to create a leftover cowboy caviar for the next day.

Yes, it was that good!

 

INGREDIENTS

1 can baked beans
1 can black beans
1 red pepper, diced
6 ears of grilled corn kernels
1 bunch thinly sliced scallions or 1 diced medium onion
2-3 stalks thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro and/or fresh parsley (see kosher notes)
6 hot dogs, grilled and cubed (optional)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoons hot sauce or sriracha
1 tablespoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced or garlic powder
dash pepper

DIRECTIONS

Cut kernels off of grilled corn and mix in beans. Dice and slice all vegetables and herbs.  Drizzle and sprinkle seasonings right on top of salad and toss gently to combine.

 

KOSHER NOTES

Kosher laws disallow the eating of any whole insects and therefore most greens and herbs require a process of soaking and rinsing. Kashrut authorities differ somewhat on the proper checking of leafy vegetables and herbs. This blog was not designed to be your kosher authority, so please consult your local rabbinic authority regarding using herbs such as parsley and cilantro.