Recipe for the Day

[BigBear]

mmhmmm... sounds good cowboy.

[Ah Pook]

I've been playing around with brines lately. Here is one that works well with chicken and pork. The instructions are generic preparation instructions.

* 4 quarts cold water
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 5 1/2 to 6 pounds chicken parts with skin and bones
* 3 fresh squeezed limes and halves
* 2 fresh squeezed oranges and halves
* 1 large garlic clove, minced
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
* 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil


Dissolve salt and sugar in hot water add remaining ingredients and 2 cups of ice cubes to cool it. Place cleaned and dried chicken in a freezer zip lock bag pour brine over chicken and top with water to cover. Close bag trying to remove as much air as possible. Brine in refrigerator overnight 8-12 hours. If not ready to cook remove from brine rinse well and place back in the refrigerator till ready to cook.

Grill or bake. It's good either way.

[theGinsue]

No one has posted a recipe in here for 11 days so I thought I'd get us back on track here. I've saved every recipe that has been posted here so far so keep 'em coming.

This recipe is really easy, and only has 3 ingredients but once you eat it you'll swear it's got more in it. The ingredients can easily make the sodium level of the soup high so consider getting low sodium items where you can. Also, butterbeans aren't too easy to spot on the shelves in the grocery store, but I assure you that most (if not all) of the chains DO carry cans & they really are labeled "butterbeans".


ETA: My wife went to the store today and got the ingredients to make this. I have adjusted the recipe based on the size/weight of the cans of stuff she was able to get. The cans of stewed tomatoes are actually 14.5oz and the butterbeans are 15oz cans. Since I think these are smaller than what I've used in the past 9not sure though), I cut the number of Keilbasa from 2 to 1, but you should have 2 available in case 1 just doesn't look like it's enough.

Butterbean Soup

1 or 2 Packages Beef Kielbasa
6 - 15oz Cans Butterbeans (do not rinse off or discard the juice) -
2 - 15oz Cans Stewed Tomatoes (and the juice)

Cut the Kielbasa into smaller slices. Brown. Drain off the grease and return to pot.

Add the butterbeans and their juice.

Add the stewed tomatoes and juice. Use your hands to break the pieces of tomatoes into smaller pieces. [Clean your hands first - PLEASE]

While this can be cooked on a higher temperature for an hour or two to get it competed more quickly, it has better consistency and flavor if you cook it on medium or low in a crock pot all day.

As always, enjoy with an ice cold beverage and some veggies! (Oh wait, veggies are IN this one).


If you make this, I expect reports!