Spring is here and the grill is out!!! I was recently at my friends apartment that I spend a good amount of time at. We BBQ a lot in the warm months of the year and are always trying new things on the grill. Last weekend we grilled cabbage to make a grilled coleslaw. It was tremendous!!! But as most of you know I will through anything on the grill. Grilled celery anyone? Don’t knock it till you try it. I’m sure there a lot’s of people who feel the same way I do about grilling everything and anything. So I am sure you will have no problem with this warm version of slaw. We used only red cabbage instead of the usual red and green. I cut the red cabbage lengthwise, about 1/4 – 1/2 inch slices, with the core to keep the slices intact. I left the carrots whole, peeled and cut the onion into rings. When everything was done I did a rough chop of the veggies, giving them a rustic feel. When grilling just use a small amount of olive oil on the cabbage. This makes it so you won’t have to use a lot of mayo, which is usually essential in a good slaw. We used a garlic mayo and minced capers for our dressing. You could also leave out the capers, squeeze a lime and chop some cilantro with the garlic mayo for a different version. Even add a little red pepper flakes for some heat. Or whatever your heart desires. I find grilling things opens my creative mind to different ways of preparing and eating food. I hope this inspires you to explore and start grilling in different ways!!!
6-8 Cups chicken stock(use stock from boiling chicken)
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
Cumin
Chili powder
Chipotle powder
2 Bay leaves
Salt and pepper
Cilantro, chopped
Red onion
Lime wedges
Instructions
Boil chicken in water, salt, pepper and bay leaf
When chicken is done remove and let cool, save water
When chicken is cool to touch shred and set meat aside
Use chicken water as stock
Add bay leaf, garlic and spices, salt and pepper to taste
Add carrots, celery, onion, tomato and hominy.
Bring to a simmer
When vegetables soften add chicken
Add red bell pepper
Add more spices to taste.
When chicken is brought to temperature of soup your soup is done.
Garnish with cilantro, red onion and lime wedge.
Notes
Roasting carrots before hand will give it a smokey flavor. You can also sauté the onions and add carrots, celery and tomatoes before adding chicken broth and use butter or olive oil to sauté vegetables
It’s hot sauce mania here at The Lab. We have been obsessed you could say. It all started with Christmas and has spilled over. Our latest sauces have been gobbled up by everyone and it seems there is not stopping us or them. I can’t believe it started with just wanting to make something nice for Christmas that wouldn’t break my bank account. We are really honing our skills, patient and what we want out of the sauces. From mild and smokey, order to oh my god get me a bucket of water! Our latest is a smoked red pepper hot sauce that has that sweetness of peppers and heat from some red Jalapeño’s. It was inspired by a restaurant in LA that makes the most amazing yellow pepper dipping sauce. One day I will crack that recipe! Here is one of the new ones, enjoy! Oh and don’t forget the homemade corn chips!!!
This is a very easy recipe that you can leave and get things done. Once you have done the prep all you have to do wait.
Ingredients
1 lb of mixed beans and lentils
2 Tbsp of butter
1 Tbsp of olive oil
6 cups of stock(your choice)
4 pieces of bacon chopped
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
4 celery ribs
4 carrots
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley
½ box of frozen peas
1 lime cut in half and separated
2 bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic chopped
dry herb mix- oregano, salve dill, medical chive, celery leaf, kale, parsley
(you can make your own mix)
Splash of red wine or beer or water
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Chop up bacon
Chop up onion
Cut celery into ½ inch pieces
Peel and cut carrots into ½ inch rounds
Cut red pepper into ½ in squares
Rough chop parsley and set half to the side
On med to high heat put oil and butter in large soup/stock pot
Add onion and cook till they get soft
Make a ring on the edge of the pot with onions
Add bacon in the center and let cook for a couple minutes
Stir onions and bacon together and cook till bacon starts to get crisp
Add stock, beans and lentils and herb mix
Bring to boil and lower flame to very low
Let simmer for 4-5 hours with lid on
Last hour add celery, carrots and bell peppers
Add beer or wine or water if soup seems too thick
(this is if the soup starts to get to dry)
You want some broth
The last 15 minutes add the peas and half the parsley
Save the other half for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Notes
The beans and lentils can be any combo you want. Also I say 6 hours but the soup can be ready between 4- 6 hours. It just depends on how you like your beans. Adjust times accordingly
We started the remodel because Jason’s friend suggested it. Not only suggested it, but had developed a plan. Jason was all ears. I heard about it second hand. It sounded vague but promising. So we headed to this warehouse in Greenpoint to get these colorful brackets that were the basis of this mini make over. They were bright, but something about them and the ideas that were being talked about made sense. We walked out with a bunch of them. The plan was in motion. We stopped at a bar to discuss the rest of the plan as it existed at that time. As things came together, salvaged wood shelving, the color scheme of the kitchen, things changed and evolved. Next thing you know we are painting the ceiling terracotta/brick red and the inside of the pantry became canary yellow.
The apartment is in complete disarray. So cooking is not easy, to say the least. But the Lab must continue to experiment and make new food. The latest is a mixed bean, lentil and bacon soup that could sit for hours as we continued to work on the shelving. It’s a basic soup but with a few extras thrown in on purpose and also just for the fun of it. We started with a bag of beans and lentils we found at our local Indian market. You could easily replicate the of mix beans and lentils if you don’t have access to store like this. From there it was what broth to use? We chose a combo of beef and vegetable. One, because it’s what we had available and two because given the chance I will always use broth over water. For reasons that are obvious. We also had an herb bag for soup that we found during our excavation of the pantry. Also from the Indian store. From there we added onion, bacon, celery, carrot and a red bell pepper. As the soup cooked and as I tasted it, it also changed. From seasoning, to consistency, to the acidity. I added half the juice and pulp of a lime. I always have citrus around as it’s always good for such occasions. It took the bite out the soup that I couldn’t help but wonder how it got there. I thank my friend Regina for this trick. She is a brilliant cook.
Four hours and a few layers of polyurethane later we were ready to eat. The soup was amazing and though we aren’t nearly finished with the kitchen and the shelving, at least we finished another food journey that will be part of our cannon for years to come. Now if we could just get the rest of the kitchen off the living room floor!
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