Kansas City Highlights

Dorthy where are

fun fun fun

The beauty of the night

J. Alexander’s Orzo and Wild Rice Salad (my version)

Ready in: 30-60 minutes 

Serves/Makes:   4

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked orzo
1 cup cooked wild rice
3 tablespoons diced red onions
3 tablespoons currants
2 tablespoons corn niblets
3 tablespoons diced yellow pepper
3 tablespoons diced red pepper
3 tablespoons diced green pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
***Orzo Dressing***
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 cup sweet white balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
1/4 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon fresh basil chopped

 

Directions:

Cook orzo and wild rice per package directions; shock in cold water and refigerate. Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl (including dressing) and toss well. Serve very cold. 

Orzo Dressing: Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl, except the oil. Stir until well blended. While vigorously stirring the mixture, slowly add the oils. Refrigerate.

This recipe from CDKitchen for J. Alexander’s Orzo and Wild Rice Salad serves/makes 4

My Version of J. Elbert’s Garlic, White Cheddar, Chipotle Mash Potatoes

Garlic, White Cheddar and Chipotle Mashed Potatoes
36 garlic cloves
1/3 cup olive oil

5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups (packed) grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies

Preheat oven to 350?F. Toss garlic with oil in baking pan. Cover with foil; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake until garlic is tender, about 15 minutes. Cool; peel and chop.

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain. Transfer potatoes to large bowl. Add garlic and remaining ingredients. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature. Rewarm, stirring constantly, before serving.)

Kansas City Steaks

Rib-Eye, T-Bone, and Strip Steaks Cut Over One Inch
Four-six bone-in or boneless rib-eye, T-bone, and/or strip steaks cut over 1″
Sea salt or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil or vegetable oil

Baste:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
10 crushed garlic cloves
1/4 cup finely chopped savory herbs such as rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano, and/or sage

Board Dressing:
6 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Sea or kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Generously season the steaks with salt and pepper. Press in the seasoning, and dab the meat onto the board to collect any excess.

Glisten the meat with canola oil, using the first steak to brush oil onto the others.

Preheat the BBQ to medium-high.

Combine the baste ingredients in a foil pan or heatproof pan and warm on the side of the grill.

Put the meat on the well-oiled grill and cook until medium-rare (or cook to desired doneness).

Baste regularly, stacking and/or flipping the meat if the flames get out of control.

When the steaks are nicely caramelized and charred on both sides, approximately 15 to 25 minutes total, they are done. (You can check the temp with an instant-read thermometer if that is more comfortable; the steaks should register 125°F).

Combine the board dressing ingredients.

Let the steaks rest for 2 minutes, then pour the board dressing onto a cutting board and slice the steaks, turning to coat the slices.

*When steaks come off the grill looking all charred and gorgeous, it’ll be tough to resist digging in right away. But letting them rest is essential. Otherwise, a lot of the lovely, tasty juices will spill out when you slice in.

Thomas Jefferson

Statesman, president, inventor, architect, musician, farmer, philosopher and University of Virginia founder, while Thomas Jefferson filled a myriad of roles throughout his industrious 83 years, his legacy as America’s first wine connoisseur has also had an enduring influence on the world’s wine stage. Jefferson was well ahead of his time with regards to his vision for America’s potential for viticulture. He believed whole-heartedly that, “We could, in the United States, make as great a variety of wines as are made in Europe, not exactly of the same kinds, but doubtless as good.” However, it was not until almost 200 years later that America would begin to live the viticultural vision that Jefferson had embraced so early on.

Baby Back Ribs

What is 4th of July without grilling.  Try this easy recipe for ribs that will bring you out of the kitchen and have you mingling with your guests with a cocktail in hand ,while everyone waits for the fireworks to begin.

These are tender and the meat falls right off the bone. Generally, people think of baby back ribs as a meal they would only order when at a restaurant, but they are so easy to make at home. This recipe could not be any more simple.”

Prep Time:
8 Hrs

Cook Time:
2 Hrs 30 Min

Ready In:
10 Hrs 30 Min

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pork baby back ribs
• 1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce (Look for my version of Arthur Bryant’s Famous BBQ Sauce in this blog)

Directions

1. Tear off 4 pieces of aluminum foil big enough to enclose each portion of ribs. Spray each piece of foil with vegetable cooking spray. Brush the ribs liberally with barbeque sauce and place each portion in its own piece of foil. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
3. Bake ribs wrapped tightly in the foil at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from foil and add more sauce, if desired.
4. *Optional-Cook last few minutes on the grill for flavor
   

James Monroe’s Family Cake Pudding Recipe with White Wine Sauce

This is an original James Monroe family recipe from Ash Lawn-Highland, Monroe’s Virginia home. It is surprisingly easy to make and the white wine sauce is fantastic and will likely convince you to put it to good use as a staple sauce on numerous dessert recipes and cake breads. The recipe notes from Ash Lawn-Highland include a bit on the word “pudding” stating that, “In the 18th century, “pudding” referred to a steamed, cake-like dessert, in addition to the custard-style food that bears the name today.”

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• Monroe Family Cake Pudding Recipe:
• 1/2 pound of butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground cloves
• 1/2 cup white wine or sherry
• 1/2 cup raisins or currants, tossed with 2-3 TBSP flour
• White Wine Sauce Ingredients:
• Sugar
• Butter
• White Wine

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350º.Cream together the butter, sugar and eggs. Sift together the flour and spices to taste. Stir flour mix into butter mix. Stir in the wine, add the raisins last.

Pour into a greased 1 ½ quart ring mold. Cover tightly with foil. Set mold into a pan of hot water. The water should be about one inche deep. Steam the pudding for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If using a different mold shape, the pudding will require up to three hours to cook. Serves 8-10

White Wine Sauce:

Melt together equal parts of butter, sugar and white wine. Serve warm and pour over slices of pudding.

Monroe Family Recipe Courtesy of Ash Lawn-Highland

James Monroe’s Family Syllabub

Syllabub is a delicious dairy-based dessert from Colonial times (and likely even before that in Old England). This particular recipe is from James Monroe’s family and is sure to please just about every palate – you really can’t go wrong with an ingredient list consisting of whipping cream, lemon, sugar and white wine!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup dry sherry

Preparation:

Whisk 1 1/2 cups whipping cream by hand until it thickens a bit. Add the zest and juice of two lemons, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup white wine and 1/4 cup dry sherry to the cream one at a time, whisking after each addition. Whisk the mixture for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Pour immediately into parfait glasses and refrigerate over-night. The mixture will separate when it stands. If desired, top with additional whipped cream prior to serving.

My Version of Arthur Bryant’s Famous Secret Barbecue Sauce

Hope everyone is having a wonderful 4th of July weekend.  I am having a wonderful weekend here in Kansas City. I have just had the most delicious lunch at Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue on Brooklyn.  Hey, if it is good enough for Presidents like Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter, and Steven Spielberg, then it is good enough for me!  On my arrival the line was out the door and around the corner, well worth the wait.  Hope you enjoy my version of their recipe.

Try This

ARTHUR BRYANT’S BARBECUE SAUCE

1/2 CUP CIDER VINEGAR
1/2 CUP RICE VINEGAR
1 CUP WATER
1/2 CUP PAPRIKA
1/3 CUP YELLOW MUSTARD
1/4 CUP BROWN SUGAR
1/8 CUP KOSHER SALT
1/8 CUP WORCHESTER SAUCE
1 TABLESPOON GARLIC POWDER
A LITTLE BLACK PEPPER
1 TABLESPOON HOT SAUCE – CHOWALLA IF AVAILABLE

COOK UNTIL DESIRED THICKNESS. FINE TUNE FLAVORS BY ADJUSTING QUANTITIES

Lime and Saffron Chicken Recipe



Around 70% of the world’s saffron used to come from Spain, in particular the high plateau between Madrid and Andalucia known as La Mancha.

These days saffron floods the world from the Middle East and the saffron growers in Spain struggle to survive the competition.

The Moors brought saffron to Spain over a thousand years ago, and it’s use has never been so popular. It’s the gold of the spices, expensive and sought after and therefore open to corruption.

There is no substitute for the flavour of saffron, colour additives can be used but the flavour hasn’t been able to be simulated.

It’s better to use saffron as the main spice to really appreciate its delicate and unique flavour, and it’s equally as delicious in sweet or savoury dishes.  Saffron comes from the bright red/orange stigma of the purple saffron crocus crocus sativus which flowers in the autumn. Each flower produces three stigmas that need hand picking out of the flower. They are then processed by drying and toasting slightly.

It’s estimated that 14,000 stigmas are needed to produce about 25grammes of saffron or around 150,000 crocus flowers to get just one kilo of saffron, and that one kilo takes around 40 hours of manual labour.

Lime and Saffron Chicken Recipe

• 4 chicken portions (very fresh)
• finely grated rind and juice of 3 limes (or 2 lemons)
• good pinch of saffron threads
• 25g butter
• 4tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsbp clear honey
• 2 tsp fresh chopped thyme (or 1tsp dried)
• 2tbsp chopped fresh mint
• salt and pepper
• 25g flaked almonds
• Prick chicken and place in a dish, sprinkle with lime rind and juice, cover and marinade for 2-3 days in the fridge.
• Turn the chicken twice a day..
• When ready to start cooking, put the saffron to soak in 4tbsp boiling water for at least 20 minutes then strain. Reserve the liquid.
• Melt the butter and oil in a frying pan and add drained chicken, fry until golden on both sides
• Mix the honey with the saffron liquid and any remaining marinade liquid and pour over the cooking chicken, adding the thyme, half the mint and salt and pepper.
• Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Toast the almonds just before serving, toss together with remaining mint to use as a garnish.
• Serve with new potatoes and a green vegetable.