Continuing with our Asian Acccents, this week we present Coconut Rice.  It ain’t as easy as throwing some white rice into a steamer and pushing a button; however, it’s well worth the extra efforts in order to capture the bursts of flavor which blow out your buds, tingle your toes and captivate your cranium.  Yes, it’s that good!!!

Ingredients

• 2 Cups basmati rice, rinsed 3 times
• 5 T. Clarified butter
• 1 medium coconut, peeled and cubed into 1 inch (reserve liquid)
• 15 cashews, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, brunoise (very small dice)
• 3 1/2 Cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick (1 inch)
• 1 cardamom pod, crushed
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 pinch turmeric
• Salt to taste

Directions

Wash basmatic rice, drain and keep aside.  Meanwhile remove meat from the coconut (come on, haul yourself down to your local asian market – you can do it) and cut into 1 inch cubes.  Add 3 cups water to it and grind it thoroughly.  (You can do this in a food processor or blender).

In a deep skillet, heat butter on low.  Then add cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, cloves, and cashew nuts.  Fry until cashews are pale brown.

Add finely chopped onion and the rice after onions have browned slightly.  Stir for 5 minutes.  Add salt and coconut milk which was extracted above, and raise the heat to high.

When the liquid starts boiling, lower heat, cover with a lid and simmer.  Sitr accasionally and simmer until all liquid is absorbed.  Serve with just about anything.  Goes well with light curries, chicken and fish….and pork and beef.   Yea, you get it!

Yea, I know we’ve been layin’ it on pretty thick with the chocolate and the pork butt; however, I just had to share this one with you.  Confession:  I’ve NEVER made my own BBQ sauce.  There are just so many good ones on the market to satisfy my diners, and to be quite truthful, I’ve never been much of a fan….until now!

Anyhoo, I had about 2 pounds of pork butt left over from a crock pot dish I made last week and was planning to make a chili with a nice cup of coffee in it for this series.  Then, out of the blue my husband says, “Hey, how about a pulled pork sandwich instead with coleslaw and everything?”  Um, yuk!!  Well, he is pretty cute and he did change all the HVAC filters and lift a few heavy things this weekend, so well, why the hell not?  BUTT: I’m not going to the grocery store again so we’ll make due with what we’ve got.  This is improvisational cuisine.

If you know me at all, you’ll understand that by the time I dug through my pantry looking for potential partyers to throw into the pool….I needed a few glasses of wine.   By the time I got creative and brave enough to attempt this feat of sauce, I, ahem, forgot to write down the ingredient quantities.  At least I left all of the dry ingredients on the counter top ~ here’s how it came together with guestimates. 

Crock Pot Pork Butt with Carolina BBQ Sauce

2 Pounds Cooked Pork Butt (Obviously, traditional Carolina is smoked…but this is my world and you’re playing in it!)  This Pork was slow cooked with mire poix, 4 garlic cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 8 whole cloves, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.

For the Sauce: (remember – quantities are estimated)

1 1/2 Cups Ketchup

1 Cup Brown Sugar

2 t. Garlic powder

2 T. Dried, Minced Onions

1 t. Crushed Red pepper

2 t. Chile powder

1 t. White pepper

1 t. Celery seed

1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 Cup Orange juice

1 Cup Fresh Brewed Coffee – Village Coffee Roastery Harrar Blend

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the ketchup and all other dry ingredients.  Whisk together and let come to a strong simmer.  Add the vinegar, juice and coffee and bring to a boil.  Let cook a few minutes and reduce heat so the sauce is bubbling just a little (low simmer).  Cook until thickened – back to that consistency of ketchup. 

PUll the pork apart and add to the sauce.  Stir until incorporated and you’re ready to serve.  Oh, by the time I was ready to make the coleslaw, the wine kicked in, so I served this dish over a baked potato – how much fun is that??

Harrar

The depth of flavor that comes with this blend lends well to the sweet and tangy side of the sauce. 

This coffee is noted for its resemblance to a dry red wine and full bodied presence. The flavor is amazingly layered with subtle hints of berry and mocha with an earthy backdrop.

My friend, and Chef, Jill Smith gave me this recipe and a whole bunch more to share with you for our Meatless Monday sessions.  We’re going to head to Asia for the next few weeks.  One of the keys to preparing Asian Cuisine is to have all of your ingredients prepped before you start cooking ~ you’ll thank me for that tip:)

• 4 T. Vegetable Oil

• 2 t. Mustard Seeds

• 2 Onions, minced

• 12 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 t. Ground Cumin

• 2 t. Ground Black Pepper

• 2 t. Ground Coriander

• 1 t. Ground Tumeric

• 20 Roma Tomatoes, Large Dice

• 2 Cups Frozen Green Peas

• 1 oz. ginger, peeled and minced

• 2 Jalapenos, seeded and minced

• 1/4 Bunch Cilantro

• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Heat oil in a saute pan and add mustard seeds.  When they start to pop, add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the cumin, black pepper, coriander and tumeric.  Saute for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes and cook covered for 10 minutes under low heat.

Add the peas and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the ginger, jalapeno and cilantro. Cook for 3 minutes, season to taste.  Enjoy with Basmati rice or Naan.

Let’s face it… New Year’s resolutions are no match for peanut butter and chocolate–especially the combination! But, if my calculations are correct peanut butter = protein, chocolate = antioxidants, and MINI Homemade Peanut Butter Cups are OK and even healthful for one and all. You know I’m right…  : )

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Yield: 1-1/2 dozen

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, divided                                               
• 2-1/4 tsp unsalted butter, softened                                          
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar                                                  
• 1/4 tsp salt                                                                             
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips                                               
• 2-1.55 oz Milk chocolate candy bars, coarsely chopped           
• Kosher salt  (for that grown up ‘sweet and salty’ touch)  

1. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar and salt until smooth; set aside.
2. In a microwave, melt the chocolate chips, candy bars and remaining 1/4 cup peanut butter; stir until smooth.
3. Drop teaspoonfuls of chocolate mixture into paper-lined miniature muffin cups. Top each with a scant teaspoonful of peanut butter mixture; top with another teaspoonful of chocolate mixture. Sprinkle with kosher salt, if desired. Refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container.