worcestershire – H Lamar Thomas' Blog

February 5, 2012

Condiments

WHERE SWEET TURNS TO SOUR AND THE HOT REMAINS THE SAME

(The where and how of condiments)

Wherever you are in the world it is easy to see that condiments become you. Every plate has a garnish, an extra, a special something that elevates and creates a wholly new flavor. This “something” is where condiments make a play on the plate, and in turn influence the way you experience the dish itself. Think of these examples: ketchup, mustard, chow-chow, pickles, relish, kim chee, hot sauces, soy, horseradish, Worcestershire. The scene is set for the plate by how we see fit to accompany the entrée (centerpiece). The recipes this month are sautéed chicken breast with black mustard seed-agave sweetened mustard; and iron skillet grilled firm tofu with blackberry-peach tamarind sauce.

In dining around the world there is always something that offers a sense of home. The way to understand these foods is to remember your history and experience the way in which food has relations around the globe. In turn, the way to find greatest pleasure in world cuisines is to forget your history and enjoy the food for what it is in and of itself. I particularly enjoy tasting something for the first time, something that is so indigenous and locked into a place that it is impossible to ever have this same experience any other scene in the world. The same theory applies to any set of experiences in travel, the Arts, relationships and dining.

Variations in world cuisines that were once scoffed at by stuffed shirts and xenophobes become avenues of exploration once prejudice is removed. The examples are legion. Condiments often pave the way for such culinary discovery. Chow-chow relish is a great example of confusion and discovery. It may historically be French, German, Hungarian, British, India, and Chinese. “Chou” is French for cabbage, and “kouchumber” is a Chinese condiment. Hindi, Korean and Chinese cuisines have many hot condiments made with cabbage. A Hungarian Chef, Charles Thoth, that I trained under swore it was Polish-Hungarian in origin. This is a relish whose home may be the entire globe and not the property of any one culture. Lets look at sour cream, cucumber and onion which indicates Central Europe. Yogurt (unsweetened/plain/Greek/Indian), cucumber and onion indicates Punjab Province of India and of Greece. They taste almost the same. All “own” the dish as a signature of their cuisines. There is a lot of freedom in understanding our culinary history.

All of my food columns contain a condiment recipe, this is how important condiments are to any dish. I try to make the unfamiliar, familiar. By doing so you are able to find ingredients and utensils that are close to home. The reason I developed a blackberry-peach Worcestershire was that I wanted to give the sauce flavors of Georgia. The mustard and Worcestershire is made so that it is friendly to all tastes and dietary requirements from gluten free to sugar free. Mustard is known the world over. Mustard is a member of the cabbage family.

In January I had a balsamic-lime mustard recipe. The reason I am reprising a mustard is to further explore just how easy it is build beyond classic yellow, brown and coarse mustards. Coarse mustards are the ones where the mustard seeds are dominant and often includes a wine or whiskey. Our black and blue mustard is all new just for you. If you start using the balsamic mustard and the black & blue mustard you will taste how versatile mustards really are in the modern kitchen. And yes, even on hot dogs and corn beef sandwiches these mustards will still have that sinus opening flavor that situates mustard in the pantheon of condiments.

Tamarind is essential to Worcestershire, as in no tamarind then no Worcestershire. Tamarind is a tree, we use the flavor from pulp of the tamarind seed. It has a slightly sour flavor and is also the source for many candies in Southeast Asia. Tamarind is one of the most versatile ingredients in world cuisines with uses from sauces to primary ingredient, to candy and hot weather drinks. Once you have tamarind extract in your kitchen start using it by the quarter teaspoon in dishes where lemon or lime are required. Using it in small amounts in Asian, South American and American recipes will get you used to how it interacts and creates new flavors. The sauce originated in Thailand and Burma.

Black & Blue Mustard

This is a sugar free, gluten free and corn free all purpose mustard. It is good with stir fry, pork, duck, turkey, chicken and of course hot dogs, dips, hamburgers and corned beef sandwiches. You will notice that I always specify sea salt. The reason for this is because it is not bleached with any kind of chemicals to maintain white color. Salt is historically our primary method of preserving foods prior to pre 20^th century refrigeration. It was not chemically enhanced. Chemical enhancing has repercussions upon the body. Remember the old commercials about how “It’s not good to fool Mother Nature”? Well, it’s not, so avoid foods that do.

4 tablespoons Coleman’s Dry Mustard

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1/3rd cup cold water

1/3rd cup sorghum vinegar (or cane vinegar)

2 tablespoons lemon juice or tamarind extract

3 tablespoons Blue agave syrup (amber)

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

Combine ingredients. Transfer to sauce pan and cook over low heat for five minutes. Gently stir for the entire time it cooks.

CHICKEN WITH THAI RED RICE

2, 7 ounce chicken breasts

1/4^th teaspoon ground white pepper

1/3^rd teaspoon kosher sea salt

1/3^rd cup flour or tapioca starch

1 ounce corn oil

½ ounce olive oil

Season, flour and sauté the chicken on medium high heat for 3 minutes per side. Turn twice. Finish in 400 degree oven for 16 minutes. Set aside.

Cook Thai red rice the same way you would cook any brown rice. Red rice contains the same nutrients with a more intense flavor. It has become my favorite rice over the past few months. Just use a little salt, a star anise pod and two bay leaves when you cook this rice.

BLACKBERRY PEACH TAMARIND

You will need to buy tamarind extract at any Asian or Latin grocer. A little goes a long way. The flavor is classic British occupation Worcestershire with the best of Georgia peaches and blackberries. In the winter it is fine to use frozen fruit. I cannot recommend canned. This is good on any foods where you would use Worcestershire.

5 tablespoons tamarind extract

4 ounces blackberries

2 ounces peaches

2 cloves garlic

1/4^th cup onion, minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fine black pepper

1/4^th teaspoon ground allspice

1/4^th teaspoon ground cloves

1 bay leaf

1/3^rd cup soda water

1/3^rd cup brown rice vinegar

Combine. Cook on stove to boil for three minutes. Puree in food processor. Strain. Set aside. This will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator. If you want a different flavor you can substitute Dr. Pepper or Coke for the liquids.

We are using extra firm tofu. To prepare tofu for cooking remove from water pack and drain. Place on plate between paper towels and gently press to remove all water from the tofu. Put in small container. Pour one cup of green salsa (salsa verde) over the tofu. Refrigerate over night.

Remove and cook either on the grill or in an iron skillet with raised grates for stove top grilling. Cook 2 minutes per side, turn twice, and finish in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

This is good with any greens or as a classic entrée with steamed vegetables and Red Mule grits.

Knowing these two sauces is a way of welcoming the world into your Southern kitchen. My peace be with you, spread the love and open your hearths to the fires and spices of the lands outside.

Mustard seeds and you to feed

With chicken tops and tofu bottoms

Hold the ketchup toss the bottle

I’ve things to say and yous to do

With a side of this and glop like a hat

We’ll find fine trees of tamarind

Set a corn oil boil in black iron vat

Battered birds, foody words, I’m not a nerd,

Soy blocks raging and fashion designer

Everything is finer with condiment beside her

Let loose the hounds of chow town

Pluck sweet cucumbers put the bottle down

Will you eat pickles on a train in the plain?

Will you fill a bowl of tickles on a moving car

That’s here before you’ve gone too far?

Powders and chowders and marshmallow stars?

So tell the man behind a bad plan

That tradition is one thing but stale is another.

December 15, 2011

RINGS AND WINGS

A SONG OF PEPPERS AND A SEA OF RINGS
WITH SUPER BOWLS AND CHICKEN WINGS

January rides in on icy rains and fog drenched midnights. January is a continuation of the parties, of giant meals and bottomless feasts of Football snacks and family meals. Planning is the key to easy times. Preparation is your best friend. “Thanks” and “More” is the response we always look for… so to the pepper patch and onion fields we go, to the seafood section and chix wing ranch. That’s right, baskets of chicken wings and shrimp rings. From Thanksgiving to Valentine’s it seems like every day is a holiday so avoiding repetition for the table is not as easy as it seems.
There are libraries full of recipes for Southern, Northern, Midwest, Rockies and West Coast winter easy foods. We have black eyed pea salsa, mustard greens and brussel sprout kimchee, Greek yogurt and peach milkshakes, pecan rice cooked with hog jowl bacon, pork ribs smoked with garam masala, lime and cayenne popcorn (in a pop corn popper or iron pot and never microwave), black bean and roasted pepper brushetta, Indian red chili spiced chocolate cookies, and the list goes on of all the wonderful worldly & creative bowls of holiday foods.
We are making jalapenos wings and seafood batter onion rings. Sometimes winter needs spicy and easy. How do we make the ordinary extraordinary? How do we resist the wings in a bag? We make the best that we can, that’s how. How do we move away from the elegance of a perfect fried onion ring without ruining the integrity of onion and the sea? By careful attention to detail, that’s how. The wings are baked and of course the rings are fried.

Normally, there is a recipe for every part of a dish but in favor to making things a bit easier we’ll skip blackening seasoning and tempura batter recipes. I apologize for the omission, yet I also trust you have favorites of both.
PICKLES, SAUCES AND DIPS

Sweet And Sour Pickled Peppers

These great Southern style pickles are perfect for adding to the bowls of rings and wings. The peppers used are fresh.
This recipe is more than you will need here but they are pickles and they will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.
Peppers
4 ounces banana peppers, cut in rings
2 ounces jalapeno peppers, cut in rings
1 ounce serrano peppers, cut in rings (or any favorite pepper)

Make sure you slice these as thinly as possible. You can use any kind of
fresh pepper.
Blanch the peppers in 1 quart of water. Cook 3 minutes. Drain. Put the peppers into the containers you will be using for the final mix. Set aside. I use mason jars or Ziploc plastic containers.

Pickle Juice
2 ounces yellow onion, minced
2 1/2 cups rice vinegar
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed (yep, with the flat side of a knife)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
¼ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Bring Pickle Juice to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Pour over the peppers, cover and seal tight. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature. Put into refrigerator and chill minimum 10 hours.

SPICY KETCHUP
1 cup Heinz ketchup
2 tablespoons Sweet Chili Sauce (Thai bird peppers, sugar, vinegar)
1 teaspoon Cholula Hot Sauce or Tabasco Jalapeno Sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼th teaspoon salt

Combine and refrigerate overnight. It gets better over time.
LIME MUSTARD
1/2 cup Coleman’s Dry Mustard
½ teaspoon Curry powder
1 cup cold water
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice (2 limes)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon salt
Combine ingredients.
1 egg, extra large
Stir into the mix.
Heat in small pan on low heat. Stir constantly. If necessary use a double boiler to avoid lumping or scalding. Cook for five minutes. Remove and store in plastic container. Refrigerate overnight. This will keep for a month.
BLEU CHEESE DIP
4 ounces bleu cheese crumbles or gorgonzola
2 ounces sour cream
3 ounces mayonnaise
6 ounces buttermilk
1 teaspoon truffle salt or truffle oil
¼ teaspoon each oregano and basil, chopped
1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, smashed and minced
2 stalks green onions, chopped
1 stalk celery with leaves, minced
Combine and refrigerate overnight. This will keep for a couple of weeks.

SHRIMP FRIED ONION RINGS

If you have calamari, crab meat or crawfish tails add small amounts to the batter for more complex flavors. We are using only shrimp for this recipe. Add beer for the liquid to the tempura when you are ready to fry the rings. Count on at least seven onion rings per person. If no beer then use carbonated/soda water.
A mix of peanut and corn oil will give you perfect balance. Peanut is high in cholesterol, but hey, it is the end of the party holiday season and why not use ingredients of the highest quality. If you don’t want to use peanut oil then use only corn oil. Vegetable oil blends are not so good for the taste or the health. Olive oil cannot handle the sustained high heat (fire hazard).
BATTER
1 1/2 cups flour
½ cup cornstarch
6 ounces shrimp, coarse ground/chopped in food processor
1 tablespoon blacken seasoning, Bay or Tony Chechere.
Add to tempura batter. Stir.
GLUTEN FREE BATTER (preferred for flavor)
Gluten free is very easy once you get used to it and when you have the various flours in your kitchen. I prefer the gluten free flavor and texture over the flour based for this recipe. Remember than gluten intolerance is generally confined to the gluten in wheat, barley and malt. Not all glutens are alike.
½ cup potato starch
1 tablespoon sweet potato starch
½ cup white rice flour
1/4th teaspoon xanthan gum (xanthan is a bush)
½ teaspoon baking powder
Combine so that xanthan is evenly distributed.
1 extra large egg, beaten
1 cup beer, very cold
Whisk all ingredients together just until it has combined. If you over blend it will become too thick and act more like a pancake batter than tempura. If 2 cups of batter is not enough just double the batch. Do not save remainder.
ONION RINGS
28 onion rings, cut thick
1 cup all purpose unbleached flour
Dust the onion rings in flour and shake off excess.

FRY OIL
1 cup peanut oil
2 cups corn oil

Dust onion rings in flour, then into the batter. Use a deep iron fry pan or home fryer. Slowly add rings to 350 degree oil. Fry three minutes to crisp. Shake off grease. Dump rings on paper towels and then into bowls. Garnish with your home made sweet and sour pickles.
Serve rings and spicy ketchup in bowls or on large platter. Serve ketchup and mustard in a bowl for each guest.
CHICKEN WINGS
This is a take on the late 20th century classic “buffalo chicken wings”. The advent of this product alone sent the once cheap drumettes and wings into a high cost snack. For wing lovers the world over, this increase was not a problem. If you want to be overwhelmed with recipes just type in “chicken wings” and see what happens! There is a recipe for every taste in Super Bowl or simply super bowls, so here is another for the record.
All hot wings seem to call for bleu cheese and celery so we are making a dip to accommodate this great garnish. If you do not have truffle salt that is OK. Buy an ounce dry mushrooms. Grate very fine with “Microplane” or basic box grater. Mix with teaspoon mushroom powder with teaspoon kosher salt. Kosher salt is for preparation and cooking, regular grind salt is for table seasoning. This is an important and necessary distinction often overlooked in recipes. If you do not have truffle oil you can use hazelnut oil which is readily available at most grocery stores.
WINGS
Buy fresh wings at the grocery store. Separate drumette and wing joint with a knife. Wash in cold water. Pat dry. Keep wings cold during prep time.
You can substitute “chicken seasoning” for the thyme, oregano and coriander.
3 pounds wings, fresh
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon jalapeno, minced
1 teaspoon roasted red chili paste

Thoroughly mix the seasonings and then coat the wings. Store in large Ziploc bag or plastic container overnight.
Remove from refrigerator and arrange on baking pan. Bake 450 degrees for 20 minutes, turn wings over and bake another 20 minutes.
Put in big bowl or on a platter with the dip in individual bowls for each person.
Super Bowls are a lot of fun. They tend to be easy to prepare and you can serve a lot of people from one big container. You cannot go wrong as there is always an audience for big bowls and big love!

A new year speaks in smiles and hugs,
In the toasts, in the promises kept,
In the foods and open hearths
Where all our loves are all our lives,
And all our friends are all our loves.
I believe in the honesty implied,
In the trust not forsaken,
In the way we care for each other
And not in how some lie or slander.
Knives are best on cutting boards
And never used in the figurative back.
Being honest is not merely
Pretending so or as something
Twisted in business deals.
A world at war is born in ways
From the smallest detail
To governments and power,
To control and use force on the weakest.
What is done to one is done to the many.
We are here to honor and share,
To seek love, to bond friendships,
Trust between friends is to learn
Trust for the ones we do not know,
A cynic finds ways around all loves,
But for a beautiful, ideal reason,
For the world that is made real
We can choose who are our friends,
And by doing so we express love,
Expressing love is expressing God.
Hold this close for all in our lives,
Cherish the great truth
And say it again,
Expressing God is expressing Love.
Things feel better now, don’t they?
Hello 2012, an open hand
And an open heart is the best
Of all ways to say Happy New Year!

May 3, 2010May 3, 2010

Satay, Kabob, Grilling Meat On A Stick!

HOT GRILL COOKING IN THE SUMMER (06.2010)

We are in the grilling season. Every season in North Georgia is grilling season. Hot, cool, warm and cold; sunny, cloudy, stormy and clear it is all the same when the love of smoke and the outdoors is part of your ingredient list for your recipes. Since childhood we have marveled at the glory in the differences between burnt and tanned marshmallows. We have argued over which was better, burnt or tan. Is it better to skewer them on coat hangers or maple/elm/hickory sticks? Over the fire itself or near by to the coals? Marshmallows at a camp South to Savannah and the Okefenokee or North to Standing Indian Gap and War Woman Road, Camp Eagle or Stone Mountain all taste as good as at any other. Things on a stick. Seems that anything grilled on a stick is delicious. Primal, woodland, easy to cook and easy to eat.
Satay indicates Indonesian and South Asian styles of grilling on a bamboo stick. Kabob relates to our European and Near East forms of stick cuisine on flaming swords and metal skewers. You do not always need a fork or a plate. Plated satay and kabobs can be arranged into dramatic statements by simple remembering how Lincoln Logs worked for stacking and making teepees. For absolute drama grill on a long metal skewer or fencing foil type instrument, move it from the heat and drizzle 100 proof rum on to the meat, move it back to the heat so that it catches on fire, i.e. flambé and then push the meat onto a plate with a long serving fork. Very Brazilian, Tahitian and Classic French! See, all cultures enjoy a good flame.
Our satay will be chicken and pork. The peanut sauce is called Nam Jim Satay. The sauce for the chicken is a take on Tom Yum Goong because I think that hot and sour shrimp is a nice companion to grilled chicken. The kabobs are beef with onion and mushrooms with a thickened Worcestershire and Rum glaze; and cubed catfish with corn and peppers on watermelon and yellow tomatoes with sesame soy dipping sauce. Meat on a stick is easy. Plan ahead and enjoy the warm evening, watch the fireflies dance for a while, cook, eat and love the life, the beautiful fact that we are in the South.
Now is a good time to strongly suggest that you date and label all your home made foods that will kept in the refrigerator. Also dating and labeling is a good thing for rice, grains and flour products in the pantry. Spices do lose quality with age so only buy as much as you will use in a short period of time. Toasting spices brings out the natural oils and elevates the flavors of the spice back to a fresh state. Do not be afraid. Today there is always a specialty grocer close enough for supplies.
Fish sauce is known by several grades, I use the Three Crabs or Golden Boy for sauté dishes and the Tiparos dark brand for sauces. Be aware that fish sauce/nam pla on it’s own smells like wet dog, but when cooked it adds a very delicate flavor of calamari, crab and shrimp to the dish. Fish sauce is made with anchovy or any other oily fresh or salt water fish. It is literally salted, fermented fish water. Sounds crazy but not only do great nam pla brands like Golden Boy fully enhance the flavor of your foods it is also a high protein.
Fish sauce is as much as 10% high protein, and this protein is a complete one. It contains all the essential amino acids that the body requires for growth and regeneration. It also contains a rich supply of B vitamins, especially B 12 and pantothenic acid, riboflavin and niacin. Other beneficial nutrients include calcium, phosphorous, iodine and iron. Pantothenic acid is a B5 vitamin that aides in synthesis and binding of proteins, hence regeneration.

This list of curries will prove quite useful in your cooking and dining.
red curry paste – prig gang ped

Red curry paste is the most common of all the curry pastes. It is used widely in many dishes that you are familiar with such as tod mun and satay. Red curry paste is a mixture of dry chili pepper, shallot, garlic, galangal, lemon grass, cilantro root, peppercorn, coriander, salt, shrimp paste and kaffir lime zest.

green curry paste – prig gang kew wan
Green curry paste has the exact ingredients as the red one with the exception of the dried chili pepper. Fresh green pepper is substituted.

yellow curry paste – prig gang leung
Yellow curry comes from Southern Thailand and is similar to red or green curry, but it is made with yellow peppers and turmeric.

masaman curry paste – prig gang masaman
This is also known as matsaman and/or massaman
Masaman is an Indian influenced curry. Masaman curry paste has several Indian spices such as cumin, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. When sold in Thailand, you can see whole white cardamom pods in the paste.

nam prig pow or nam prik pow
This is also known as prik pao and/or chilli paste soya beans
There are many variations of this, but the core mixture is: shallots, garlic, shrimp paste, dry chili pepper, salt, and sugar. Frequently there is also tamarind paste and dried shrimp.

namya curry paste
This curry paste is a mix of shallots, garlic, lemon grass, galangal, gra chai, pepper, salt and shrimp paste. (gar chai is a kind of ginger)
This note on curries is from the Thai Table.

PORK SATAY
You can use butt or loin for this dish. It will be necessary to pound the meat thin, or if you are good with a knife then thinly sliced and you are there!
The sauce is a classic Thai peanut sauce. I often substitute cashews and pecans for peanuts for restaurant use because of the prevalence of peanut allergies today. Home made red curry can be kept in your refrigerator for over a month. As always, sealed air tight in a plastic container.
MARINADE
1 pound pork loin, sliced into 8, 2 ounce slices
1 teaspoon light brown turbinado crystals
or palm sugar
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
½ cup coconut milk
8 bamboo skewers
Slide the pork onto the skewers. Combine ingredients in shallow plastic pan and submerge the pork into the marinade. Cover and refrigerate over night.
For the sake of magazine space and keeping things a bit less complicated for the home cook we will use Worcestershire and red curry paste from the store instead of tamarind and home made curry. Do look up and make your own Thai and Viet curries when you have the time to discover how and why curry is so complicated, varied and wonderful.
NAM JIM SATAY
2 tablespoons Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar
3 tablespoons ground peanuts or peanut butter
You can also use cashews for this satay sauce.
2 tablespoons fish sauce/nam pla
1 tablespoon red curry paste
¾ cup coconut milk
If you want it lighter then use young coconut juice.

Combine ingredients in food processor or mortar and pestle to smooth. Toast in pan over medium heat. Stir the whole time it is cooking so that it does not burn and does not stick to the pan. Cook 3 minutes.
Remove and keep in warm place.
Grill satay skewers over hot coals. It will take about ten minutes hot, 15 minutes over medium hot coals. Paint the Nam Jim Satay on the satay as they grill. Serve with Thai sticky rice and slices of mango.
After you make our two Thai sauces you will understand how important the balance of hot, sour, salty, sweet and umami (mouth watering, delicious) are in Southeast Asian and Singaporean cuisine. Indonesian/Singapore they do not use as much coconut milk as with the foods of Thailand. Tamarind is used in making Worcestershire sauce. Tamarind is the pulp of the big brown seed pods that grow on tamarind trees. It has a slight lime tea kind of flavor. I use it a lot.
CHICKEN SATAY TOM YUM GOONG
Bamboo skewers and a thickened sauce makes for a great day at the table. While grilling satay skewers grill fresh pineapple or watermelon along with the meats. This combination makes for a unified smoky and outdoors flavor while being fresh and sweet at the same time.
Tom Yum is a famous Thai soup, sauce or appetizer preparation. We will use Tom Yum as sauce for our grilled salt and pepper bamboo chicken. I like all of the chicken, dark and white meat alike. Flavor is with the bone and the dark meat. If you are not familiar with boning a chicken then buy boneless thigh and breast. For our dish we will use chicken tenders, the moist and tender underside of the breast. You will not have to pound or cut them, just insert the bamboo.
SKEWERS
16 ounces tenders, 2 ounces each
8 bamboo skewers soaked in hot water one hour
This prevents the wood from burning.
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
Rub chicken with salt and pepper. One tender per skewer.

TOM YUM GOON
4 cups water
1 cup bay shrimp
1 juice of one lime
1 stalk lemon grass
3 kaffir lime leaves (if you cannot find them then use the zest of key limes and one lavender flower)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
¼ cup fresh cilantro, torn and rough chopped
3 thai bird chili peppers (if you do not have then use
a serrano pepper, thinly sliced)
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
1 teaspoon red miso paste
Combine ingredients and heat on medium heat in saucepan. Stir often and cook for 20 minutes. Strain. Keep warm

Grill the skewers 15 minutes on medium coals, turn four times. Set on plate and pour a half ounce of sauce over each chicken. Serve with a red cabbage, cucumber and fennel slaw.
BEEF KABOBS
We have all put beef and mushrooms on a stick and grilled them at sometime in our lives, but have we set them on fire with 100 proof rum? This is the fun.
1 pound tenderloin of beef, cut into 16 cubes
16 crimini mushrooms, washed (if you have access to
King mushrooms then by all means use them)
16 metal skewers
Mushroom, meat, mushroom, meat on the skewer.

SAUCE
4 ounces 100 proof rum
4 ounces Lea And Perrins Worcestershire sauce
1 lemon, the juice
1 ounce soy sauce
1 ounce fig or pear balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, toasted

Combine all except the rum and heat on high heat to boil. Stir and turn down to medium. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Grill the kabobs to your preferred temperature. When they are cooked remove from the heat and pour the rum over each kabob. Return to very hot grill and have them flambé. If they do not catch fire that is OK, but the fun is the fiery sword of beef.
Plate with grilled potatoes and asparagus. Glaze each kabob with the sauce.

CATFISH KABOBS
You can use any fresh water or saltwater fish for this as long as it is very fresh.
1 pound catfish, cut in 16 one ounce cubes
1 cup buttermilk
Soak catfish in buttermilk over night.
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon white corn meal
Combine with the catfish so that each cube is coated with spice.
2 ears fresh corn, cut into 16 circle slices
8 slices red bell pepper
8 bamboo or metal skewers
Slide the ingredients on each skewer in this order: pepper, catfish, corn, pepper, catfish corn.
Grill on very high heat for 10 minutes or until catfish is cooked.
SAUCE
1 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
3 stalks green onion, sliced
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon sugar
1 jalapeno, thin sliced
½ teaspoon cornstarch
Heat on medium high heat for 10 minutes.

MELON AND TOMATO

4 watermelon, wedges, no rind
8 slices yellow tomato
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon apple juice
1 tablespoon Mexican style crumble fresh cheese (queso fresca)
Set on plate and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cheese.
Place kabobs next to watermelon and tomato with small dish of sauce on plate.
Accompany with German potato salad and Southern style slaw.

Walk with me here where the honeysuckle blooms
Where the ocean sky ripples with each cloud passing,
Soft footsteps by the houses whose dogs are too lonely,
Behind the fences barking, but just wanting a friend.
Pulling the golden closer and the lab a little tighter,
They are so beautiful playing in the last light of day,
Their coats catching these last rays of light,
Pure joy just to walk, all of us walking,
Loving the peace that is this day, like many others,
A day hand in hand, just the dogs, you and I.
And what makes these hours brighter
Are the words of love with a Southern drawl,
The ways of a smile that none may ever name.

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