Pulled Pork For A Crowd
Processed and packaged foods are not often on my grocery list but every once in a while, I find a product worth buying and writing about. Williams-Sonoma, the kitchen supply/cooking/baking store sells a product under their label called Pulled Pork Starter that makes a saucy, slightly sweet and smokey southern style pulled pork that is always a hit with a big crowd – especially men (what is it about a pulled pork sandwich?).
A 26-ounce jar, Pulled Pork Starter’s ingredients include apple cider vinegar, water, brown sugar, spicy brown mustard, ketchup, tomato paste, natural hickory smoked flavor, organic black strap molasses, chicken demi-glace, chicken broth, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, crushed red pepper, and cayenne powder. Read more 
Dulce De Leche – Milk Caramel
Dulce de Leche or Milk Caramel is made by slowly cooking fresh milk and sugar until the mixture thickens into a luscious creamy caramel sauce. Popular in Latin America and in Spain, my first taste of Dulce de Leche was in Madrid a decade ago when it was served poured over vanilla ice cream.
Thicker than a sauce, Dulce de Leche is more like a cooled melted caramel – thick, rich and not unlike the caramel that sticks to a spoon when making caramel apples. Although Dulce de Leche cannot be used to make caramel apples (because it doesn’t harden when cooled), the sauce can be spooned over ice cream, yogurt, cake, waffles, crepes, biscuits, toast, and even used as a layer between sweet crisp breads known as “tortas” (as pictured above). Some fans have been known to stick a spoon in the jar and enjoy Dulce de Leche plain – it’s that good. Read more
Champagne Mango Salsa
Summertime brings a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables to our table and there is no better time to mix them together. With an abundant supply of champagne mangos and sweet grape tomatoes, consider making Champagne Mango Salsa – a delicious side dish that is simple and quick to make.
Great with crab cakes, salmon, or grilled chicken, the mango salsa can also be used as a topping on mixed greens. My family prefers the salsa heavy on the mango but the quantity of the major ingredients – mangos, tomatoes, avocados, scallions, and red onions – can be varied to your taste. However, the fresh chopped cilantro is key to the refreshing taste of this salsa so use a heavy hand. Read more
Bavaro’s Italian Pasta Sauces
I’ve always been a big advocate of homemade tomato sauce but when there are no fresh tomatoes or boxed Pumi tomatoes in my pantry, or even a grocery store within miles (and miles), the jarred variety is the only option. Enter Bavaro’s Italian Sauces which could almost make me a total convert. These sauces smell and taste of summer ripened red tomatoes and make for an easy and delicious dinner for the family and a house full of guests. Stocked in my pantry three deep, Bavaro’s Italian pasta sauces are a staple I rely on when I can’t make homemade sauce and have 20 minutes or less to make dinner. Read more
Seggiano Paté: Olive, Sun-Dried Tomato or Artichoke
For those who love olives, tomatoes, or artichokes, Seggiano, the company with the logo “Real Food from Italy,” makes three (3) patés that seem more like tapenades. The word “paté” conjures up thoughts of liver or meat chopped up and seasoned into blocks of spreadable toppings. But, the paté cooked up by Seggiano does not contain any meat or dairy products; in fact, the three spreads are vegetarian and vegan. But most importantly, the three patés are delicious on crackers, a piece of a baguette, toasted bruschetta and even on pasta. Read more
Seggiano Pesto Sauces
Several weeks ago, my daughter was grocery shopping with her dad when she called me from Whole Foods to tell me there was no fresh basil to make pesto and asking if Seggiano Pesto Genovese Sauce was ok to buy. She read the label and repeated the list of ingredients to me: olive oil, cashew nuts, fresh Ligurian basil, sea salt, and pine nuts. Rarely do we ever indulge in a store-bought sauce but after hearing the list of ingredients, I told my daughter to put the jar in the grocery cart; it was worthy of a try. Read more
Fat Toad Farm Caramel Sauce
Several years ago, I tasted the creamiest yogurt ever and set upon figuring out how a small Molkerei (dairy) in Switzerland could make a yogurt with the proper balance of three major traits: smooth texture, big flavor, and a slight tangy aftertaste. I tried to replicate that yogurt about a dozen times with my yogurt maker using every type of milk before I gave up and decided to ask the owner of the Molkerie in Switzerland how they make their yogurt. The owner told me the secret to making really great yogurt lies with the cows: they need to graze and be well cared for. I realized I would never be able to reproduce a really great yogurt unless I had my own cow, and that was pretty much out of the question but the message stayed with me. Read more
Tomato Sauce – Homemade
Cranberry Chutney
Every Fall when the fresh cranberries are harvested, picked, bagged, and eventually distributed to the grocery stores, I start thinking about making cranberry chutney.Not quite Thanksgiving but with a chill in the air, it’s hard to beat a baked chicken served with roasted potatoes and carrots, sautéed green beans with toasted almonds, and cranberry chutney on an Autumn night. Read more
Pesto – Homemade
Pesto makes pasta dishes special and takes soups from good to great. My friends, Jim and Sheila grow basil – the most important ingredient in pesto – in their garden and gave me the following recipe for “Blender Pesto” which is the most delicious pesto I’ve ever tasted: Read more
Paddock Post 