Vickie's Green Apple Cole Slaw

In Manhattan Beach the LA Food Show restaurant serves a green apple slaw which is quite tasty. This slaw is my attempt to make it even better. I use my mother-in-law's basic slaw dressing recipe (1/3 each sugar, vinegar and mayonnaise) because I think it's the best creamy tangy combination and perfect with the green apples too. The celery seeds add a nice warm and nutty flavor to round it out.

If this is too simple for you, try adding 1/2 Cup of crumbled blue cheese over the top just before serving. Wow!

Vickie’s Green Apple Cole Slaw
Serves 10 as a side dish

Ingredients
1 head of green cabbage
2 Granny Smith apples
1/3 C mayonnaise
1/3 C cider vinegar
1/3 C sugar
½ t celery seeds
Salt to taste

Method
Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the core. Shred the cabbage quarters using a food processor, mandolin, V-slicer or by hand.
Slice the apple into 1/3” slices off the core, then into 1/3" batons (sticks) and then into 1/3” cubes.
Put the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and seeds into a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Adjust to your taste with salt and more sugar or vinegar.
Add the cabbage and apple to the dressing. Fold to combine.
Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Note: Tabasco, Worcestershire, Soy Sauce, Liquid Aminos, and Dijon Mustard are each acceptable flavor enhancers for the dressing. Pick one and add 1 teaspoon and whisk to combine. Adjust to taste as stated above.

Hawaiian Handrolls with Ham, not Spam

When my husband is out of town dinner plans become somewhat creative. I strive to find a way to make a single adult dinner with the remnants of plain Jane ingredients I used to make a simple, kid-friendly meal for my boys.

Tonight I was serving ham steak with barbecue sauce, steamed brown rice and cucumber slices. It was well received by the boys, but it certainly wasn't going to suffice for my dinner.

I've been toying with Nori. Nori is the seaweed sheets used for sushi rolls. I'm especially fond of very crispy Nori used for hand rolls. Hand rolls seem to be the easiest way to get the Nori sushi taste with the least amount of fuss or fancy knife work.

So, I slivered some of that cucumber, and then did the same to a scallion and a carrot. I thinly sliced about 4 ounces of the ham steak. I pulled a bottle of Chinese Chicken Salad dressing out of the fridge and pulled the Nori sheets from the pantry.

The true inspiration for the entire hand roll was the Shiso leaf I picked from the garden earlier in the day. So I washed two tender leaves and slivered them, adding them to the pile of vegetables.

I smeared some hot brown rice onto half a sheet of Nori. I dressed the pile of vegetables with a tablespoon or two of the bottled dressing. I placed 1/3 C of the vegetables onto the rice on each Nori sheet. The ham slices were added last. Rolled up into a tight bundle, they made for a fabulously innovative way to use Nori, eat the remnants from the kid's meal and to truly enjoy the pleasure of the Shiso leaf picked from the garden.

The Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand went with it fabulously!

The Ribs

Many years ago we were planning our annual outing to Mammoth Lakes, CA for the Fourth of July celebrations. Bruce put in a request with me for some baby back pork ribs for the feast. He wanted something smokey and spicy with perhaps a dried chile sauce.

At the time my selection of barbecue cookbooks was dreadful. I spent some time digging around in books and on the internet. But then, in a strange place I found the great rib recipe. It's a Mark Miller recipe which was published in a book titled: Cooking with Patrick Clark. Patrick Clark was a chef who passed away suddenly and left a wife and children. The book was put together as a fundraiser for the family. It's filled with Patrick's recipes as well as all the top chefs from the early 1990's.

I always tell Bruce that it takes three days to make these ribs. But the truth is, we made 12 racks of ribs for a party two weeks ago and I didn't put them in the marinade until the night before and I made the sauce on the morning of the party. Easy Peasy. I suppose the other two days are spent gathering all the ingredients, there are lots of them and in large quantities. Don't skimp, this is powerful good stuff!

Glazed Prok Ribs with Black Coffee Guajillo Barbcue Sauce

Based on Mark Miller recipe

Marinade and Sauce for up to 6 racks of ribs

Marinade
4 Tablespoons ground coriander
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
6 Tablespoons honey mustard
2 Tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon salt
3 Tablespoons ground chile molido (pure chile powder)
1 1/2 Cups apple cider vinegar
1 Cup balsamic vinegar
1 Cup honey
1/4 Cub liquid smoke

Combined all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Stir well. Rinse the ribs in cold water and place in a non reactive container. Pour the marinade over the ribs. Let them marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

To Prepare the Ribs
Remove the ribs from the marinade and place in a single layer on large baking dishes. Cover them tightly with foil. Bake at 225F for at least 2 hours. At two hours check the ribs to see if they are tender to your liking. For more tender ribs, bake longer.


The Sauce
1 Cub chopped white onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 Cup sherry vinegar
1 1/4 Cup tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Cup crushed dired quajillo chiles
1 Cup strong, freshly brewed black coffee
1/3 Cup molasses

Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add the butter. Sweat the onion and garlic over low heat for 10 minutes until very tender. Deglaze the pan with the sherry vinegar and add all the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 20 - 30 minutes until the chiles are very tender. Puree until smooth and strain if desired.


Heat a grill to medium heat and char the ribs on both sides for 2-3 minutes per side.
Slather the sauce onto the ribs as they come off the grill.

Enjoy!