Fast, Easy Homemade Marinades and Rubs

Our first night vacation meal every time we rent a cottage or condo - Marinated Steak, baked potato and 3G Salad!

In our kitchen, meat is the centerpiece of meals. While I have a few basic techniques that haven't changed much in 25 years - frying chicken is one example - we do like to play with flavors. Creating rubs and marinades takes almost no time at all, yet can completely change the taste and texture of old favorites and standbys.  With a few simple standard ingredients kept on hand, anyone can create a marinade or rub to rival expensive packaged convenience items. All of these recipes can be increased for larger quantities.

Steak Marinade - serves two

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

4-5 cloves garlic, finely minced (adapt to your taste)

several grinds black pepper

pinch sea salt

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 - 10 oz. ribeye steaks

Combine all ingredients, then pour the marinade over the steaks that have been placed in a zip-top bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but it will be fine for several hours or overnight. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before grilling in order to let the meat lose its chill. 

Rub for Pork

2 tablespoons ground sage

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all ingredients. This will rub all sides of 3 pound pork loin roast or both sides of 8 thick-cut boneless pork chops. The rub can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Dry Rub for Smoking Pork Shoulder or Ribs

You can make the rub in larger quantities and store in an airtight container.

4 tablespoons paprika

4 tablespoons ground sage

3 tablespoons sea salt

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1/4-1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard

an 8-9 pound pork shoulder/Boston Butt

Combine paprika, sage, sea salt, garlic and pepper in small bowl. Rinse pork with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place on baking sheet. Rub yellow mustard over all sides of pork. Then, completely coat mustard with dry mixture. Place in refrigerator to allow crust to "set", until smoker is ready. Follow manufacturer's instruction for indirect cooking.

Ummmm.....pork

Kabob Marinade - serves 2

¼ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

pinch sea salt

several grinds black pepper

3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced

Whisk all ingredients together until well combined. Brush over 4 10-inch vegetable or meat and vegetable kabobs placed in shallow baking pan. Place in refrigerator, turning occasionally until ready to grill. During grilling, baste kabobs occasionally with leftover marinade.

Jambalaya with Shrimp, Chicken and Andouille Sausage

In our continuing celebration of Mardi Gras here in an area of the world that really doesn't care about it, we decided to make Jambalaya. Well, I gave Harry a choice - we could have Jambalaya or Shrimp Etouffee, one of his absolute favorites. When we were in NOLA, he ordered it every single night!

He really wanted his favorite, but settled with 'we've never made Jambalaya before.' Well, I have but it might have been right before we met.

I had to make do with what ingredients I could find here in Ohio, but found some awesome Key West Shrimp and an Andouille-flavored smoked sausage. No, it's not the *real* stuff, but it does provide a great flavor and some heat. Feel free to use regular smoked sausage.

There's no such thing as a one perfect recipe for Jambalaya - it's doing to be different in every single kitchen. In French cooking, the basic building block of most stews is a combination of diced onions, carrots and celery. Cajun and Creole cooks leave out the carrots and use bell peppers. I chose a yellow bell pepper because of the intense sweet flavor. Try to keep your diced veggies about the same size - celery should be a bit smaller because of the density. Sweat them in a stock pot just until they start to give off their aroma - they'll be cooking for awhile and you don't want them to turn to mush. Add the garlic and stir around for a few seconds until you can smell it.

Add the chicken and smoked sausage. We debated later that maybe I should have seared the meat first before I added the vegetables. Yeah, I might have gotten a little bit of caramelization on the meat but in the end, we didn't miss it. Saute and stir around occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink.

Now I've added all the liquid, canned tomatoes and seasonings. Once this comes to a simmer, it's time to add the rice. Reduce the heat to low, put a lid on it and don't peek for at least 15 minutes. Taste test the rice for doneness, then add the shrimp, stirring gently just to submerge the shrimp. Cover the pot again and it's done in 5 minutes.

And time to eat. I made some quick garlic bread and we nibbled on raw veggies while I was cooking - because Harry was out of peanut-butter filled pretzel nuggets.

Debbie & Harry's Jambalaya - generously serves 6
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced sweet onion
3 celery ribs, cleaned and diced
1 medium bell pepper, cleaned and diced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces smoked sausage or Andouille sausage, cut into medallions
2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 15-ish ounce can vegetable broth
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 can roasted diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (or to taste - we used our Cajun Kick)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Frank's Red Hot Sauce to taste (or use your favorite hot sauce)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (we love Basmati or Jasmine)
1 pound medium to large raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned
Chopped scallion for garnish

In a large stock pot with a heavy bottom over medium-high heat, saute the onion, celery and bell pepper until the aroma fills your kitchen, about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic, stirring for about 30 seconds. Then, add the sausage and chicken, stirring well. Continue to saute over medium heat until the chicken is no longer pink.

Add the vegetable and chicken broths, the water, the canned tomatoes and the seasonings. Stir occasionally until the mixture comes to a simmer. Stir in the rice, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Do not open the lid until at least 15 minutes have elapsed. If you stir while the rice is cooking, it will clump together and get gooey.

After 15 minutes, taste the rice for doneness and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Gently stir in the shrimp and cover the pot for another five minutes. Garnish the jambalaya with diced scallions and serve with a crusty bread.

Salt-Free Cajun Seasoning Made at Home

I fell in love with Cajun and Creole flavors during a long-term work assignment in Louisiana. This Midwest girl learned that Cajun didn't have to mean "light my face on fire" heat or that everything was blackened. Harry spent some time with a bayou family when I was about 6 or 7 years old - I'm sure it had nothing to do with the hottie in the short-shorts. I'd love to meet her - she and her family taught him about so many wonderful foods and she even gave him some recipes that we use today.

I made a trip to a few grocery stores just before my work assignment ended, stocking up on seasonings, crawfish and Community Coffee. Those items are long gone and I had to learn to make the seasonings myself. I don't criticize anyone for using the major label stuff that is available on the grocery shelves in central Ohio. My biggest problem with the commercial seasonings is that the first ingredient on the label is salt. While salt has its place in almost any cooking as a flavor enhancer, I want to taste the flavors, not the salt.

When we were starting The Wright Taste, we wanted to include a line of seasonings. We scoured the Internet, looking for recipes. We had the same problem as I had in the stores - every recipe had tons of salt. I tried making the recipe and just eliminating the salt but there was no balance of flavors, just some heat.

We had all these spices but couldn't find a good combination on the web. So, we started playing and the strangest thing happened. No salt and equal quantities of six spices gave us the balanced blend of flavors we loved in Cajun food. We labeled this as Cajun Kick and loved that we could tell our customers it contained no salt and they controlled the heat - from a little sprinkle for flavor to a light-you-up heat.

We sprinkle this salt-free Cajun seasoning on pork chops or boneless chicken breasts before cooking. I also use it in any recipe that calls for Cajun seasoning. You probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry!

Measure equal amounts - I suggest starting with 1 teaspoon of each - of these six spices: granulated garlic, granulated onion, ground white pepper, ground cayenne pepper, ground paprika, and ground black pepper. Mix together a store in an airtight container in a cool dark place. If you decide to go big and make a huge batch, store the bulk of it in the freezer, refilling your pantry container as needed.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie - yes, really!

I don't keep a vegan kitchen but a few years ago a customer ordered a vegan pumpkin pie. Without even thinking, I said "yes!"

Then I turned to the web to learn about vegan food.

Learning that vegans don't consume anything produced by animals produced a challenge: how do I make a custard without eggs or milk? After all, a pumpkin pie filled with nothing but pumpkin with a few spices is pretty lame and looks disgusting. The custard gives it that smooth texture people remember.

It took a bit of experimenting but I adapted my friend Miriam's pumpkin pie recipe to satisfy a vegan lifestyle. A combination of vanilla-flavored soy milk (which I now drink regularly) and corn starch thickened the pie to provide a texture very similar to a standard custard.

Follow the link to my Recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Pie!

D is for Dill...

I’ve become rather fond of dill over the last year or so. I’ve always loved big, fat crunchy Kosher dill pickles but I’m talking about the herb.

Since 2007, we’ve been making a variety of dip mixes for The Wright Taste, all with a different level of dill: Traditional, Garlic and Fiesta. So, we’ve always had dried dill in the Magic Drawer. I had a customer who would buy several packages of Traditional Dill Dip mix at the beginning of the season. She used it to flavor her potato salad. It always sounded good to me, but I’ve never tried it.

Harry’s the one who actually started us playing with it in some of our other foods. One night I was putting together potatoes to roast on the grill. I added onions, granulated garlic, Kosher salt, cracked pepper and he suggested some dill.

During the summer months, we eat a lot of salads with veggies fresh from the market. I like to whip together a quick homemade dressing and dill works great with Greek yogurt.

I’m not much of a pickle maker – we’ll see how the cukes do in the garden this year. But, my plans for the herb garden definitely include dill this year.

Meatballs, meatballs, meatballs - subs & spaghetti!

A good meatball sub is hard to find. Harry loves them but doesn't like how the spheres roll out when you try to bite into it! These little beauties are perfect for spaghetti or subs.

I wrote this recipe and left out the veal for anyone who freaks out about eating baby cows. My preferred blend of meat is 2 parts ground beef, 1 part Italian sausage and 1 part ground veal. But, in the interest of all, no baby moo-moos were harmed in the making of this blog post. The photos you see are beef & sausage.

I prefer making a bunch at once and freezing them. Double-duty cooking is huge around here. Why just cook for one meal when I can put something in the freezer for a night that we might not have 2 or 3 hours to spend in the kitchen.

There it is in a big ol' bowl. Ground beef, sausage, our own homemade bread crumbs, some egg and spices and just a bit of Frank's Hot Sauce. I use granulated garlic for these so I don't have to worry about scorching garlic bits while I'm sauteing the meatballs.

All squished up and ready to be rolled. I wish I could find that picture of the mountain of meatballs in my food porn file. This recipe makes about 40 meatballs.

FOUND IT! YAY! It only took about 10 minutes to roll all these by hand.

 I love my collection of cast iron. The "youngest" I have was one that Mom gave me when I first got married in 1983. I needed it to make corn bread and it honestly took about 5 years before I could say it was truly "seasoned" properly. All of the rest of my collection is at least 70 years old.

Sorry - back to the meatballs. My friend Trish showed me how to make them years ago and how to keep them semi-round. Don't overcrowd the skillet - you need some room so cook them in batches. Roll each meatball into the skillet and shake the pan to keep them moving. You're not trying to cook them all the way through. I have another friend who has gotten the method down to not even brown the meatballs before adding them to her sauce. Must mind-meld with Pam Gaulin.

Isn't that pretty? No, I'm a dork and each time we've had meatballs subs, I keep forgetting to take a picture.

For all the ingredients follow the bouncing ball to Double Duty Cooking: Italian Meatballs

Yes, really. Frank's Original Red Hot DOES come in one gallon jugs! I try to catch it on sale at GFS Marketplace for around $10. If you don't have a GFS around you and you put that sh#t on everything, you can order it here.

A magic drawer filled with spices

Last week, I added a picture of our magic drawer to Harry's post about chili - here's a reminder:

Harry calls it our magic drawer for a reason!

Two important things about spices:

First, "normal" people don't buy their spices in containers this large. Harry & I never claimed to be normal! Every single one of these containers (except the Old Bay) is less than a year old. A large part of our product line with The Wright Taste was mixes and seasonings - we had 3 types of dip mix, our buffalo dust, cajun kick, chili powder, mulling spices and more. We developed everything in our kitchen and had to buy large-size packages of the spices. I also used the dried herbs in our artisan-style breads.

Second, yes a very discerning palate can taste the difference between grating your own cinnamon and nutmeg or buying it pre-ground, but in general spices are relatively the same. I will admit to being a vanilla snob to some extent. It must be pure vanilla extract - none of that imitation stuff in this kitchen.

Now that we are retiring from the farmers market business - at least for the time being! - we won't continue to buy spices in bulk.

It doesn't have to cost a fortune to stock your pantry with a variety of spices to make it easier to make your favorite cuisine from scratch. Add a few items to your grocery list at a time. Check the dollar store or Aldi's for sea salt, garlic powder and peppercorns. Take time to build up your collection - always buying small containers that you will use up! - and expand your kitchen collection.

I will admit to getting VERY excited to find small tins of ground chipotle and ancho chili peppers! More excitement came when the price was $1.99 at Kroger! For four summers, I had a couple of customers requesting that I create some sort of chipotle dip mix. I was all about it until I found the container at GFS - 18 ounces for around $28. My concerns were two-fold: what if we couldn't sell enough (a little chipotle goes a long way!) fast enough to make back the expense? and not selling enough fast enough could lead to the expensive ingredient losing its potency and not being acceptable to sell. So, we bypassed it. Now, I can play on our own stage!

I put together an article including some of the basic spices for various cuisines - Italian, Mexican and Asian plus a few other ideas.

Variety of Herbs and Spices Makes it Easy to Cook from Scratch

If you don't have a drawer to spare in your kitchen, I thought this was a pretty nifty spice rack. It mounts on the back of a cupboard door and you just clip the spice bottles into it.