asian lettuce wraps

I was dancing with my baby

To that Tennessee Waltz

When an old friend I happened

Happened to see

Well I didn’t know I was going to see him

I introduced him to my baby

While, while they kept on playing

That friend stole my sweetheart

Away from me, yes he did

“Tennessee Waltz” by Otis Redding

So now I’ve got all of these pickled vegetables, what do I do with them??? I would have loved to have made bánh mì but I didn’t have the access to the rice flour baguette, nor do I think I am skilled enough to make them. That left me with simple lettuce wraps. The marinade for the meat that is similar to one I posted earlier.  While this was good, the dish I made from the leftovers was even better (HINT: it involves frying rice…what a head scratcher).

Ingredients:

Meat
1 can of coke
2 tablespoons of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of fresh ginger, minced
½ cup mirin
1/3 cup soy sauce

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients and marinade with a flank steak, pork tenderloin, or chicken thighs in a zip top bag for at least 1 hour
2. Grill until crispy and cooked to temperature
3. Wrap in a lettuce leaf and serve with rice, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and a squirt of Sriracha

pickled carrots and daikon radishes

Once at night Catillion squared the fight

And she was right in the rain of the bullets that eventually brought her down

But she’s still dancing in the night

Unafraid of what a dude’ll do in a town full of heroes and villains

“Heroes and Villains” by The Beach Boys

This is a traditional Vietnamese condiment, great with any Asian salty meat and rice dishes. It is also always placed on top of my favorite sandwich, bánh mì, along with jalapenos and cilantro.  I’ll show you later this week what I do with these sweet/sour/crunchy veggies.

Adapted from www.vietworldkitchen.com

Ingredients:

2 large carrot, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
1 daikon radish, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup sugar
1  1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup lukewarm water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, place carrot and daikons, sprinkle with salt and 2 teaspoons of sugar
2. Knead the vegetables for about 3 minutes, until liquid begins to collect at the bottom of the bowl
3. Drain vegetables in a colander and rinse under cold water
4. Pack vegetables in a 1 quart mason jar
5. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, vinegar, and water in a small bowl, pour over vegetables
6. Let marinate for at least 1 hour

wisconsin roots: german potato salad

She said step on it

His face is running, he said I don’t know

I don’t want to get a ticket,

She said step on this thing

She said if this thing don’t go

I don’t want to ride this Cadillac no more

“Big Black Cadillac” by Lightnin’ Hopkins

This is my first recipe in the Wisconsin Roots series and very appropriate if you ask me.  This was a staple of most large family gatherings, summer get togethers, and other whathaveyous.  My mom likes to go heavier on the bacon/vinegar sauce.  I decided to add a little stone ground mustard which is still very German.  If you want to stick to the original recipe, omit the mustard and use only three slices of bacon.

Again, if anyone out there has Wisconsin recipes or ideas they would like to share, email me.

Adapted from St. John’s cook book

Serves 6

Ingredients:

18 small Yukon gold potatoes (about 3 pounds)
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (use a mandolin if you’ve got one)
4 slices of bacon
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon of butter
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup water
¼ cup stone ground mustard
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pot of salted water, boil potatoes until soft
2. Let potatoes cool and slice into ¼ inch discs, place in a large bowl
3. Add onion slices to the bowl of potatoes
4. In a frying pan, cook bacon until brown and crispy
5. Remove bacon from pan, set aside
6. Add butter and flour to bacon fat, stir until incorporated
7. Add vinegar, sugar, water, mustard, salt and pepper, let this mixture come to a boil then pour over the sliced potatoes and onions
8. Sprinkle reserved bacon over the top of the potato salad

If there is anyone out there that reads this blog and has Wisconsin roots, I would love your recipes and suggestions.

Some previous posts on food from my favorite state:

Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet

Bratwurst, cooking

Bratwurst, making

Cheese curds

Potato Salad, German

Sauerkraut

Summer sausage

wisconsin roots

I am starting something new here on Egg to the Apples…

I have written endless times about the love I have for my home state, Wisconsin.  This new series will be an attempt to honor some of the classic German inspired, old school dishes that have roots in the dairy state.  My guide will be the book, “Our Favorite Recipes”, which is a cookbook that originated in my hometown of West Bend, WI.  The cookbook was first printed 60 years ago by “The Ladies of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church” and has sold over 150,000 copies.  This is the cookbook many of the women (and men) of my hometown probably learned how to cook with.  I thought it would be cool to begin cooking my way through the book and gathering other Wisconsin favorites as a way to learn about some of the dishes my grandparents and parents grew up eating while preserving some of the culinary history of my hometown.  The book is really cool, all of the recipes are hand written by the women who submitted them, some have pencil drawings that go along with the recipes.

If there is anyone out there that reads this blog and has Wisconsin roots, I would love your recipes and suggestions.

Some previous posts on food from my favorite state:

Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet

Bratwurst, cooking

Bratwurst, making

Cheese curds

Sauerkraut

Summer sausage

beef back ribs

Will you find another sweetheart

In some far and distant land

Sad and lonely now I wonder

If our boat will ever land

Ships may ply the stormy ocean

And planes may fly the stormy sky

I’m sad and lonely but remember

Oh I’ll love you till I die

“At My Window Sad and Lonely” by Wilco

A little inspiration for the Labor Day holiday! These caveman ribs are full of juicy meat and have a great smokey flavor. The ribs are done when the meat substantially pulls away from the end of the rib (1/2 inch or more) and when pulling on a bone, the meat has a slight resistance before it tears.

Ingredients:

1 Whole 7 bone slab of beef ribs (or more)
Your favorite barbecue rub
¾ cup barbecue sauce
½ stick butter
1-2 tablespoons honey to taste
1 tablespoon cider vinegar to taste

Directions:

1.Remove membrane and excess fat from ribs
2. Season ribs with rub by sprinkling rub on both sides
3. Make glaze by combining barbecue sauce, butter, honey and cider vinegar in a small sauce pan over low heat
4. Smoke ribs membrane(less) side down with apple and hickory chips for 6-7 1/2 hours at 225-250 F
5. In the last hour glaze and then glaze and cook for 20 minutes