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Gourmet summer dishes on the cheap
Looking for something mouthwatering to serve guests at your next party?
Barbecue royalty Elizabeth Karmel, executive chef and owner of Hill Country Barbecue in New York and Washington, D.C., recently teamed up with the folks at Gourmet Grilling to do just that.
But how does she do on a budget of $40? Karmel took on the "Chef on a Shoestring" challenge from "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," and as such, made a locally-sourced, three-course summer meal for four - and tried to do it on our stingy budget.
Karmel was also automatically tossed into our "How Low Can You Go?" ring - the "Shoestring" chef whose ingredients total is lowest will be invited back to whip up the feast for our year-end holiday extravaganza - and spend whatever he or she wants!
Check out Karmel's tasty take on some summer favorites:
Menu:
Red Pepper corn relish
Creamy green beans
Sweet and spicy ribs
Brown sugar berry cobbler
RECIPES:
Red Pepper Corn Relish
Makes 4 quarts, Active time: 1 hour, Start to finish: 2 days (includes pickling)
INGREDIENTS:
- 12 ears corn, shucked
- 1 quart distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons dry mustard
- 1 tablespoons celery seed
- 1 tablespoons mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
- 4 Turkish or 2 California bay leaves
- 3 large red bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 2 cups finely chopped celery
- Special equipment:
- 4 (1-quart) heatproof jars with lids
METHOD:
Plunge corn into an 8-to 10-quart nonreactive pot of boiling water. When water returns to a boil, transfer corn with tongs to a large colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Cut kernels off cobs, discarding cobs.
Bring vinegar, water, sugar, spices, bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in same pot, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Add corn, peppers, onion, and celery and simmer, uncovered, until crisp-tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Do not drain.
Spoon corn relish and brine into jars, making sure 1 bay leaf (or half bay leaf) is in each jar. Cool, uncovered, in refrigerator 1 hour. Cover with lids and chill at least 2 days to pickle vegetables and for flavors to develop.
Cooks' note: Relish keeps, chilled, 1 month.
Creamy Green Beans
Serves 10, Active time: 35 min, Start to finish: 35 min
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon drained bottled horseradish
- 1/4 cup chopped chives plus more for sprinkling
METHOD:
Cook beans in a 6-to 8-quart pot of well-salted boiling water, uncovered, until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain in a colander. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking, then drain and pat dry.
Stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, horseradish, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl, then toss with beans. Just before serving, sprinkle with additional chives.
Cooks' note: Beans can be cooked and dressed 4 hours ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature and toss again. Sprinkle with chives.
Sweet and Spicy Ribs
A cumin chipotle rub adds a base note to these succulent ribs, the perfect counterpoint to the ginger-soy barbecue sauce. Utensils are superfluous - by all means, eat with your hands.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon paprika (not hot)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 (2-pounds) racks baby back ribs
- 3 cups barbecue mop (see below recipe)
METHOD:
Whisk together brown sugar, spices, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl.
Line an 18-by-13-by-1-inch heavy-duty backing sheet with a double layer of foil, then oil foil.
Arrange ribs in pan and rub all over with spice mixture. Marinate, meaty sides up, covered and chilled, 2 1/2 hours.
Bring ribs to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Cover pan tightly with foil; bake 1 1/4 hours. Remove foil.
Prepare grill for cooking over indirect heat with medium-hot charcoal.
Lightly oil grill rack, then transfer ribs to area of rack with no coals underneath (or above shut-off burner), reserving pan juices, and cook, covered with lid, basting generously with pan juices and barbecue mop and turning over and rotating ribs every 10 minutes (over indirect heat), until tender and browned, 30 to 40 minutes total. Transfer ribs to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes before cutting into individual ribs. Serve with remaining barbecue mop.
For more of Karmel's recipes, go to Page 2.
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