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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (July 14, 2020)
TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020 THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B HOME & LIVING Add spicy Thai flavor to grilled ribs By JeanMarie Brownson Chicago Tribune I don’t need food to be hot. But I do like it spicy. Even comfort food. I add chile fl akes to pasta, hot sauce to mashed potatoes, black pep- per to scrambled eggs. The penchant for warm spice stems from college days enjoying skewers of chicken satay and pad Thai noodles with classmates. Later, a research meal with Cuisine magazine colleagues at Chicago’s Thai Room opened our eyes to even bolder heat. A menu item, “original hot number one,” challenged us mightily. Gradually, I built tolerance for its searing green curry heat and licorice-y notes of Thai basil. Someday soon, we hope to encounter zesty new fl avors dining out with friends. In the meantime, I’ll cook with bold fl avor as much for challenge as nostalgia for shared meals with fellow food adventurers. Memories of that Thai- style satay, grilled and skewered highly seasoned meat, inspire these recipes. I skip the skewering and opt instead for meaty, fl avor- packed pork country ribs. You can use bone-in or boneless country ribs — whatever you can get at the meat counter or butcher. Trim off excess fat, but leave enough for fl avor and browning. This recipe also works beautifully with bone-in chicken pieces, beef sirloin steak and lamb shoulder chops. Refrigerated purees make easy work of the fl avor-fi lled marinade. You can substitute fresh ginger and lemongrass Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune-TNS Pork country ribs marinate in a mixture of onion, garlic, ginger and lemongrass purees, fi sh sauce, chile, salt, pep- per, coriander, cumin and turmeric before being grilled and then served with fresh lime and bottled peanut sauce. if it is available. If you are missing any of the ground spices, just use a little more of each of the ones you have on hand or substitute some garam masala or curry powder. For grilling, charcoal adds the most fl avor, but a gas grill will suffi ce. I prepare the grill to have a cooler area so the ribs can cook more slowly to tenderness. A sear over the hottest part of the grill adds a browned fl avor that keeps us coming back for more. Be sure to serve the pork with wedges of fresh lime for squeezing over the meat. Bottled peanut satay sauce can be served alongside if you wish. I like to sprinkle lots of fresh cilantro over everything for its fresh fl avor. A slightly sweet and spicy slaw makes a crunchy contrast to the rich meat. In lieu of peanut sauce, I simply add a handful of dry-roasted peanuts to the slaw. Steamed green beans or broccoli spears, tossed with Chinese GARDEN chile crisp (or melted butter and crushed pepper fl akes) makes a gorgeous side dish. I’m always playing around with ways to fl avor brown rice. Here, I add a little unsweetened coconut milk to the cooking water and a generous amount of un- sweetened coconut fl akes for texture. I just love to sprinkle the fi nished rice with hot sauce — especially when it’s the basis for a bowl topped with leftover shreds of the pork and spoonfuls of the slaw. THAI-STYLE GRILLED PORK COUNTRY RIBS Prep: 20 minutes Marinate: 1 to 24 hours Cook: 30 minutes Makes: 6 servings Look for prepared lem- ongrass and ginger purees in refrigerated cases at the grocer. frequently used in the garden. • Provide water in the garden Continued from Page 1B for birds, especially in dry • Water turf as needed to weather. prevent drought stress. • Newly planted trees and • Turf grass grown in shaded shrubs should continue to be conditions should be mowed at watered thoroughly, once a week. higher levels. • Prune climbing roses and • A mailbox mounted on a rambled roses after bloom. nearby post makes a handy place • Keep weeds from making to store and keep dry any small seeds now. It will mean less tools, seeds, labels, etc. that are weeding next year. COOL IT Continued from Page 1B • Creamy pops: A cup of Greek yogurt and ¼ cup of milk can serve as the base for creamy pops. Feel free to use coconut water, soy, or almond milk. You can add whole fruit to this base, or put all the in- gredients into a blender and puree, then pour into molds. • Layered pops: Let each layer of fruit puree or creamy pop mixture set in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before adding the next fl avor. Be sure to keep other purees refrigerated while layers are setting. BLUEBERRY- COCONUT GREEK YOGURT POPS Makes 10 1½ cups (12 ounces) Greek yogurt ¾ cup (6 ounces) full fat coconut milk 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided 1½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries • Honey can be used instead of sugar, and adjust to taste In a large bowl, combine the Greek yogurt with the coconut milk and 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of sugar or honey. Stir vigor- ously until you have a smooth consistency. Taste and add more sweetener, if desired. Set aside. Make the blueberry sauce by combining the blueberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar or honey in a small pot. Cook over medium heat until the blueberries start to break down. Stir and con- tinue cooking until it reaches a BLUE MOUNTAIN REPAIR RV 'HDOHU )DFWRU\&HUWLÀHG7HFKQLFLDQV 'LVFRXQWIRU$OO0LOLWDU\ )LUVW5HVSRQGHUV 5LFN 7RGG 360.601.2067 541.786.5095 ($UFK6W8QLRQ25 8 bone-in or boneless country- style pork loin ribs, each about 1-inch thick OR bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, 2¾ to 3 pounds total ½ small white onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, peeled 1 tablespoon lemongrass puree or 2 tablespoons fi nely chopped fresh lemongrass 1 tablespoon ginger puree or grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon fi sh sauce (or 2 teaspoons soy sauce) ½ small serrano chile, seeded (or 1 teaspoon hot sauce) ½ teaspoon each: salt, black pepper, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric Chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges, bottled peanut satay sauce 1. Put country ribs into a large bowl or baking dish. Put ¼ cup water, onion, garlic, purees, fi sh sauce, chile, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin and turmeric into a blender. Pro- cess until smooth. 2. Pour the marinade over the ribs; turn to be sure meat is coated well on all sides. Refrigerate covered at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. 3. Heat a gas grill to me- dium hot or prepare a charcoal grill and let coals burn until covered with gray ash. Turn off burners or arrange coals at sides of grill for indirect cooking. 4. Put the chops, with marinade that clings, directly over the heat or coals. Cook, without turning, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Flip chops to the cooler por- tion (not directly over the heat) of the grill. Cook without turn- ing, until meat is almost fi rm • Plant zinnias now for late blooms in the annual border. • Stop pinching mums back after mid July or you’ll delay fl owering. • Apply no fertilizers to trees and shrubs after July 4. Fertil- izing late can cause lush growth that is apt to winterkill. If you have garden questions or comments please write to greengardencolumn@yahoo.com. jamlike consistency. Remove from heat. Place a tablespoon of the yogurt mixture in each mold. Add a tablespoon of blueberry sauce. Top with another table- spoon of the yogurt. Continue alternating until the mold is nearly full. Place the top on the mold and add the sticks. Freeze for six hours. Once the ice pops are com- pletely frozen, place the mold under running water so that they will loosen. Remove and enjoy immediately, or place in the freezer in an air-tight con- tainer with parchment paper dividing each row. These are an easy grab-and-go breakfast for summer, or a cool treat for any time of day. when pressed with the tip of a knife (about 150 degrees on an instant read thermometer), about 20 minutes. 5. Transfer to a serving plat- ter; tent with foil and let stand about 10 minutes. Serve gar- nished with chopped cilantro and lime wedges for squeez- ing over meat. Pass the peanut satay sauce if you wish. • Variation — Thai-style grilled sirloin steak: Marinate 2 to 2½ pounds boneless top sirloin beef steak (about 1-inch thick) as directed. Grill the steaks directly over the heat the entire time as follows: 6 minutes on the fi rst side and 4 to 6 minutes on the second side for medium-rare. LEMONGRASS AND PEANUT SLAW Complimentary Consultations! 1. Put vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and lemon- grass puree into a large bowl. Mix until the sugar dissolves. 2. Stir in shredded cabbage, carrots, onion and chile until well mixed. Refrigerate cov- ered about 30 minutes or up to several hours. 3. Stir well. Add cilantro and peanuts. Toss and serve. COCONUT BROWN RICE Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 45 minutes Makes: 6 to 8 servings 2 cups long grain brown rice 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, optional ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk 2 cloves garlic, crushed Crunchy chow mein noodles can be substituted for ¾ teaspoon salt Toasted coconut for the peanuts. garnish, optional ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar Chinese chile crisp or red pepper hot sauce (such 2 tablespoons soy sauce as peri peri), for serving 1 tablespoon each: sugar, dark Asian sesame oil, 1. Put 3 cups water, rice, lemongrass puree coconut, coconut milk, garlic 6 cups fi nely shredded and salt into 3-quart saucepan. cabbage, about 11 Heat to a boil. Reduce heat ounces (one-quarter of to very low. Simmer, tightly a medium-size head) covered, stirring once or 2 large carrots, peeled, twice, until water is absorbed trimmed, shaved (about and rice is tender, about 40 1 cup or 2.5 ounces) minutes. Let stand off the heat, ¼ medium white onion, 10 minutes. fi nely diced, rinsed 2. Fluff rice with a fork. ½ teaspoon minced fresh Garnish with toasted coconut. green chile (such as Serve hot jazzed up with hot jalapeno or serrano) or sauce. ¼ teaspoon crushed Prep: 20 minutes Chill: 30 minutes Makes: 6 servings CORN stand blender (working in batches if necessary), puree about half of the soup until thickened. It should be Continued from Page 2B Add the yuca or potato, broth, toma- creamy but still have bits of vegetables throughout. Stir the puree into the toes with their juices, and corn cobs. remaining soup. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat Serve with the crema, lime, avocado and simmer until the yuca is tender, and cilantro. about 30 minutes. Add the corn kernels Makes 6 servings. and cook just until heated through and still crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Discard the corn cobs. — “Carla’s Comfort Foods” by Carla Using an immersion blender or Hall (Atria Books; April 2014) — Recipe courtesy of Vallery Using a saucepan, dis- Lomas; foodieinnewyork.com solve sugar into water, stirring continuously. Add juice and zest and bring to a simmer. Re- move mixture from heat and allow to cool. Taste and adjust Makes about 10 pops sweetener, if needed. Pour lemon mixture into This ice pop recipe can be molds, add sticks and freeze adapted for any fruit you for 6 hours. have on hand. You can also LEMON ICE POPS add lime or coconut. For pretty pops, drop thin slices of lemon and lime into the mold before adding liquid. STRAWBERRY CREAM POPS of espresso powder. For a refreshing fl oral pop, use honey and replace fruit with a pinch of culinary lavender. 2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered 1 cup Greek yogurt ½ cup whole, coconut, soy, or almond milk ¼ cup sugar or honey (to taste) ½ teaspoon vanilla Pinch of salt Makes about 10 pops ¾ cup sugar or ½ cup honey 1 cup water ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice Zest of 2 lemons Using a blender, puree all ingredients until smooth, Any fruit you have on scraping down sides, if neces- hand can be made into a sary. Taste and adjust the creamy pop. For a mocha sweetener. version, replace fruit with 2 Pour mixture into ice pop tablespoons of unsweetened molds, add sticks, and freeze cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon for 6 hours. TREE FACT: Hospice is... GoHOSPICE.com red pepper fl akes 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro ½ cup roughly chopped roasted peanuts A support service that keeps patients comfortable, teaches families to provide care, and offers emotional support. BAKER CITY (541) 524-7688 LA GRANDE (541) 624-5800 Always FREE Estimates 3110 10th Street, Baker City The blackest wood in the world is Ebony.
