Homemade Barbecue Sauce and Grilled Vegetable Succotash
Living on the 10th floor of a downtown apartment means due to city regulations, we can't have a grill. Sure there's a grill on the community terrace, but I feel like some of the other residents don't have the same cleanliness standards I have, and who wants to spend 45 minutes cleaning the community grill anyway? So, Ryan and I don't get to grill very often. When we do, it's on an indoor grill pan, with the door wide open so we don't set the smoke alarms off. It's a hassle. So it better be worth it...the mess, the cleanup, the potential to annoy our neighbors. I would argue that this recipe is worth it. If even just for the vegetable side dish. OMG, smokey, spicey, and fresh.
Barbecue anything is my favorite. Pizza, chips, and of course chicken. You can certainly use a bottled barbecue sauce, but why? It's not as difficult as it sounds and can be tailored to taste preferences so much easier. Plus who wants all the preservatives and weird stuff that is in store bought barbecue sauce? Not me. Start the sauce by heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
Add 1 finely diced red onion to the oil and saute for 2-3 minutes or until starting to turn translucent. Add 1 clove of minced garlic to the onion. Continue cooking for a minute longer.
To the onions and garlic, add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 1 cup of tomato sauce. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of honey to sweeten.
Here's the spice. Add 1 medium sized chipotle in adobo, minced. Chipotle in adobo are smoked and dried jalapeño peppers, canned in a spicy tomato sauce. They are awesome but a little goes a long way. Store remaining peppers and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
Stir in 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of ancho chili powder (or regular chili powder if you can't find ancho) and 1 teaspoon of cumin. Season with fresh pepper and salt. Simmer the sauce over medium heat for 10 minutes or until it has started to thicken. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until needed. Barbecue sauce will keep refrigerated for 2-3 weeks.
Grilled vegetable succotash is a hash or mix of spring and summer vegetables and beans, grilled and tossed with a flavorful vinaigrette. You can use any mix of vegetables you prefer. I was driven by what was fresh at the farmers market. Prepare vegetables by cleaning and slicing into medium to large sized pieces for grilling.
Trim tops and root ends of spring onions and slice in half. Seed red bell pepper and cut into 4-6 large pieces. Husk corn. Brush all vegetables with olive oil.
Cook beans according to directions. You can use frozen lima beans, or fresh fava beans. For fresh fava beans, remove them from the husk and blanch in salted water. Shock in cold water, drain and peel tough outer layer off the beans. Fava beans are a lot of work...but yummy if you have the time!
Grill vegetables on a hot grill until charred and starting to soften. Remove from the grill and dice everything into a similarly sized small dice - about the same size as the beans. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and add diced grilled vegetables. Add prepared lima or fava beans.
In a small bowl, combine the juice of 1 lime, 2 teaspoons of cumin, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and add to vegetables. Cook 1-2 minutes and remove from heat. Cover to keep warm.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Rub grill grates with olive oil, or if grilling indoors, rub chicken with olive oil. Sear on both sides over medium high heat, 1-2 minutes per side. Brush with barbecue sauce and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Allow chicken to rest 2-3 minutes before slicing and serving with grilled vegetable succotash and additional barbecue sauce.
Recipe
Barbeque Sauce with Chipotle in Adobo
By Land of Noms, July 18, 2015
A smokey homemade barbecue sauce perfect for chicken or pork
barbecue, chipotle, spicy
Ingredients
- 1 finely diced red onion
- 1 clove of minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 cup of tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 medium sized chipotle in adobo pepper, minced
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Directions
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat
- Add the diced onion and saute 2-3 minutes or until starting to soften
- Add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes longer
- Stir in tomato paste and tomato sauce
- Add brown sugar, honey, and minced chipotle in adobo pepper
- Stir in soy sauce, ancho chili powder, cumin, and season with salt and pepper
- Simmer for 10 minutes or until starting to thicken
- Puree until smooth in a food processor or blender, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until use
- Barbecue sauce will keep refrigerated in an air tight container for 2-3 weeks
Recipe
Grilled Vegetable Succotash
By Land of Noms, July 18, 2015
Grilled spring vegetables with a lime dressing are the perfect accompanyment to any grilled meat
grilled, vegetable, side dishes
Ingredients
- 3 medium sized spring onions or 1 sweet yellow onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 ears of sweet corn
- 1 cup of frozen lima beans
- Olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons of cumin
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- Cut vegetables into large pieces for grilling, brush with olive oil
- Grill vegetables over high heat until charred
- Cook lima beans according to package instructions
- Dice grilled vegetables into a small to medium sized dice, roughly the same size as the lima beans
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet, add diced vegetables and prepared lima beans
- In a small bowl combine lime juice, cumin, and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
- Add to vegetables and stir to coat, simmer 2-5 minutes
- Serve hot alongside grilled chicken or pork
Sharing our culinary adventures in Cascadia with simple, sustainable & satisfying eats. Bon Appétit!
