Pulled Jackfruit
We really like having bags of ready-to-use jackfruit in the freezer, and not buying the commercial stuff. It gives you all the textures of pulled pork, but is really a fruit.
Processing Jackfruit
You'll want a big sharp knife or two and a saw (trust me on this). Oil the blades well while using, as jackfruit sap is very sticky! You'll also need a large stockpot to par-cook the jack, zip-top bags, and a painter's drop cloth is handy for gathering up the mess at the end!
1. Saw/cut the jackfruit into 1" thick slices and halve them. Remove the seeds and the coarse skins in the seeds pockets. The yellow bits around the seeds are the sweetest part of the fruit. The seeds can be salted and roasted like chickpeas.
3. You need to boil the slices for about an hour after you add the last slice to the pot. Transfer the cooked fruit to a collander and let it drain -- the longer the better -- and cool.
4. When the boiled fruit is cool enough to handle, it's time to start "disassembling" things. Use a sharp knife to cut the spikey skin away first. You'll see there are 3 "textures" of the meat -- just like there is in a pork roast. There's the firm center and up against the skin, the stringy outer meat where the seeds are, and the slippery bright yellow bits from around the seeds.
Use a sharp knife to thinly slice the center and other firm parts. Pull and chop the stringy bits, and chop the soft yellow parts. You want to get the pieces down to about 1/2" long or thereabouts. I like to toss the processed meat back into colanders and let it drain again before packaging in zip-top bags and freezing.
There's a LOT of liquid in jackfruit that you really don't need when it comes time to cook with it. Some recipes call for you to bake the pulled jack for an hour or so at 200F to 300F to cook off even more liquid. Not a bad idea. Or set it out in the hot sun for a day, covered with cheesecloth to keep the bugs off.
Making Pulled Jackfruit
I package my chopped Jack in about 1.5# quart bags. That makes a lot of whatever you want -- pulled Jack, Jack Tacos or Tamales, casserole additions, etc. Here you'll need buns (I like the ciabatta rolls I get from Publix), and your favorite BBQ sauce. I also like to counter the richness of pulled Jack or pulled pork with a nice tart dill pickle.
Put the thawed Jack in your barely oiled skillet and start to saute it; mainly to reduce the liquid. Then, as you see above, just add you favorite Q sauce and toss to combine and heat it through. You can also use taco or enchilada seasoning packets to flavor the Jack. Mound it high on your bun and dig in -- you earned this!
BluBlack Baked Oats
Breakfast? Or Dessert? Your choice. Either way this crusty, tasty combination of steel cut oats, fruit, milk and egg is a wonderful thing! You can make this "overnight", or "same day". I opted for overnight.
3/4 cup Steel Cut Oats
1/2 cup sliced Almonds
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Fruit -- I used a mix of blackberries and blueberries
2 cups Whole Milk
1/8 - 1/4 cup "Syrup" -- Honey, Cane Syrup, Maple Syrup, or Golden Syrup
1 Egg, beaten
3 Tbsp melted Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
In one bowl, stir to combine the liquids. In a larger bowl combine the dry ingredients (minus the berries). Add the liquid mixture to the dry and stir well to combine. If you're doing the overnight version, put this mix in the fridge for 6-8 hours so the oats absorb the liquid. For "same day" let the mixture stand on the counter for at least an hour before proceeding.
Next day, spread the fruit out in an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish and pour the chilled mixture over them.
Bake in a pre-heated 375F oven for 50-60 minutes until you get a nice crust.
Try to let it cool before you dive in!!!
Roasted Cauli with Tahini Sauce & Pomegranate Glaze
Had a nice head of Co-op cauliflower and wanted something different to do it justice.
This recipe did the trick. I actually broke down and bought a big can of tahini for once. Expensive but tasty.
1 head Cauliflower cut into large florets
EVOO to coat
Salt & pepper to taste
1-2 tsp Sweet Hungarian Paprika
Pomegranate Glaze or Molasses, homemade or from a jar.
For the Tahini Sauce:
1 clove Garlic finely mashed
3 Tbsp Tahini
juice of half a Lemon
2 Tbsp Skyr or Greek Yogurt
Salt & pepper to taste
water to adjust thickness
For the Pomegranate Glaze:
1 cup Pomegranate Juice, unsweetened
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
Spray or toss the cauliflower with the EVOO, then spread it on a baking sheet and dust with the spices. Roast at 425F for 45 minutes, remove to serving bowl and let it cool a bit.
While the cauli is roasting, make the Tahini Sauce and Pomegranate Glaze
For the Sauce:
Put the garlic and lemon juice in a bowl. Make sure the tahini is well mixed with its oil as it tends to separate during storage. Add the tahini, spice and the yogurt, and stir. You want it just a bit thinner than yogurt, so add a tablespoon or two of water as needed. Reserve.
For the Glaze:
Bring the juice to a simmer in a small pan. Whisk in the sugar. Keep whisking while the liquid reduces by about a third. Remove from the heat and reserve.
To serve:
Ladle the sauce on the cooked florets and drizzle on the pomegranate glaze.
Serve the sauce and glaze at the table so diners can add more if they choose, along with wedges of the other half of the lemon, for squeezing.
Mongetes
I was reminded recently of this great Spanish tapas/side dish recipe and made a batch to go along with the Roasted Cauliflower dish above. There are a milli0on recipes, I keep mine simple.
Cooked White Beans
Chopped Garlic
Diced Onion
Lemon Juice to taste
Saute the onion and garlic until it's getting soft. Add the cooked beans (no liquid) and keep cooking until they are heated through. Plate and add a splash of lemon juice.
