Other Super Sides

Pepper Jelly Slaw

~ Kim of Glover Gardens ~ 6 Comments

I have a peculiar hobby – I compulsively buy fancy / fun / funky condiments.  And then I have to make up recipes to use them with.  I am a complete sucker for the condiments on offer at the local farmer’s market and love the challenge of creating new dishes or spicing up old ones with the treasures I pick up.

Weird Condiments
A few of my compulsive condiment finds; I have a whole shelf reserved for them in the Glover Gardens pantry

My Pepper Jelly Slaw came into being because I had some Inferno Sauce (like red pepper jelly) from one of my favorite vendors at the Tomball Farmers’ Market, Just Pure Flavors, and I wanted to use it for a spicy slaw.  I love throwing together a quick slaw, especially for a quick summer side dish, and seldom do it the same way twice.  But writing a cookbook requires a little more consistency, so today I’m capturing the Inferno Sauce / pepper jelly version of my throw-down slaw.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups shredded cabbage
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  • 3/4 cup chopped multi-colored peppers (bell, banana, whatever you’ve got, even jalapeño if you like it spicy)
  • 1/4 finely chopped parsley or cilantro
  • 1/4 red pepper jelly, jalapeño jelly or my favorite the Inferno Sauce from Just Pure Flavors
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • freshly ground pepper

Cooking Instructions

In a medium bowl, toss the cabbage, red onion and peppers.  In a small bowl, whisk together the pepper jelly, cider vinegar, salt and pepper, then add the cilantro and whisk again.  Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss, then refrigerate for a half hour.  Toss again before serving.

Serving tip:  this slaw is a fantastic side dish with grilled meat or fish.  

Peppers
I used a mix of peppers from our garden
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Red or white cabbage works for this slaw
Slaw Makings
The bright mix of colors and flavors makes this a great side dish for grilled meats
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The finished product is as pretty as it is tasty

Copyright 2016, Glover Gardens Cookbook.

Throw-Down Side: Quick and Easy Black Bean Salad

~ Kim of Glover Gardens ~ 1 Comment

Sometimes we need a super-quick, super-easy side dish.  Here’s one you can make in 5 minutes, if you have Pico de Gallo on hand.  I make it when I’m serving a meal that already requires the brightness of fresh Pico.  The Grill-Meister says that Pico de Gallo is one of my signature dishes, and you know, I have to agree with him.  It makes this side salad.  We served it alongside our Faux-Fajitas and it rocked.

Ingredients

  • 1 15 oz. can black beans; I always use Bush Brothers (they are the BEST beans); click here for info
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
  • Tabasco to taste (I use ten shakes)
  • 1/4 cup already-prepared Pico de Gallo (use store-bought or make your own using my recipe)
  • 1/4 cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese

Cooking Instructions

Drain and rinse the black beans, then put them in a bowl and add the salt, cumin and Tabasco.  Stir to mix.  Add the Pico de Gallo and stir again, then add the shredded cheese and stir a final time.

Serve as a side for grilled meats, tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, or as part of a vegetarian meal.  You can also serve it as a condiment or dip with tortilla chips.

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I always use Bush’s beans – they’re the best, and I know people who run their learning and knowledge management department – like I said, they’re the best
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Add the salt, cumin and Tabasco to the rinsed and drained beans
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Add the Pico de Gallo and stir
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Add the cheese and stir a final time
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This quick and easy salad is a great side for fajitas or tacos

Food Magazine Treasures: Serrano Ham and Corn Pudding

~ Kim of Glover Gardens ~ 5 Comments
I have "food magazine sprawl" and I'm not sorry.
I have “food magazine sprawl” and I’m not sorry.

For years, food magazines have piled up on surfaces everywhere in my house, with their tempting glossy cover photos of each month’s culinary treasure.  I subscribed to Bon Appetít in my early 20s, almost before I could afford it, and felt bereft along with about a million other subscribers when Gourmet magazine shut down.  Cook’s Illustrated is another favorite, and who doesn’t love Saveur or Food & Wine?

These and other culinary magazines do so many things for cooks:  take us on virtual trips to exotic places and make the different cuisines accessible, expand our ideas about what’s good, teach us new tricks and expose use to new kitchen gadgets, and inspire us to elevate our cooking game.  They also connect us with recipes that become staples in our kitchen, like this 2005 recipe for Serrano Ham and Corn Pudding that can now be found in Epicurious.

Serrano Ham and Corn Pudding photo from Epicurious.

This is truly a fantastic recipe.

I encourage you to try it.  Made as written, the dish is spicy comfort food that serves as a terrific side dish. I have served it at Thanksgiving instead of the traditional creamed corn, as a side for barbecue instead of the predictable potato salad or corn, or even as a main dish for a weeknight dinner with a simple salad to complement it.  Yum.

You can really kick this recipe around and it still performs for you.  Try substituting a different meat (chopped ham, smoked turkey, andouille sausage) or leaving out the meat altogether.  You can use a different cheese, such as cheddar or Monterrey jack, substitute cream for the sour cream, corn meal instead of masa, vary the kinds of peppers – everything I’ve tried out of creativity or convenience has worked. I LOVE THIS RECIPE.  If I can settle on a single favorite variation that’s different enough, I’ll add it to the Glover Gardens Cookbook.

Leave me a comment if you intend to try your hand at the Serrano Ham and Corn Pudding.  I’d love to hear what you think of it.