Vegetables Blog

Roasted Eggplant and Sweet Pepper Salad

Cookshack — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:47:42 GMT

2 eggplant, sliced into ¾" rounds
2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
1 green bell pepper
1 large white onion, cut into 1/2" rounds
1/2 c. olive oil
Salt

For Dressing

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs. sugar
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
1/4 c. raisins

Cut eggplant into 3/4" rounds with peeling, sprinkle with salt and let drain for 30 minutes, rinse off and pat dry. Brush eggplant, pepper and onion rounds with olive oil and smoke-cook at 225F for 3 - 4 hours, until cooked and softened.

Peel and seed peppers and slice into 1/4" strips, cut onion round in half. Cut eggplant into 1/2" cubes. Place in mixing bowl to cool.

In sauce pan add balsamic vinegar, then sugar. Stir and bring to soft boil, lower heat, stir and reduce to 1/4 c. Remove from heat, add raisins, salt and pepper to taste.

Let cool, whisk in olive oil and mix with roasted vegetables.

Yield: 8 portions

Smoked Artichoke Hearts

Cookshack — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:38:11 GMT

2 c. fresh bread crumbs (5 slices)
1 teaspoon dry sweet basil leaves
2 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper and salt
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 gal. large canned whole artichoke hearts

Combine first six ingredients.

Drain artichoke hearts, spread leaves and mash in stuffing.

Smoke-cook in Cookshack for 30 minutes at 225F, with 2 oz. hickory wood.

Serve hot.

Smoked Tomato and Roasted Shallots Vinaigrette

Cookshack — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:19:43 GMT

20 tomatoes, peeled and deseeded
2 c. shallots, roasted and chopped
½ c. garlic, roasted and chopped
1 gal. red wine vinegar
½ c. chopped oregano
2 gal. salad oil
2 Tbs. black pepper
3 Tbs. salt

Place tomatoes on Cookshack Seafood Grill. Smoke-cook tomatoes for 30 minutes at 220F with hickory wood.

Puree tomatoes, shallots, and garlic with vinegar.

Add rest of ingredients and let sit overnight before using.

Yield: 3 gal.

Smoked Triangles

Cookshack — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:17:03 GMT

6 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
4 oz. smoked turkey, minced
2 oz. sun dried tomatoes, minced
2 eggs, beaten
1/8 tsp. white pepper
2 Tbs. melted unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pkg. phyllo dough

Melt butter for brushing the triangles. Mix together everything except the phyllo dough.

Cut the phyllo dough into 3" strips. Separate the strips into single layers, covering with a damp towel so the dough does not dry out. Place a heaping teaspoonful of the mixture on one corner of a strip. Fold the corner over so that the end of the strip in now a diagonal line. Continue folding in this manner, into a triangle. Do this to all of the phyllo strips.

Place the triangles on a greased cookie sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 12 servings

Black Eyed Pea Cakes with Smoked Tomato Salsa

Cookshack — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:54:08 GMT

1 c. dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked for stones
1 small ham hock, about ½ lb.
5 c. chicken stock
1 Tablespoon butter
¼ c. red onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoon red bell pepper, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 egg yolk
½ c. bread crumbs
½ teaspoon hot sauce
2 Tablespoons parsley, minced
To taste salt and pepper
Cornmeal for dredging
Oil for frying

Combine peas, ham hock, stock. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until tender. Drain, remove hock. Cool peas to room temperature. Melt butter, sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeño, cook until golden. Add peas and cool. Add yolk, bread crumbs, hot sauce, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well to squash together. Test to see if stiff enough to shape. Add more crumbs if necessary.

Refrigerate for one hour. Shape into ½" thick by 2½" across. Dredge in cornmeal. Heat oil and fry.

Brooks Company Smoked Mushrooms

Cookshack — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:53:40 GMT

2 c. mushrooms
1 Tablespoon lemon pepper
1 Tablespoon garlic powder

Remove stems and clean mushrooms. Sprinkle lemon pepper and garlic powder lightly over mushrooms. Smoke at 225F for 45 minutes. Cool and serve immediately.

Garnish for game or any dish.

Yield: 2 cups

Cayley's Hawaiian-Style Jalapeno Poppers

Cookshack — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:53:01 GMT

24 large jalapeño peppers
8 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup diced ham
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
24 "chunks" of pineapple
12 center cut lean bacon strips
24 toothpicks

Using kitchen gloves, cut off tops of peppers and scoop out seeds and membranes (I use a veggie peeler for this and it goes quickly).

Combine cream cheese, mozzarella, ham, onion and garlic powder. Mix well.

Divide mixture evenly among peppers, using a teaspoon or pastry bag (or a zip top bag with a corner cut off), leaving room for the pineapple at the top.

If too large, cut down pineapple chunk to fit into the top of the pepper. Stuff pineapple down into top of the pepper like a plug.

Cut bacon strips in half, wrap around each pepper, and secure with a toothpick inserted horizontally (this will protect the pepper from falling through the hole in the Chile Grill as it cooks).

Set in Chile Grill and smoke-cook with two ounces of apple wood at 200ºF until the bacon is cooked, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Cookshack Smoked Cream of Tomato Soup

Cookshack — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:52:30 GMT

12 oz. bacon render
3/4 lb. carrot, fine dice
3/4 lb. celery, fine dice
6 tbs. minced garlic
12 oz. all purpose flour
1 gal. chicken stock, hot
10 - 12 lbs. ripe, smoked tomatoes, diced
2 qts. cream
1 lb. onion, fine diceGarnish: popcorn and basil

Halve and de-seed tomatoes. Place halves, cut side down, in smoker. Smoke at 225F for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, using hickory or pecan wood.

Sweat carrots, celery, and onion in bacon render until onions are translucent. Add garlic; cook until aroma develops (approximately 1 minute). Add flour, cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and whisk until smooth. Add diced, smoked tomatoes and simmer on low heat for 1 hour.

Remove from heat, puree. Process through food mill for finer consistency. Return to heat, add cream and bring to service temperature. Garnish with basil chiffonade and popcorn.

Yield: 3 gallons or approximately 50 servings

Recommended wood: pecan or hickory

Cookshack Smoked Stuffed Mushrooms

Cookshack — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:51:33 GMT

24 large mushrooms
1 teaspoon pepper
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
6 oz. cream cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 oz. mozzarella cheese
3 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt

Wash and dry mushrooms, remove stems. Brown ground beef and drain. Combine ground beef, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, mix well. Stuff mushroom caps.

Load smoker's wood box with 1 oz. hickory wood. Smoke-cook for 1 hour at 225F. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Recommended wood: hickory

Cookshack Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette

Cookshack — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:51:09 GMT

3 medium red tomatoes
2 red onions

For vinaigrette

1 Tablespoon peeled garlic, fine mince1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/2 Tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 c. red wine vinegar
3 c. olive oilCookshack Seafood Grill*

Seed, peel, and chop tomatoes. Remove outer skin from onions, peel and mince. Place tomatoes on Cookshack Seafood Grill*. Load wood box with 2 oz. wood. Load vegetables on smoker's grills, positioning so that they do not touch each other or the sides of the oven. Close and latch the smoker's door.

Smoke-cook at 180F for 1 - 2 hours. When the vegetables are done, remove from smoker.

Combine garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Add oil until emulsified. Add 2 of the smoked tomatoes, chopped and peeled, and 1 minced onion. Use extra tomato and onion as garnish.

Recommended wood: Hickory, apple or oak

*If you don’t have a Seafood Grill, cover one of your smoker’s standard grills with aluminum foil; make holes in the foil at intervals to allow for circulation of heat and smoke.