Sundays, Summer Fun and Left Over Brisket

Summertime is always a precarious time of year, but in a good way...between the opportunity to hit the outdoors, friends visiting during their summer vacations, and way too many unique seasonal offerings in the local restaurants my kitchen blog posts have gotten shuffled into a pile of "need to post at some point" material.  I'm diving down into three weeks of material to extract a really great recipe for Brisket.  I realize its not the usual summer fare you think of, unless you are cooking it on the grill of course, but I happen to love "oven made" brisket.  The Pioneer Woman says it best when it comes to brisket "have a talk with yourself about patience."  Indeed, this is another one of those low and slow routines that will be worth the wait.  I've made a recipe similar to the one posted here by the Pioneer Woman, but this time around I wanted something a little different and found a Tyler Florence recipe for Beef Brisket  that had an element of green to it.  I changed it up a bit by trading out what is surely a delicious "rosemary rub" for a pre-mix product from Salt Sisters called Tuscan Farmhouse Blend ...I had it on hand, wanted to use it and it seemed like the perfect opportunity. I prefer my initial cuts of meat to follow the grain of the beer (quirky, but true) and then any left over brisket gets sliced against the grain.  A green salad, bread sticks and spicy pickles created a perfect counter of food.  And the left over meat...found its way to sandwiches, barley soup and reheats the following week.

Lime light and Quinoa

Simple is the order of the day when summer time frolic creeps into being the routine rather than a solitary diversion. Easy to pack foods that don't lose their luster when secured in portable containers (tucked away in an ice-laden cooler) dominate the weekend menus. Tis the season for...motor boating along the intercoastal waterways, taking excursions to local fishing holes or socializing with friends on a tide exposed sand bar. Revisiting a folder from a 1999 Wegmans School of Culinary Arts class I took in Ithaca, NY called Grains and Greens for a light, refreshing lime vinaigrette infused quinoa "the mother grain." Quinoa cooks like rice, takes half the time and expands to four times its size. Found a similar online recipe that includes black beans to link here, but my preference is for apricots and currants instead of the beans. Served with grilled shrimp ala Bobby Flay prepared on skewers over a simple hibachi shore side this two course meal paired with some grilled pineapple makes for a relaxing leisure filled afternoon in a lawn chair or on a blanket size beach towel.

Beyond tots and fritters (Corn and Sweet Potato Bhajia)

As the daylight hours warmed to near summer-like temperatures and the pollen dust accumulated atop every surface it found hospitable, Mother Nature seems to be signaling the advent of spring here in the Lowcountry. Hooray! My taste buds immediately turn to memories of fresh tomatoes off the vine sliced and delicately plated with basil and homemade mozzarella as well as eating corn straight from the field and sprinkled with a bit of salt and smathered with butter. I love what summer symbolizes, most especially the dining out of doors. It heralds nightly opportunities to gather friends around a table set with a feast of local produce and the conversations lingering until no one can keep their eyes open. We've celebrated the sweet potato before on this blog from butter to cheese cake, but the kitchen experience this week was tickled by a twitpic photo from @seriouseats feauring sweet potato tots. That tweet and some encouraging words from Stevie, my favorite lady of craft brew @LadiesOCB led me to pull another Alastair Hendy creation from the cook book collection and procure the opportunity to make sambal (again). I never tire of either by the way. Thus, we located a recipe in Cooking for Friends that married a summer longing for corn and an always handy sweet potato...Corn and Sweet Potato Bhajia...do not be put off by the long list of ingredients (says Alastair). The color and combination of flavors in this dish paired with a local craft beer, Westbrook White Thai made for a delightful sendoff to winter and a big bouyant hello to Spring!