It’s pretty easy to locate an uncured ham bone in most grocery stores, or your butcher should be able to hook you up with one. A pork shoulder cut would also work.

The idea is that you let the bone-in pork leg cure in a wet brine for about a day for every two pounds, then you let it sit uncovered in your fridge for another day or so, and then you smoke it until it’s reached 160 internal temperature.

There was some disagreement in the various recipes I read about the part in between the wet brining and the uncovered setting; some recipes said to let the hams soak overnight in water to get out the excess salt, and others said just to give it a good rinse. Since I had two hams, I did both. The ham that soaked overnight in water was obviously less salty, so I coated it in apple butter halfway through the smoking process. In the end, I had a sweeter ham and a saltier ham, but both of them were very tasty and made a few excellent meals.

Recipe for the wet brine:

• 2 liters water
• 3/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 3 tsp. pink curing salt
• whole cloves (optional)

Measure how much liquid brine you will need by first placing the hams in your plastic container to judge the volume. I had to double the recipe, but I used two small hams (about 4 lbs. each). As you can see, I also needed a pretty big plastic container to hold both hams. Make sure you get one with a lid and make sure it can fit in your fridge (I had to measure the interior of my refrigerator just to make sure).

The ham(s) sit in the brine (covered) for about a day for every two pounds of meat. Then I let one ham soak in water, and then both of them sat uncovered for a day. This lets a pellicle form over the meat, which is an invisible, sticky film that seems to act as a glue for the tasty smoke.

I used hickory and applewood chips, and changed the positions of the hams halfway through the smoking.

I also coated the sweeter ham (the one that sat in water overnight) with my homemade spiced apple butter. It added a perfectly spiced and apple-y flavor without too much sweetness.

The hams need to smoke at about 300 degrees or less until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. It should take about 6 hours.

This year I threw a party on Christmas Eve; I planned out ahead of time how long the process would take so I could smoke the hams on Christmas Eve and we could all eat them for dinner. I have to say that despite the weather being unexpectedly cold and rainy (I live in San Diego so it really was a surprise to have weather in December), thus keeping my smoker’s temperature down and leading to a delayed dinner, the hams were a great success.

Both of the hams were delicious for dinner, then the next few days’ breakfast (ham and eggs, a nice hammy omelette) and lunch (ham and cheese sandwiches), and a few days later, when little remained but the smoked ham bones, the bones were tossed in the crock pot with carrots, onions, peppers, spices and black-eyed peas that had been soaking overnight, and it made an insanely wonderful black-eyed peas dish for New Year’s Day.

Bonus Recipe: Black-Eyed Peas

• 1 ham bone, stripped of most of the meat
• 1 1-lb. bag of black-eyed peas, rinsed and soaked in water for at least 12 hours
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 10-12 pearl onions
• 1 head of garlic, diced
• 3-4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2-3 dried chilis
• 2 tbsp. each salt, black pepper, paprika and cumin
• 1 quart vegetable or chicken stock
• fresh spinach leaves, for serving

After soaking, draining and rinsing the black-eyed peas (soak them at least 12 hours), place them in the crock pot with all of the other ingredients except the spinach. Simmer on low heat for 16 hours or more. Check periodically and add more liquid if necessary. Serve with fresh spinach leaves (which will wilt when the hot beans are added).

Tagged: black-eyed peas, bonus recipe, brine your own ham, city ham, ham, home-cured ham, homemade ham ]]> http://hillarystarbright.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/how-to-make-your-own-ham-plus-a-bonus-recipe/feed/ 0 596 hillarystarbright 484 491 524 538 543 577 596 606 677 http://hillarystarbright.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/football-feasts-and-easy-appetizers/ http://hillarystarbright.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/football-feasts-and-easy-appetizers/#comments Wed, 30 Jan 2013 04:09:20 +0000 hillarystarbright http://hillarystarbright.wordpress.com/?p=1328 Continue reading →]]> It’s that time of year again. The time when appetizers and finger foods are piled high atop wobbly tables surrounded by rowdy sports fans. I love it.

In general, I am a huge fan of finger foods, hors d’oeuvres, tapas, appetizers, small plates, cheese plates, things stuffed with cheese, things wrapped in bacon, things topped with cheese/chili/other things, and of course, munchies. This time of year arouses my creativity as well as my hometown pride.

I am sure your Facebook feeds and inboxes are stuffed to the gills this week with plenty of cheese dips and spicy wings recipes, so I won’t add to that list. There’s no need to paint yourself into a foodie corner with your party menu.

Here are a few of my favorite party items. Try one or two of them this weekend (or for your next get-together) and let me know how you like them.

Prosciutto-wrapped cheese snacks

As you know from my many gleeful rants about cheese, you can make homemade mozzarella in about 30 minutes, at home, with no special equipment. It’s delicious, and it’s AAAH-MAZING when it’s fresh, creamy, and still a little warm. How could I make it better, you ask? Wrap it in prosciutto after you’ve worked it into a log, then slice it, place it on slices of crusty sliced French bread with a bit of salt and pepper, then a dash of olive oil and a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. That’s it.

Caprese Spears

Well, as long as you’re making cheese, put some chunks of it on toothpicks with basil leaves, cherry tomatoes, and the same salt/pepper/oil/balsamic seasoning. Now your one appetizer has become two … plus, the vegetarian sports fans don’t feel so left out!

Saucy Sausages

Seriously, two ingredients: tiny sausages and your favorite BBQ sauce. Heat and serve. Don’t forget the toothpicks.

Bacon-wrapped Tenderloin

This is another wicked simple recipe, so much that it’s not really a recipe (pork tenderloin and bacon). You will need a grill, however. It’s a great way to impress your party hosts (if you confirm ahead of time the existence of a grill), because you can buy your tenderloins and wrap them with good, thick bacon at home, then cook it at the party. If necessary, you may want to coat it with a little oil so it doesn’t stick to the grill.

Keep it on the upper rack so the bacon doesn’t burn before the pork is cooked through. If you cook an average-size tenderloin at 350 degrees for about an hour it should be perfect, just make sure the internal temperature is 160 degrees.

Bacon-wrapped Dates

This recipe is completely adaptable for a small gathering or a huge party. Essentially, each date (use the big, soft ones, like Medjool) needs to be sliced open, pitted, then the empty cavity where the pit was is stuffed with a hunk of blue cheese. Then you wrap it with a half-slice of bacon and secure the whole thing with a toothpick.

I usually make a huge pan of them ( for me, this is just a little too much work to only make a few), and I drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil and broil at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Top it off with another drizzle of balsamic vinegar — or, if you really want it to pack a punch, reduce about a half-cup of balsamic vinegar in a saucepan for about 20 minutes or until it thickens and reduces by half, then drizzle THAT over the dates right before serving. It’s concentrated. It’s tangy. It’s on top of cheese-stuffed-bacon-wrapped goodness. It’s divine.

Chili

This is the most valuable of sports event dishes. It’s spicy, it’s hearty, it can be topped with anything you like, and it becomes a myriad of other tasty dishes … namely chili dogs, chili burgers, chili pie, and, of course, my favorite, the big bowl of chili with sour cream and cheese, served with a big hunk of steamy, sweet cornbread (see the next item below).

Many people get very picky about their chili; some dislike beans and some dislike meat. Personally, I like it all.

• 1 white onion, diced (plus another onion, diced, for topping)
• 1 head of smoked garlic, diced
• 1 whole smoked jalapeno, diced
• 1 can each of crushed tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, rotel (diced tomatoes and chilis), white beans, light red kidney beans, black beans and whole kernel corn
• 2 cans dark red kidney beans
• 2 lbs ground beef or turkey
• 1 tbsp. each of ground cumin, black pepper, chili pepper and paprika
• 2 tbsp. salt
• about a half-bottle of good beer

Brown the meat in a skillet with the diced onion, garlic and jalapeno. Mix it in a 5-quart crock pot with the canned ingredients and spices and let it simmer on high for about 4 hours (or, for the best, most slow-cooked flavored deliciousness, cook it on low for 8+ hours). Then add the half-bottle of good beer (or more if you like it less chunky, the beans absorb a lot of the liquid) and let it simmer another hour. Check the spices, add more if necessary, and serve while piping hot.

Smokin’.

Extra-Corny Cornbread

The single best accompaniment to chili is also pretty darn easy. I use a boxed cornbread mix (you know, the ones where you just add a bit of milk and an egg), plus I add a can of creamed corn and maybe a handful of pepper jack or some other spicy and/ or tangy cheese. Bake it according to the package instructions, as a cake or muffins.

My recipe is really a conglomeration of a few different variations. One of them is from one of my cooking idols, Ree Drummond, and her Pioneer Woman blog — and if you are making a quick version of this soup, I highly recommend her easy recipe here. I also like to make soups in my slow cooker and I personally prefer chunky soups with lots of veggies, so I incorporated a few other recipes into mine.

I started this Weekend Mulligatawny soup the way all of my favorite homemade soups and stews begin: with a smoked beer-can chicken. I have made this many times with varying degrees of deliciousness; with just a beer can full of beer (surprisingly this is better with a cheap, domestic Bud Light-sort of brew than it is with a super-thick, hoppy ale or bitter Belgian lager), with orange juice and chardonnay for a simulated mimosa (stellar over mesquite wood chips), and sangria (which wasn’t as flavorful as I would have liked, but I guess red wine isn’t as strong a flavor so it was hard to compete with the chicken and wood smoke, flavor-wise). I love experimenting with beer-can chickens and what flavor combinations work best.

So, Saturday was the first day of the Weekend Mulligatawny project, and it was chicken-smoking day. This time, I decided to use some apple cider syrup (really, a failed apple cider jelly experiment but man, that syrup KICKS ASS!) and a mixture of apple wood and hickory in the smoker. The chicken itself is coated in a little oil and some Cajun spices. The apple cider jelly gave the chicken meat a slightly sweet and fruity flavor.

When this yummy chicken is ready, the bones literally will come off — seriously, use caution when taking it off of the grill because the bones will slip off of the tender meat and you might drop the whole thing if you’re not careful. (I recommend grabbing the top of the bird with a pair of tongs, and then slipping a spatula underneath the can to transfer it to a big pot or bowl.) After you have removed a good portion of the meat from the chicken (leave some on the bird), drop the bones and skin in the crock pot and cover with water. Cook on low overnight (at least 6-8 hours).

So, to recap: Saturday was to smoke the chicken, Saturday night was to let it simmer and make a stock.

Sunday morning was when I had to get to work. (And just to clarify, if you’re not smoking your chicken and making your own stock, you can just start at this step.)

Weekend Smoked Mulligatawny Soup

(Doing this homemade from the start is the best guarantee of packing in the flavor, but there’s nothing wrong with using pre-made stock and non-smoked chicken. I guess.)

• 1 whole smoked chicken and the stock made from the chicken, bones and skin removed (or about 2-3 lbs chicken and 1 quart chicken stock)
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks*
• 2 granny smith apples
• 1 large leek
• 1 large red onion
• 2-3 large carrots, peeled
• 3-4 stalks of celery
• 1 large or 2 small zucchini(s)
• 1 head of garlic (about 10 cloves), smashed
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 can chickpeas
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 3 tbsp. yellow curry
• 3 tbsp. turmeric
• 2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• fresh lemon for garnish
• crusty bread for serving

Chop the apples, onion, garlic, carrot, zucchini, celery and leek, and add to the pot. If you are making your own stock, the best way is to remove all the chicken, skin and bones with a strainer spoon, then let it cool a little, then pull the meat off of the bones with your clean fingers and discard the bones and skin (this will not be difficult – after smoking all day and simmering all night, the chicken will literally fall apart). If you are using pre-made stock, just add it to the pot with your chicken, cut into small (bite-sized) chunks.

(*If you are making this the quick way without a smoked chicken and homemade stock, you can leave out this additional bit of chicken. I found that after I had helped myself to a few chunks of smoked chicken late Saturday night, there wasn’t really enough for a huge pot of soup, so I added a bit more chicken on Sunday morning, in the form of a chopped-up boneless/skinless breast.)

I should also mention at this point that although Mulligatawny is traditionally made with chicken, it is also often a vegetarian soup. To make this vegetarian, simply omit the chicken altogether and use a vegetarian stock (homemade or store-bought) instead of chicken stock. If you are taking this route I would recommend adding more vegetables, such as bok choy, squash, cabbage, cauliflower, or even mushrooms (but add them at the end of cooking so they don’t get too soggy), and dried fillers such as lentils, split peas, or even dried beans.

Add the spices, chickpeas and coconut milk and let simmer on low setting for at least 5 hours. Sample the broth and add more spices if necessary, then let simmer for at least another hour or two.

Before serving, check the spices again and make sure it is amply flavored. As you can see, it’s not incredibly spicy or peppery, so feel free to kick the heat up a little if you like.

Serve with a wedge of lemon (just a dash of juice on top goes A LONG WAY), and a hunk of crusty bread for sopping up that delicious smoky broth.

Here are a few ideas:

Any egg dish:

• smear it on the english muffin when you make a benedict;
• add it to your egg mix when you make a quiche;
• toss a spoonful into your scrambled eggs or omelette;

Any potato dish:

• toss some with frozen tater tots or scalloped potatoes before baking;
• use it to top a loaded baked potato or add to your warm potato salads;
• mix with mashed potatoes or use it to make a gravy for your potatoes;

Any sandwich:

• use it to top a tuna melt or grilled cheese;
• mix it with ground meat for a meatloaf;
• spread it (warmed) on a cold turkey or ham sandwich;

Any vegetable:

• toss a couple spoonfuls into steamed corn, asparagus, green beans, etc., right before serving;
• add to savory holiday dishes using sweet potatoes or yams;
• add to soups and savory dishes featuring beans (like bean soups and chilis).

The answer, honestly, is that there are very few recipes that would not be made better with bacon jam; but it’s hard to just give someone a jar of it and say ”I dare you to find something that ISN’T good with this jam!”

Here are two favorites of mine.

First, a delicious dinner. It’s easy to find a way to toss a spoonful of bacon jam into your scrambled eggs, but what about for later in the day? I got the idea for this one while I was enjoying a San Diego Restaurant Week three-course meal at the Brooklyn Girl Eatery in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego. One of the appetizer choices was their Bacon -Wrapped Vietnamese Meatballs appetizer, which was delicious and spicy and smoky and a taste-bomb on several different levels. This is my version of their masterpiece.

Bacon Jam Vietnamese Meatballs

(This dish is a perfect complement to the depth of multiple flavors already in regular bacon jam … and the spice just makes it better.)

• 1 bag of frozen, pre-cooked meatballs (about a dozen individual meatballs);
• 2-3 tablespoons bacon jam (any of the variations would work);
• 1 heaping tablespoon of Thai chili paste (or more if you want it spicier);
• 1/4 cup brown sugar;
• generous squirt of sriracha;
• about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce;
• 1 lb cooked spaghetti or angel hair noodles;
• 1 pack of extra-firm tofu, drained and sliced into about 8-10 slices (1/4 inch thick);
• 2-3 tablespoons kimchi, preferably homemade;
• 1 large carrot, grated;
• 1 bunch fresh basil, torn into bits;
• olive oil;
• sesame oil

Place the pre-made and frozen meatballs into a cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet coated with olive oil and sesame oil, and brown the meatballs slightly over high heat. Reduce heat, add the bacon jam, chili paste, brown sugar, sriracha and soy sauce, and mix all of the ingredients together until it forms a bubbly sauce and coats all of the meatballs (you may need to add a little more soy sauce). Cover and let it simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20-30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare and drain the cooked noodles. In a separate skillet, coat the pan in sesame and olive oil, and gently lay down the slices of tofu. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on either side over medium high heat, and drizzle a little soy sauce on each slice of tofu as well. Remove from heat and set to the side.

When the meatballs have been cooked thoroughly (make sure they are coated with the bacon/chili/sugar sauce), toss with the cooked noodles.

To serve, add the cooked slices of tofu and the pre-made kimchi, and top it with grated carrot and fresh basil. Serve immediately.

Next, an appetizer. There are also no shortage of easy dips you can make with bacon jam, although you will definitely want to heat it before adding it to most dips. My favorite so far is this easy sriracha and white bean dip, made even deeper and more delectable with the addition of delicious bacon jam.

Spicy Bacon Jam Bean Dip

(Try this with a few crispy pita chips next time you get the munchies. This is super-easy, uses what you probably have, and takes hardly any time to prepare.)

• 1 can of white beans, rinsed;
• 2-3 tablespoons of bacon jam (any variety), warmed up slightly in the microwave;
• 1 tablespoon olive oil;
• 1 teaspoons soy sauce;
• 2 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce;
• salt and pepper

Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Check the taste and add more sriracha if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately with chips or bread.

In the past, I have blown away the $5-per-person goal with an epic slow-cooked smoked chicken posole and a simple beef phô that anyone can make. Although both of those recipes can be adapted for vegetarians by eliminating the meat, this recipe is a bit more seasonal and spicy, and frankly, it’s wonderful. It’s so thick and hearty and spicy, you won’t miss the meat. The other two challenges were also crock-pot recipes, and this only takes about 30 minutes — 45 minutes to an hour total active and inactive time, if you include the time it takes to roast the pumpkin.

Pumpkin-Potato Curry (Or Soup)

(Try it as a rice dish or as a creamy soup … or both.)

Ingredient list and cost breakdown:

• about 2 medium-sized cooking pumpkins: $0.35 per pound, about $2.00 total*;
• 3-4 large russet potatoes: about $1.00 ($3.99 for a 5-lb. bag);
• 3-4 large carrots, peeled and chopped, about $1.00 ($2.50 for a large bag);
• 2-3 tablespoons of green or red Thai curry paste; about $1.00 ($3.75 for a 4-oz jar);
• 1 large onion, chopped; about $0.70;
• 2 granny smith apples, chopped: about $1.50;
• 4 cups cooked rice; about $1.00 (about 1/2 of a bag that cost $1.99)**;
• 32-oz vegetable stock; $2.50;
• 1 can of coconut milk; $2.59;
• about half a bag of frozen green peas; about $1.40 ($2.79 for a whole bag);
• about a cup of brown sugar; about $0.45 ($1.69 for a 4-cup bag);
• fresh chopped ginger; about $0.50 ($1.76 for a big chunk of ginger root, use about 1 tablespoon of peeled, chopped ginger);
• salt and pepper (you should have this in your kitchen already, but if you need to buy a set of pre-filled salt and pepper shakers to make this dish, it’s $2.19 for the set)

As you can see, most of these ingredients are available in packages that will allow you to still have potatoes, carrots, rice, etc., left over after this meal. If you just go by what this meal actually costs, i.e., the portion of ingredients you use out of the whole package, then it costs a total of $15.64, or $3.13 per serving. If you buy all of these ingredients in money-saving packages and go by what it all costs, total, including a pack of salt and pepper, the total is $29.95. That’s still $5.99 per person. Lots of you probably have a half-bag of rice, or a sack of potatoes, or an extra couple of apples lying around, or a chunk of ginger root in your freezer, to use in a recipe. I would recommend buying the larger packages if you have the means, especially for things like a jar of curry paste, which lasts a long time and is a great addition to lots of dishes. Also, if you make your own vegetable stock (try this easy way using kitchen scraps), you can save that money as well.

(*A couple things about pumpkins: First, make sure these are the smaller cooking pumpkins, not the big jack-o’-lantern kind. The big ones will still work in a pinch, but the smaller ones have more flesh, and they are more tender and sweet than the big ones. Secondly, obviously this price is for autumn, when fresh pumpkins are in season and available at your local grocery store, farmer’s market, or pumpkin patch, and they’re pretty cheap. If you MUST, and you can’t find a real pumpkin anywhere, use canned “pure pumpkin” puree for this recipe, which you can get year-round for $2.99 for a 29-oz. can. Just make sure it’s pure pumpkin, without added sugar and spices and whatnot.)

First, prepare the pumpkin. This part is fun.

I took this very easy pumpkin-preparing tutorial from the Pioneer Woman’s blog and basically eliminated the last step of pureeing the pumpkin. Essentially, you slice it, scrape the seeds out (don’t forget to save them for flavoring and roasting later!), and roast the slices over high heat. Let it cool so you can handle it with your bare hands, then the rind comes off very easily and you can take the pumpkin for all of its tasty meat inside.

This is delectable for pureeing for pies, tarts, desserts and pumpkin fruit butters, or for keeping in chunky form for curries, stews, and, as Ree Drummond explains, just for eating by itself. (It is very difficult to handle a chunk of freshly roasted, slightly warm, sweet pumpkin flesh and to NOT just pop a chunk of it in your mouth. Try to save enough for the curry.) The day I made this recipe for the first time, I roasted a few pumpkins and used some for this curry and the rest for a fabulous spiced pumpkin apple butter.

While the pumpkin is roasting, chop the potatoes, carrots, apples and onion, and start it cooking in a large pot with a bit of oil. Add the coconut milk, about half of the container of stock, frozen peas, curry paste and brown sugar, and let simmer until vegetables are soft. By this time, the pumpkin should be nice and soft as well, so let it cool off a bit after you take it from the oven, then peel the rind off, rough-chop the pumpkin, and toss the chunks into the pot. Add a bit more stock at this point, as well as the salt and pepper to taste. Be sure to taste it … you might want to add a bit more sugar or pepper or stock. Then let it simmer for another 10 minutes or so, so that all of the flavors mix in together.

** Rice vs. Soup: I served this on a bed of cooked white rice, but you can also stop here, and simply puree or blend these cooked ingredients into a liquid for a sweet and spicy soup. (In fact, if you aren’t feeding a house full of people on this meal, you may want to do both, just so you don’t get tired of the same dish multiple times. Even fabulous leftovers get old after you have to eat them a few days in a row.) This is delicious as a smooth, creamy soup, or as a thick and chunky curry and rice dish.

Really, making your own cheese of various types is incredibly easy … you just need a good thermometer and to keep your eyes on the temperature. Letting the mixture burn or adding the culture(s), rennet, acid or other additives at the wrong time is really the only way you can totally screw it up. For example, when making mozzarella, you have to add a citric acid solution when the milk reaches 85 degrees, then the rennet solution when it hits 100. If you don’t, it won’t work properly.

Essentially, fresh cheeses are milk brought to temperature and then cut with an acid, which makes the curds form, and then the curds are strained and formed into cheese. When making ricotta, you can use the whey left over from making mozzarella (“ricotta” means “re-cooked”) by adding milk, bringing it to 190 degrees, and adding vinegar. Strain it through a cheese cloth and you’re done. You can also eliminate the whey and simply bring the milk to temperature, then add the acid and strain.

Goat’s milk or sheep’s milk makes awesome fresh cheeses. I scored a quart of delicious and incredibly fresh goat’s milk last week at a Queso Diego cheese club meeting, and wanted to make some cheese with it right away. Now, in order to make a creamy chevre, you need cultures, which I did not have on hand. But I still was able to make a big hunk of incredible fresh goat cheese using basic ingredients from my kitchen, plus some fresh herbs I picked up that same day. The whole process took less than 20 minutes, although the cheese admittedly tasted better the next day, after it had hardened a bit in the refrigerator.

Super-Easy Herbed Goat Cheese

(did I mention I love cheese?)

Step One: Procure a quart of the freshest milk possible. Make sure it has not been ultra-pasturized (regular pasturization is OK, no pasturization is best).

Step Two: Pour it in a pot and make sure you have a good thermometer. Bring the milk up to 190 degrees, stirring occasionally to make sure the milk doesn’t burn.

Step Three: Remove the pot from the heat and add 1/4 cup of vinegar. It will curdle pretty much instantly.

Step Four: Remove the curds and place into a bowl covered with a cheese cloth. Add salt to taste and herbs of your choice.

I used ground black pepper and chopped fresh dill. I packed it into a small bowl and ate some right away, but it was pretty crumbly; the next morning it was easier to spread after refrigerating overnight.

If you don’t care for ricotta or goat’s cheese (shame on you!), there are several other delicious fresh cheeses.

For homemade queso fresco (aka queso blanco), bring a gallon of milk to 190 degrees, and as soon as you remove it from the heat, add the juice of 4 limes and a couple of teaspoons of salt. Strain and enjoy.

For homemade mascarpone, bring 2 cups of heavy cream to 190 degrees and add a teaspoon of lemon juice. No salt is needed. Strain and serve with your favorite fruit for an impeccable dessert.

There’s no need for a fancy rotisserie – just a loaf pan, a deeper, larger pan, a decent food processor and an oven.

I adapted this recipe from Alton Brown, but I doubled the spices.

• 1 large onion, finely chopped or shredded
• 2 pounds ground lamb
• 2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons dried marjoram
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Start with the onion. Grate it finely into a bowl and strain the liquid out. This is very important for keeping the gyro meat together later.

Pulse the grated onion in the food processor with the diced garlic and other spices. Once the spices have all been blended thoroughly and diced as small as possible, add the ground lamb. (If your grocer doesn’t have ground lamb on the shelf, ask the butcher to grind up a roast cut. Usually they are happy to do it, and freshly ground meat will make the gyros even better.)

Note: You might need to mix the meat and spices a small amount at a time, depending on how good your food processor is. Mine bit the dust after struggling to pulse the last bit of lamb into a meaty goo … RIP, food processor. The gyros were worth it. I regret nothing.

Pack the mixture into a loaf pan lined with foil (this increases the crispiness on the edges), and be sure to squeeze the meat mixture into the corners. Place the loaf pan in a larger pan halfway full of water (i.e., a water bath). Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 325 degrees, or until the internal temperature of the meat is 170.

Next, drain off any extra fat on top of the meat loaf, and place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and a foil-wrapped brick (or something else heavy, say, a cast-iron skillet or a fat cookbook) directly on the foil-covered meat. Let it rest that way for at least 20 minutes.

If you like, before using the meat in a sandwich, salad, breakfast dish, or main course, crisp the slices of meat in a hot skillet.

If you are cooking or eating Paleo, there are several delicious meals you can whip up in no time. I sauteéd sliced onions and sliced zucchini with a handful of frozen spinach, then added the sliced meat …

This simple stir-fry also doubled as a great to-go breakfast the next day with a couple of eggs …

Of course, you can also add plenty of cheese and homemade tzatziki (plain yogurt, diced cucumber, mint, oil and vinegar) if you’re not counting calories or eating Paleo.

One of my favorite smoker recipes is a beer-can chicken, and I have made them several different ways. They’re great with any type of beer, but they’re also very good with any liquid inside that beer can. I made a sangria chicken, which was tasty but red wine isn’t a very strong flavor compared to the wood smoke and chicken so the flavor wasn’t very strong; as well as a mimosa chicken with chardonnay and orange juice. But by far the best beer-can chicken I’ve made so far was with teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice in the can, and sliced pineapples stuck to the outside of the bird. Fantastic!

The next time I made a beer-can chicken, I just added coarsely-ground kona coffee to the beer (in the can) and stuck bacon slices on the outside of the chickens. The coffee actually brewed inside of the cans! That was a great one.

Another excellent recipe is poulet yassa, a wonderful Sengalese/ West African chicken dish made by marinating the chicken in lemon juice, mustard (it’s better when you use your own homemade mustard), oil, onions, vinegar, chili peppers and other spices. Try this easy recipe here, then grill it or cook it in a stovetop skillet.

Of course, summertime grilling doesn’t have to be all about meat. Dry-roasted corn is one of the best party snacks you can make, and it’s as easy as stripping the fine hairs from between the corn and the husk and placing the ears directly on the grill. Watch it carefully for flame-ups, and then consume as a healthy snack or as an ingredient in a fabulous corn dish like this one.

For an impromptu cookout, my favorite way to add flavor and pizzazz to regular veggies (like asparagus and portabella mushrooms) is to just add a little salad dressing, preferably a homemade vinaigrette. I also like to experiment with the variety of sauces and savory jams that I always seem to have in my refrigerator, and add them to plain ol’ chicken breast.

My last $5 Slow Food Challenge, a phenomenally good smoked chicken posole, seriously knocked the $5 per-serving idea out of the park … I ended up with a cool $3.24 per quart. Not serving. QUART. Awesome. This is a little more ($4.91 per quart) but it can be stretched to make a dozen meals if you have a little imagination.

As usual, I have adapted this recipe both to my own lifestyle and tastes. I don’t have a family to feed, and (knock on wood) I no longer have to struggle with affording a decent meal for less than 5 bucks. So I do things like cook a huge crock pot full of soup, invite a bunch of friends over, and after dinner, I send each of them home with a tupperware container full of leftovers.

Vietnamese phô is one of those dishes than can be made a variety of ways, with any sort of meat or vegetable you have on hand. Traditionally it is made with beef broth and rice noodles, then the diner adds sriracha sauce and soy sauce, diced cabbage and bean sprouts, and if desired, jalapeños or other peppers.

Phô is also a great dish for newcomers to certain types of Asian cooking. With the exception of a few sauces and perhaps the fancy noodles, all of the ingredients are familiar to American cooks. This is a great way to start experimenting with Vietnamese dishes and to familiarize yourself with how wonderful it is. If you haven’t enjoyed a big bowl of phô and a bânh mí (Vietnamese sandwich on crusty bread), you’re seriously missing out.

I changed mine a little because I wanted to make mine a little heartier and added fresh sliced mushrooms and tofu chunks as well, I enjoy water chestnuts and usually have a can of sliced ones in the cupboard, and I happened to have a London broil steak that I made on the Fourth of July and may have accidentally overcooked on the grill. (Ahem.)

The cost breakdown:

• $5.75 … a slab of London broil steak
• $2.19 … 32-oz. of vegetable broth*
• $0.99 … pack of sliced fresh mushrooms
• $1.59 … package of extra-firm tofu
• $0.49 … small head of cabbage
• $0.50 … bunch of cilantro
• $0.99 … bunch of basil
• $1.69 … 1 lb. package of bean sprouts
• $1.29 … can of sliced water chestnuts
• $2.39 … bottle of sriracha**
• $1.89 … package of rice noodles
• $2.10 … bottle of soy sauce
• $2.69 … jar of hoisin sauce

Total: $24.55

For a 5-quart crock pot, that works out to $4.91 per quart.

* Vegetable broth is simple to make using scraps of leftover vegetables. If you can make your own, it will obviously save you more money, plus you’ll be able to control the sodium, etc.

** You should already have this in your kitchen. Seriously; there’s nothing it cannot do.

Again, this recipe started out as a way to save a wonderful marinated London broil that I accidentally mangled on the grill, but if I were you, I’d keep it rare. I sliced the steak very thin and put it in the crock pot with half of the cilantro and basil, the vegetable broth, water chestnuts, and an additional few cups of water to fill the pot. I added a few tablespoons of hoisin, and a few dashes of soy sauce and sriracha.

If you use a rare steak instead of one that you also mangled, leave it out.

After the broth has been simmering for at least 5-6 hours, add the sliced mushrooms and cubed tofu. From then on, any additional simmering is just adding extra flavor.

When serving, put the (uncooked) noodles in the bowl, and cover with a handful of diced cabbage and some bean sprouts.

Garnish with the rest of the fresh cilantro and basil. Then pour the soup on top (it will cook the noodles) and add more sriracha.

My last $5 challenge was a traditional Mexican stew that can be made with a variety of types of ingredients, and can be stretched to feed a huge party if necessary, and this is very similar.

You can make this recipe even cheaper by eliminating the expensive steak and using only fresh veggies (like shredded carrot, diced zucchini or fresh corn), or by making your own stock from leftover vegetables or meat scraps. You can stretch this recipe by adding extra water and broth (plus extra spices), and padding the sides with the cheap diced cabbage.

… Or maybe, you’re like me, and after eating phô for a couple-three days, you start to think of ways to use what’s left.

1) Maybe you’d like to split the tofu and steak between a pot of soup and a nice sandwich? Traditionally, bânh mí is served on a crusty French roll (a nod to the Vietnamese/ French colonial fusion cuisine), but you can make it any way you like.

Prepare the tofu as I have described below. While it’s cooking, slather two slices of bread or a roll (I like sourdough) with mayo spiked with sriracha. Layer the tofu (and thinly sliced steak if you like) on the bread and add a layer of sliced cucumber, mushroom, and shreds of carrot (peel the carrot, then when it’s peeled, go right on peeling slices off with your vegetable peeler).  Sprinkle with soy sauce. Top with fresh basil leaves and enjoy.

2) Maybe you’d like something heartier, using the broth from the delicious phô?

Prepare a cup of white or brown rice according to package directions. Pile it in a bowl with shreds of carrot, cabbage, some bean sprouts, and whatever else you have left. Pour the phô on top. Don’t forget the fresh basil and a few dashes of sriracha.

All in all, this recipe, plus a few extras that cost very little (bread for sandwiches, a cucumber and a carrot, a cup of rice), made multiple meals over multiple days, with very little grumbling at the repetition.

As a side note, I want to share a new way to cook tofu I learned recently — well, new to me. I don’t know about you guys, but it’s hard for me to find a good way to cook tofu that doesn’t make it taste terrible. (Amirite folks?) Anyway, my neighbor is from Korea, and when she let me into her kitchen for an impromptu vegetarian lunch one day, I was blown away at the ease with which she turned the tofu into slices of deliciousness. (Please note that this was not the tofu she made, her slices were much prettier. She’s obviously a tofu expert of some sort.)

She cut the (extra-firm) tofu into thick slices, about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch. Then she warmed a pan with sesame oil, and after the tofu was cooked on one side, she flipped it and added soy sauce to each slice. Of course, I added a spot of sriracha to each slice.

This is the single easiest and tastiest way to cook tofu that I have yet discovered. There are many tastier, but none so easy and fast.

This is amazing. It’s not as dry as a deep-fried Scotch egg, and baking allows you to add more deliciousness to the sausage mix … in this case, a handful of crumbled bleu cheese. I brought these to the home of a British friend, who was having a Queen’s Jubilee Party, and he declared these to be the best he’s ever had. And he’s English. Score.

Baked Scotch Eggs

(Makes 8 eggs. Slice in halves or quarters to serve.)

• 8 large eggs, hardboiled, cooled, and peeled
• 2 12-oz. packages of ground pork sausage (feel free to substitute turkey sausage, beef sausage, or your favorite flavored, ground sausage)
• handful of bleu or gorgonzola cheese
• about 2-3 cups breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp. paprika
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon each of Cajun seasoning, dried basil and dried parsley
• 1 (uncooked) egg, beaten

Step I: (I suppose this step is optional.) Decorate your kitchen appropriately and don appropriate attire.

Get into the Royal spirit.

Heelloooooooo!

Step II: Prepare ground sausage and add seasonings and cheese.

Blend thoroughly.

Step III: Use the same seasonings on the bread crumbs. Beat the uncooked egg and set aside.

Step IV: Coat each egg with the sausage mixture. Take your time with this step so the sausage is applied uniformly. You don’t want to be able to see the hardboiled egg inside, but you don’t want the sausage layer to be too thick, either. I found it was easiest to spread a handful of sausage on my open palm, place the egg in the middle, and slowly pack the sausage around the egg. Form it into a ball and smooth the sides as much as possible.

Step V: Dip each egg in the beaten egg and roll in the seasoned breadcrumbs. Place the eggs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for at least one hour.

Step VI: Bake in a preheated oven at 400 for about 30 minutes.

Serve hot and fresh.

Scotch eggs are excellent for parties … or just for breakfast. Other suggestions for awesome and not-so-incredibly unhealthy British foods:

Vary your “Bubble and Squeak” by using fresh Brussels sprouts or other vegetables instead of sometimes-greasy roasted ones. These are steamed sprouts whipped with mashed potatoes and a bit of butter. Delicious!

… Or try some baked Cornish pasties, stuffed with seasoned meat and potatoes.