Tangy Coffee Barbecue Sauce

There have been some major new obsessions developing in the Samuels-Minichiello relationship. Yes, I realize that our last names together are quite a mouthful. For ease sake I’ll use our celebrity name.

Wengela.

Basically, we have deeply developed some new interests in our lives that have majorly changed the way we live.

Wesley has become completely immersed in all that has to do with coffee. The kitchen is not only full of cooking gadgets but along side the emersion blenders and stand mixers and food processors there are now weigh scales, hand grinders and special airtight containers. Oh and of course we have a coffee tree.

My new obsession is a little more mainstream but has nothing to do with the kitchen. Wes has officially turned me into a football freak. A weekly pool at his work coupled with a friends fantasy football league has me craving Sundays on the couch watching football and shit talking. Sorry mom.

My parents barely recognize this pigskin obsessed freak I’ve become. Dad’s not even that happy about it. He just seems confused.  What happened to his food, garden and fashion obsessed first-born?

But with limited time on my hands, I have to work hard to combine my loves. So football Sunday is also cooking Sunday. And the best part about cooking on Sunday is that I have all day to do it. Slow cooking and barbecue have become Sunday staples.

This sauce combines everything we love into one.

Barbecue? Love it.

Football Sunday? Can’t miss it.

Coffee? Nothing happens before coffee.

Basically this is an awesome recipe for success. This sauce is great on pretty much any red meat you can think of and is awesome with chicken. I may have just had some solo because it was that good.

You will need…

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapenos, most of the seeds removed and diced

2 tablespoons California chili powder

1 cup freshly brewed coffee (plus your own coffee brewer if you have one)

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup white vinegar

1 tablepoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

½ cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat.

Add in the onion, garlic and jalapenos and cook until the onions are softened. About 6 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add in the chili powder, ketchup, brown sugar and molasses and stir just until everything is combined.

Pour in the coffee, vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Season well with salt and pepper.

Reduce the sauce to simmer and cook on a medium low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the sauce has reduced by about 1/4^th and has thickened a bit, remove from the heat.

After the sauce has cooled, blend in a food processor or in the pot with an emersion blender.

Use right away or store for up to two weeks.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Tangy Coffee Barbecue Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapenos, most of the seeds removed and diced

2 tablespoons California chili powder

1 cup freshly brewed coffee

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup white vinegar

1 tablepoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

½ cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat.

Add in the onion, garlic and jalapenos and cook until the onions are softened. About 6 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add in the chili powder, ketchup, brown sugar and molasses and stir just until everything is combined.

Pour in the coffee, vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Season well with salt and pepper.

Reduce the sauce to simmer and cook on a medium low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the sauce has reduced by about 1/4^th and has thickened a bit, remove from the heat.

After the sauce has cooled, blend in a food processor or in the pot with an emersion blender.

Use right away or store for up to two weeks. 

Crispy Fried Shitake Mushrooms

This may come as a shock to you, but I don’t have a ton of extra time in my day for many extracurricular activities. So there are very few television shows that are on my must watch list.

But I am human. And I do have a few shows that I can’t live with out. I would share the list with you, but I don’t need you to judge me more than you already do.

However, I will tell you that Top Chef is on the top of my can’t miss list.

I anxiously a wait every new season, then proceed to fall in love with chefs and spend a lot of time trying not to drool all over the place.

The upside is that I get super inspired to try new things.

And sometimes… not always, but sometimes… some of the crazy things I try are just crazy enough to work.

You will need…

1/3 cup canola oil

6 large shitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered

2 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons water

½ pound panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the molasses and water in a medium bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Toss the mushrooms into the marinade and stir them around until they are coated.

Remove them from marinade and toss them into the panko breadcrumbs. Stir the mushrooms until they are coated with panko.

When coated, remove the mushrooms from the breadcrumbs and set them aside.

Heat the oil over medium high heat. When the oil is very hot, add in the mushrooms and cook until crispy and browned on both sides. About 5 minutes a side.

Remove the mushrooms from the oil and place them on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Crispy Fried Shitake Mushrooms

1/3 cup canola oil

6 large shitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered

2 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons water

½ pound panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the molasses and water in a medium bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Toss the mushrooms into the marinade and stir them around until they are coated.

Remove them from marinade and toss them into the panko breadcrumbs. Stir the mushrooms until they are coated with panko.

When coated, remove the mushrooms from the breadcrumbs and set them aside.

Heat the oil over medium high heat. When the oil is very hot, add in the mushrooms and cook until crispy and browned on both sides. About 5 minutes a side.

Remove the mushrooms from the oil and place them on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.