Urban Deli Tag recipe suggestions

This dish is versatile, easy to make and requires minimal ingredients — and it is so delicious!

The sautéed red peppers are equally great as a stand-alone dish or a compliment to other dishes such as a topping for steamed chicken, pasta, or salads and served with a nice Italian bread or baguette, or with grilled sausages.

My sister Michael-Ann and her girlfriend Jodi recently visited Saint John from Manhattan (one of my favorite food cities). Jodi, who also lived in Italy for a few years, prepared one of her many recipes, which were taught to her in the kitchens of Italy.

I made the sautéed red peppers this past Saturday following Jodi’s recipe and found it easy and the results were fantastic!

Ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil — approx 3/4 to 1 cup (I used a 10.5” skillet – measured the width of the top lip opening of my skillet)
2 to 3 Garlic Cloves
8 to 9 red peppers (yellow can be used too and mixed in). Cut into large pieces – skins on. (I used 11 red peppers with my skillet size. I cut each pepper in half, top to bottom, removed the seed core and the top green stem and then cut each half into six long slices, again cutting top to bottom.)
Approximately 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted (I used black olives and wished I had used Kalamata olives simply for the better flavor)
2 tablespoons of capers (If using dried salted capers less is needed as they can be salty)
Salt

Method:

Coat large skillet with extra virgin olive oil ¾ to 1 cup (approx 1/4 inch). Add garlic cloves cut into 2 to 3 large pieces. Heat oil and garlic until garlic starts to brown but do not completely brown the garlic.

Add cut red peppers to hot oil. Do not worry if the peppers are heaping over the skillet because they will melt down as they are heated. To help keep the peppers in place use a lid smaller than the skillet and press down. Slowly start to rotate the peppers as they cook down. Turn the peppers frequently. (I cooked the peppers at a simmer and for 1.5 hours … Ok, I started talking and got side tracked … It all worked out for the good though.)

When the peppers are softened in the oil, add the Kalamata olives, capers and salt to taste. Cook the peppers until the oil turns to a clear red color and the peppers are soft. There should be no crunch at all to your sauteed peppers.

Serve hot, warm or cold. It’s even better on day two!

***

Bio: Liz is the owner of the Urban Deli. With a sister in Manhattan, she has visited New York many times and invariably studies the Big Apple’s famous delis.

Urban Deli does a great pulled pork and probably has the best frites, or fries as you may call them, in the city. But, on this day, I put together my own version of this tasty treat, which was actually my last order at UD.

It’s quite the process requiring some patience and attention to a few details. However, if you don’t mind such things, the end result will be a fine meal for you and your loved ones.

Here is what you need (see recipe suggestions below):

Pork butt – It’s actually from the front shoulder, and comes as bone-in and boneless cuts. Bone-in is preferred but either will do. It’s a fatty piece of meat with lots of connective tissue. With low and slow cooking, this will result in juicy and tender meat. Sometimes it is called Boston Butt, or pork shoulder. It should look something like this.
Rub
Sauce
Slaw
Wood chips (hickory, apple, cherry, or whatever you have on hand)
Buns – you can make your own or buy a good Kaiser bun that has a nice crisp crust

Rub:

Paprika – several tablespoons
Oregano – a bit less than paprika
Garlic and/or onion powder – a bit less than oregano
Cayenne, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, ancho/chipotle/chili powder in about equal quantities but go with taste here. Make a rub that you like the taste of. Rub this into the meat several hours before you’re ready to cook. Rub hard.

Sauce:

This is a free for all – do what you like here but maintain some sort of balance between sour, sweet, and spicy. I used:

Juice (orange, mango, pineapple, apple, or anything else, maybe even a mixed cocktail – even some beer) – about ½ cup or so
Apple cider vinegar or any other vinegar – same amount as you use for juice
Ketchup – about ½ cup
Brown sugar – 1/3 cup
Onion and/or garlic powder – a few shakes
Tabasco – a few shakes
If you want, add a few squirts of your favourite store bought BBQ sauce

Whisk well. It should be a pretty runny affair so it can absorb into your pulled pork. It won’t be like a store bought BBQ sauce.

Pork:

I started my pork on a Weber charcoal grill with all the coals put on one side and the pork up on a rack on the cool side. I let that smoke for 1 and a half hours. After that I could have added more coals to the Weber, but instead I transferred to my propane grill for several hours until tender. I cooked it at about 300-350 degrees, allowing the fattiest part to drip down into the meat.

When done, don’t bother letting your meat rest as you normally would. Throw it into a bowl and tear apart with two forks, or your hands if you can stand the heat. Mix with the sauce. This will allow the dry parts of the meat to absorb the sauce (this is why I asked you to keep it runny). Let sit in the sauce for several minutes and then serve on a bun with slaw.

Slaw:

Cabbage, half a small head or full head if serving several people
Carrot, shaved
1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
½ cup or so of vinegar, whatever type you prefer

Let sit and stir a few times over a few hours.

Strain before putting onto the bun.

Fries:

Russets are best. Cut into fry sized pieces. Soak in water while your grease heats up. A proper deep fryer is safest, but do as you wish. Double frying makes the best French fry, always. First fry is to get the consistency of a tender potato (at about 325 F or so), no colour, about 5 minutes. Make sure you put the potatoes into the grease as dry as possible to avoid your grease from “boiling over” – it can be very dangerous when a lot of water hits hot oil. After your first fry, the longer you let the fries sit, the better. 30 or so minutes is great. Then, put the fries back into hot oil (360-380 F) and cook until golden and crispy, another 4 or 5 minutes but keep an eye on things. Sprinkle with kosher or sea salt, toss, and serve.

***

Bio: Dan Jones is a food, drink, and travel writer from Saint John. Follow him on Twitter: @danjjj

Tag: recipe suggestions

Sautéed red peppers – so versatile!

Pulled Pork and Fries