Carolina BBQ Sauce
By Michael Ground, Chef de Cuisine of Fireside in Liberty Station
Weekend Recipes for the Win
We enjoy having a few friends over on Sundays for a casual BBQ and some drinks. I typically prepare a couple pounds worth of skewers with chicken thigh meat and seasonal veggies. Chicken thighs are great because they are inexpensive and reheat nicely as leftovers. When cooking skewers on the grill, I season them with salt and pepper and a little oil, then finish with BBQ sauce. This one is sweet, spicy, and has a nice tanginess to it.
Ingredients
4 oz. vinegar-based
hot sauce (your choice)
4 oz. brown sugar
3 oz. whole grain mustard
4 oz. cider vinegar
½ oz. molasses
Salt as needed
Directions
Mix all ingredients with whisk. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Make it last! For leftovers, we eat them in all different ways: Sometimes we’ll warm up corn tortillas and fill them with the meat and veggies, or simply add the skewers to a nice fresh salad. Or a cold skewer and a beer will hit the spot as I wind down from a long day’s work.
Midsummer Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes with Garlic and Thyme
By Terryl Gavre, owner of Bake Sale Bakery and Cafe 222, partner at Bankers Hill Bar + Restaurant
Weekend Recipes for the Win
July in San Diego is the height of our local tomato season. With so many local farms selling their heirloom tomatoes at the markets, they are plentiful and there are many varieties to choose from. Sometimes the tomatoes can ripen too quickly once picked. When this happens, I like to roast a huge batch and use them in dishes all week long. Try roasting them over an open fire to get a little smoky flavor, but it’s just as easy—probably easier—to do them in the oven.
Ingredients
3 lbs. ripe heirloom tomatoes
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
10-12 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Directions
- Stem the tomatoes and slice them in half lengthwise. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Gently squeeze out most of the seeds and juice, but it’s not necessary to get them all.
- Lay the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Evenly distribute the garlic over the tomatoes, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Roast for about 30 minutes, rotate the pan, then turn the oven to 400 degrees and roast for another 15–20 minutes until caramelized and blistered.
Make it last! I can’t resist cooking angel hair pasta (1 pound for two people; or 3 pounds for whole week), scooping a generous spoonful or two over the top, and finishing with some Parmesan and a little fresh basil. Or, I might grill ciabatta or levain bread, brush it with melted butter, salt, and pepper, and top the bruschetta with my tomatoes. On a day when I want a quick and healthy lunch, I might place the remaining in my Vitamix along with chicken or vegetable stock and make a quick, easy, and light summer soup.
