Bourbon Peaches
This
recipe will cover about a bushel of peaches (about 6 quart jars, depending on the size of
the peach)
• Select your peaches, it’s best if you have a relationship with a particular
orchard. I always buy my peaches at Gold’s Orchard, in Stonewall, Texas. Linette Gold
gives me the heads up by email when to run on over and pick up those wonderful sweet
perfect peaches that the family grows.
•
Make sure that the peach is freestone.
•
Bring a large pot filled half way with water to a boil, reduce the heat and keep just at a
low boil.
•
Place whole peaches in water for 2 minutes (this may vary, depending on the ripeness of
the peach - the riper they are the shorter it will take)
•
Remove from water, let cool until you can handle the fruit.
•
Remove pit by slicing peach in half length-wise, then peel.
•
Place fruit in clean hot jars (I use wide mouth jars for this).
•
Pack tightly.
•
Meanwhile, Take 4 cups sugar, 2 cups filtered water, 2 cups bourbon (I use Ira’s
Canadian Hunter) Cinnamon to taste, Nutmeg to taste and Allspice berries - about 10 or so
- bring to a boil, stir until sugar is dissolved - let simmer while peeling peaches.
Should be reduced by 1/3.
•
Ladle bourbon syrup over peaches, leaving about 1 inch head space at the top of the jar.
Use new seals and clean rings, screwing tightly down on the top of the jar.
•
Place jars in boiling water bath for 45 minutes.
•
When you remove the jars from the water bath, the bourbon syrup should still be boiling.
•
Set jars aside, allow to cool.
|
Potato
Salad
16 - 20 Freshly picked New Potatoes
8 Eggs
2 T White Wine Worcestershire Sauce or Savory Oil
1 ½ cups Mayonnaise
½ cup 1000 Island Dressing
2 t interesting mustard - not yellow mustard!!
½ cup sweet pickle relish (better if made with Icebox pickles
diced finely)
1 cup stringed diced celery
Seasoning salt - to taste
Fresh ground pepper - to taste
Optional:
Green Olives with pimiento - chopped
Red, green or yellow Bell Pepper - chopped finely
Savory Olive Oil
Pick over and wash potatoes. Remove any dark spots or imbedded dirt with a scrubbie or
sharp knife. Boil potatoes in filtered water to cover 2 inches and 5 Tablespoons Salt.
Until potatoes are able to be pierced with a knife easily. Drain, cool slightly, cut first
in half lengthwise, then in slices , then across the slices for a rough dice. Do not peel
if you can help it.
Place potatoes in bowl, add Worcestershire sauce or savory Olive Oil. Allow to cool.
Meanwhile, place eggs in cool water. Bring just to a boil. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.
This will hard boil the eggs without giving the egg yolk a "greenish"
appearance.
Rinse eggs under cool water, peel, and take 4 eggs, separate yolks from whites chop
finely, place with potatoes in bowl.
Add Mayonnaise (homemade is best, if you don’t have the time, then use a good quality
- don’t use a "salad dressing" quality mayo - yuck!!) pickle relish,
celery, mustard, seasoning salt, pepper, green olives, bel peppers (optional) 1000 Island
dressing,.
Mix well, trying not to break up potatoes (I use God’s salad tossers - my impeccabley
clean hands). Taste and adjust seasoning. Be careful, remember this is going to sit for a
while in the fridge so don’t over season.
Take remaining eggs, slice in an egg slicer, making spiral design on top of salad.
Sprinkle with paprika. Cover let flavors develop in fridge several hours or overnight.
|
Perfect Pintos
Wash and pick through beans. You can rest assured that there will be a rock or
two. I use a good handful per person and one for the pot. Cover with at least 2 inches of
well water.
Now here comes the controversy:
You can bring them to a boil, boil for 2 minutes and cover for an hour then proceed, or
soak overnight, or just start to berl ‘em. Depending on how much time I have I use
the boil then rest method—all work equally well.
After the water comes to a boil, add:
1
onion peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon pepper ( I prefer freshly cracked) or to taste
1 tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
3 cloves garlic minced
3 to 6 whole raw jalapenos
1 bay leaf
Boil
until just tender to the tooth—not done, just tender
Add:
V-8 juice to cover about 1 inch
Let
simmer on low heat until done about 20 - 30 minutes and most of liquid is absorbed. Now
test for salt. Most of the time i don’t need to add any. Remove bay leaf and
jalapenos. Serve immediately or you can let them rest overnight covered in the ice box.
Bring to room temp before heating. |
Tartar Sauce
Combine In A Large Jar—Gallon Size
1 Qt Mayo
1 Large Jar Pimentos
2 Large Onions (Finely Diced)
1 Clove Garlic (Minced)
1/2 Cup Coarsely Diced Stuffed Olives
2 Cups Sweet Pickle Relish
5 Jalapeno Peppers (Minced Fine) Seeded you may use fewer peppers
1/8 Teaspoon Curry Powder
1 1/2 Rolls Hi Ho Crackers (Crushed)
10 Saltine Crackers (Crushed)
Mix together well and let stand
approximately 6 hours before using
Keeps well in refrigerator until all is
eaten.
Cajun Catfish
1 large catfish fillet per person, or 2 small ones
Tony Chasherie’s Cajun Seasoning
1-2 eggs
1 sleeve Hi Ho Crackers crushed with a rolling pin
Vegetable oil for cooking
Beat eggs well.
Rub the seasoning onto the fish.
Dip in egg mixture then in Hi Hos and fry until done. |
 Basic
Sourdough Starter
(For hangin’ on the back of your chuckwagon for those long trail drives.)1
medium potato (unpeeled, unwashed)
2 cups water (more or less, but enough to cover your potato)
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
Bring your potato to a boil in water for 20 minutes or until done.
Pour off the water into a 2 cup measure and cool to lukewarm, adding or subtracting water
to make 2 cups.
Peel the potato and mash it smooth. Add water, sugar and flour. Stir until a thick batter
consistency is reached.
Cover with plastic wrap and then further cover with a heavy towel and put into a warm
draft free place. (There are several schools of thought on this, but I can assure you that
the cowbarn in the middle of January is not the ideal place) I use an electric oven with a
25 watt bulb turned on. This will give me about 75 to 80 degrees, draft free.
Leave for about 24 hours, you’ll know ‘cause the stuff gets ripe. It’ll
smell like a dead goat in a locker room. It should have sort of a greyish hue and not
reddish. If even slightly orange, throw out and start again.
Place your starter in your ice box in a mason jar and use every 2 weeks or so.
To perk up and replenish that starter:
2 cups starter (warm to room temperature)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup warm beer
1 1/4 cup flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeas
Mix together and place in that good ol’ draft free place covered with your heavy
towel for about 1 hour.
Put 1 cup aside to use in your recipe and the balance in your mason jar. |
Jalapeno
Stuffed with Shrimp.
24 Jalapenos
24 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined with tail on
12 slices of bacon.
Slit jalapenos on one side and devein and de-seed them - you might want to use rubber
gloves for this many jalapenos
Place 1 shrimp inside each jalapeno
Wrap each jalapeno with 1/2 slice of bacon.
Place on grill over medium hot coals. Turn until bacon is crisp and shrimp is opaque.
Serve with rice or orzo (pasta that’s shaped like rice) or as and hor
d’eurve
|
Beer Can
Chicken
1 whole chicken
Your Favorite Rub
Stonewall Chili Pepper Co.’s
Roselene’s Marinade
1 can beer
Whole Grain Mustard (like Gouldens)
Take chicken and sprinkle rub all over and inside chicken cavity.
Take beer can and open it—pour out 1/2 of the can. Add Roselene’s
marinade to can to make can about 3/4 full.
Place can opened side up inside of chicken cavity - the beer can will form a
stand for the chicken to "sit" on.
Smear mustard all over outside of chicken.
Place chicken on pit rack with coals just at the "ashy" stage. The
chicken should be able to stand on it’s own—un-opened side of the can on the pit
grate.
That’s it—it will take about 1 1/2 hours. No basting, no fuss. Ya
see, the beer and marinade boils inside the can and bastes the chicken - this is our
favorite. |
