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Alberta Co-op Grocery

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1500 NE Alberta St., Portland, Oregon 97211  ·  on buslines 8 & 72

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Posts Tagged ‘bbq’

Grill it!

Posted October 3rd, 2011

Three exciting ideas for cooking over charcoal 

Halloumi Cheese Appetizer
What you need:
  • 1 package Halloumi Cheese (8.8 oz)
  • 1 pint grape/cherry tomatoes
  • 1 small jar of pitted Kalamata olives from the bulk section
  • 1 lemon
  • Crackers, bread, or flatbread of your choice for serving
What’s Halloumi?
Halloumi is a sheep’s cheese from Cyprus that combines the qualities of mozzarella, feta, and cheese curds.  And it’s on sale this week at the Co-op for only $6.99!
What you do:
Slice the Halloumi into 1-inch squares and place them on metal skewers. Allow some space on the skewers so the cheese can cook evenly. Place them on the grill over medium heat and turn them every 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese is light brown in color. Halloumi cooks somewhat slowly; so don’t feel like you have to be too careful with it. When the cheese has cooked, remove it carefully from the skewers and drizzle the lemon juice on the cubes. Combine the Halloumi, tomatoes, and olives on a platter and enjoy! Serves 2-4 folks.
Onions Cooked in the Coals
What you need: 

Three exciting ideas for cooking over charcoal
  • 4-5 onions, “tennis ball” sized (I’ve been using Walla Walla onions lately)
What you do:
Once you have set up your fire, place the onions (with the skin still in tact) at the edges, right next to the coals. As you let the onions cook over the next hour, turn the burned up sides away from the coals, to allow them to cook evenly. While the onions are cooking next to the coals, you can use the top of the grate to cook other dishes at the same time! Once you have rotated the onions on all sides and they feel soft when grasp them with tongs, remove them from the fire and allow them to cool for several minutes. Once the onions have cooled, carefully peel off the burned layers of skin and rinse off any remaining bits of char or ash with water. Slice the onions in halves or quarters and serve them as a side or garnish. I’ve found that they’re great with tempeh tacos. Also, if you keep one or two of the onions whole, they add a great flavor to beans and soups. Serves at least 4-6 folks, with some leftovers for cooking.
Rosemary Branch Mushroom Skewers
What you need:
  • 20 crimini mushrooms, brushed clean
  • 5 woody branches of a rosemary plant at least 8 inches long, stripped of leaves (save those for a marinade!)
  • Olive oil
What you do:
Once you have removed the leaves from the rosemary branches, allow them to soak in cool water for a few minutes. Pierce each mushroom with a metal skewer and then thread four of them onto each branch. Brush all of the mushrooms on all sides with olive oil. Place the skewers on the grill over medium heat, turning them once every few minutes. Carefully remove them from the fire when they’re done – the branches provide great flavor, but they don’t tend to be as sturdy as conventional skewers. Allow the mushrooms to cool and then take them off the branches. These are great as a side. Serves 2-4 folks.

 

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Posted in Recipes

Homemade BBQ Sauce… with Ketchup?

Posted April 11th, 2011

by Geanna Marek, working owner

Ketchup is almost as all-American as you can get, besides basketball, hot dogs, and the Superbowl. However, its origins are actually in China! It began as a liquid in the 17th century that more closely resembled soy sauce. The word “ketchup” is derived from the Chinese word “kôe-chiap”, which refers to pickled fish. And in fact, the original “sauce” did not even contain tomatoes.

In the mid-1700s to the mid-1800s, “ketchup” had morphed into a paste made of fermented walnuts or mushrooms. The sauce made its way to Indonesia and somehow (there are no concrete facts for how this happened) eventually found its way to Great Britain.

It is not until the 1900′s that the ketchup we know and love today began to exist (sort of). Recipes lost the pickled fish and acquired tomatoes, but retained the vinegar of the brine to make a watery predecessor of the condiment we call ketchup. After a trip to Britain, Henry John Heinz, the creator of Heinz Ketchup, came back with this version of ketchup and, adding his own touches to it, started selling it in the American market. Thus, modern ketchup was born.

The Co-op carries a great ketchup that’s locally made by Portland Ketchup Company. If you take a look at the company’s website, you’ll note its focus on local and natural ingredients. In fact, there are only 8 ingredients total (water, organic tomato paste, organic white distilled vinegar, organic cane sugar, sea salt, organic granulated onion, organic
allspice, organic cayenne pepper, organic ground cloves), and, as you can see, almost all are organic, all are completely natural, and you will be able to recognize and pronounce each one.

Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce
Try this fantastic BBQ sauce for dipping, spreading, or marinading. I used ketchup from Portland Ketchup Company, on sale for $4.69, and Wholesome Sweeteners Maple-Flavored Agave, on sale for $3.99 (I will write more about the flavored agave next week). The ketchup is perfect in this recipe because it already contains a hint of spice, but if you prefer more spice in your BBQ sauce, feel free to add more cayenne pepper.

Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients:

  • 1/3 c. Portland Natural Ketchup
  • 2 T. Wholesome Sweeteners Natural Maple-Flavored Agave Nectar
  • 1 t. apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ t. liquid smoke
  • ½ t. cornstarch

Instructions:

  1. Mix everything together well in a medium stovetop pan.
  2. Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring constantly (this will not take long).
  3. After it comes to a boil, turn off heat and let cool a bit before serving; sauce will thicken as it sits.

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Posted in Recipes