Don’t say Mutha’ to yo mama

It’s the second Sunday in May. To the United States and dozens of other countries that means it’s mother’s day. But, Ireland and the UK celebrate “Mothering” day in March. While “mothering day” stems from a christian recognition of mothers, the US version is rooted in a political movement. Originally called mother’s day for peace, it started during the US civil war. In 1905, Anna Jarvis celebrated the first mother’s day at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. The international shrine to mother’s day is located there, today. She lobbied Congress and the white house to make the day a holiday to mixed success. 9 years later, Woodrow Wilson made the declaration in 1914. Unfortunately, by the 1920’s, the Hallmark company commercialized the day. Jarvis was not happy. Some claim she said: Don’t say Mutha’ to yo mama (No. They really don’t).

Unfortunately, Hallmark won. And, we don’t give Mother’s day the proper reverence it deserves. It’s all about flowers, gifts, and brunch. While we are all for celebrating mothers and motherhood, Jarvis’s intention had a deeper meaning. Which is more important: buying your mom a nice gift that will end up in the trash at some point, or, lasting peace amongst all the people of the world? If we take the time to realize that every person has a mother, it may dawn on us that we shouldn’t hurt or kill anyone. The pain of a mother losing a child is a real “Mutha'”. Whether you subscribe to Black lives matter, blue lives matter, or any other slogan, the truth is all lives matter. And, that isn’t a slogan. Maybe if we all thought like mothers that would be true.

All the Moms say Don’t say Mutha’ to yo mama

So, maybe the Brits were onto something with “mothering day.” That’s closer to what our mother’s day turned into: an honoring of mothers. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t follow Anna Jarvis’s concept as well. It’s totally appropriate to give moms their due. It’s acceptable to have two thoughts at once. And, this is a case of seeing things from different perspectives: that of a mother, and her offspring. Think on that for a second. If you were a mother, how would you feel if something happened to your child? Or, what if your child caused harm to others? And, as a child, think of how disappointed your mother would be if you did something wrong. Just think “what would your mother say“, every time you face a difficult situation.

In fact, this strategy is a much better, non religious way to achieve peace. Christians say what would jesus do. Muslims look to Mohamed. Pastafarians look to the flying spaghetti monster. While these are fine for believers, they actually cause friction between groups who think their deity is better. But, mothers are something we all have and can all relate to. There isn’t a big faction of non believers in mothers. Of course, some mothers are better than others. For people with less than stellar mothers, put your trust in Mother Earth. She’s one tough mutha’. After all we have done to her, she still springs back. And, she still provides a home to a host of species. So, when you give prayers and thoughts today, don’t send them for guns, send them to your mother, and our collective mother.

Give Mom a break

So, it’s time to honor all the mothers by giving them a day off from cooking. So, get in that kitchen, and start chopping. And, we can even spend some time outside, working the grille. So, without further ado, here is your task for the day. We’ll try to keep the recipes relatively simple. Just remember: Don’t say Mutha’ to yo mama. But, you can definitely say Cheers to yo mama.

Jalapeno Lime Barbecued Spare Ribs

cheffd

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Southern, Southwestern

Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  

• 2 to 3 Lbs Spare ribs
• 1/2 Cup Chili Powder
• 1/2 Cup Cumin, ground
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Jalapeno
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Garlic
• 1/4 Cup Lime Juice
• 1/4 Cup Avocado Oil
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• For Sauce:
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh garlic
• 1 Cup Diced Fresh Onion
• 1/4 Cup Avocado Oil
• 2 Tbsp Ground Cumin
• 2 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 2 Tbsp Prepared Horseradish
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Jalapeno
• 1/4 Cup Tequila
• 1/2 Cup Lime Juice
• 1/2 Cup Agave Syrup
• 4 Cups Chopped Fresh Tomato
• 1 Cup Tomato Juice or vegetable broth
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Scallion
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Make a marinade for the ribs by mixing all the ingredients except for the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Rub the ribs generously with the marinade. Allow to marinade for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
• Make the sauce: Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Then, add the tequila. Cook down until liquid is almost gone. Then add the rest of the ingredients, except cilantro and scallions. Bring up to a simmer and stir well. Cook for at least an hour over low heat until the tomatoes have completely broken down and all the flavors are blended. Pure in a blender, then adjust seasonings and fold in cilantro and scallions. You can make the sauce ahead of time or while the ribs are cooking.
• Cook the ribs: Preheat a grille or smoker to high heat. Mark the ribs to get a nice color on them. Then, wrap them in foil and return to grille or smoker. Allow them to cook for at least 3 to 4 hours over low heat (about 200 degrees). Remove them from the foil and cook for another hour to create a nice crust. Brush them with some of the sauce and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes. Check the tenderness of the ribs before saucing them, though. They should pull apart easily. If not, give them more time. Remove from heat. Allow them to cool for about 25 minutes, then cut and serve. You could also chill them, cut them, and then reheat wrapped in foil if you want to make ahead of time.

Keyword barbecue, Jalapeno, Lime, Spare ribs

Fettuccine with Spring morel Mushroom cream and grilled ramps

cheffd

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  

• 1 Lb Fettuccine pasta
• 8 Oz Morel Mushrooms (may substitute other types of mushrooms if unavailable.)
• 4 Oz Fresh Ramps
• 1 Cup Sliced Spring Onions
• 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Garlic
• 1 Cup Madeira Wine
• 1 Quart Heavy Cream
• 1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
• olive oil for cooking
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• A Splash of Truffle Oil (optional)

Instructions

 

• Thoroughly clean the morels. They are only fresh for a few weeks in the summer, so take advantage while you can. They are very sandy and dirt gets in between the gills. So, you need to soak them. Remove from the water, and repeat 2 or 3 more times to get it all out. If you can't find morels, you may substitute other types of mushrooms. Try to get the most exotic ones available though.
• Once well cleaned, cut the morels into nice wedges or slices. Chop your garlic, slice your onions, and clean your ramps. gather everything else you need, and get ready to start cooking. Preheat your grille or a grille pan to high heat.
• After cleaning the ramps, remove the root part. Toss lightly with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grille over high heat until they have nice grille marks and are slightly limp, with a bit of crunch still. Try not to burn them. Set aside.
• Boil a pot of water and add salt. When it reaches a full boil, add in the pasta., stir to prevent sticking and clumping. Return the water to a boil, and keep an eye on it. It should take about 10 minutes to cook. Check the manufacturers package for cooking time.
• In a large saute pan or wide pot, heat olive oil over high heat. Add in the onions and garlic. Saute until translucent and aromatic. Then, add in the mushrooms, Saute until soft, stirring as needed. Add the Madeira. Cook it down until the liquid has reduced by about half. Then add the heavy cream. Reduce that by about 1/3 until it begins to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in Parmesan Cheese and a touch of truffle oil if you want. Check the seasoning. Turn off the heat.
• By now, the pasta should be done. Strain and toss with the sauce. Bowl or plate the pasta and garnish with the grilled ramps. Buono Apetito!

Keyword Cream Sauce, Fettuccine, Grilled ramps, Morel, Wild Mushroom

Lemon Tempura Vegetables with Ginger Plum Sauce

cheffd

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Fusion, Japanese, Portuguese

Servings 4 People

Equipment

• Fryer or pot to fry in

Ingredients

  

• 1 to 2 Lb Fresh Vegetables, green beans are a must, the rest is up to you: Eggplant, zucchini, carrots, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Onions, or more
• 1 Lb Rice Flour May substitute 1/2 AP flour and 1/2 cornstarch
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 Bottle lager or pilsner beer, the lighter the better
• 1 Whole Lemon, just the zest and juice
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• For Dip:
• 1 Cup Whole Fresh Plums, pit removed
• 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Ginger
• 2 Cup Seasoned Rice wine vinegar or Mirin
• 1/4 Cup Tamari Soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp Honey
• Oil to fry

Instructions

 

• Make the plum sauce. Cut the plums into one inch pieces. Saute the plums and ginger, in a little bit of oil, over medium high heat until they begin to soften and break down. Add the mirin or rice wine vinegar and bring to a boil. Taper off to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced by about half and the plums are falling apart. Add the honey and tamari. Then blend until smooth. You can do this with an immersion blender in the pot or in a stationary blender. Cool down for service.
• Set up your frying station: Put at least 3 inches of oil in a pot on a stove or fill your frying machine to the proper level. Get your equipment together: Frying spiders, tongs, bowl to mix batter in, paper towels and pans or plates to dry the tempura on.
• Cut your vegetables. Green beans can be whole. For best results, try cutting everything in similar sizes so they will cook at about the same rate.
• make the batter: Whisk your egg. Add the flour, lemon juice and zest. and Begin whisking. Pour the beer in a little at a time, and continue whisking until the batter is at a consistency you like. You may want to add the whole beer or stop when it is a little thicker. Adding the whole beer will result in a pretty thin batter. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil to about 350 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, watch the oil. It will move freely about. drop a little batter in. If it bubbles up and forms a ball, your temperature should be about right. You can adjust the flame too. remember. when you add food in, the temperature of the oil will drop, so you can regulate the temperature by adjusting the flame.
• Dip your vegetables in the batter one at a time. Shake off extra batter and bring the dipped item to the oil. Swirl the item a little bit until it begins to float up a little bit. Then, let go and let it fry. repeat this step until you have an amount of vegetables in the pot that you feel comfortable keeping an eye on. You will notice that the underside of the vegetables will begin to get more color than the top. Flip the vegetables at this point to get an even color. Cook until golden brown, remove from the oil onto paper towels. Repeat this process until all the vegetables are done.

Notes

You can use the same batter for meats, fish, or other items as well. Just remember to cut the pieces small enough that they will cook all the way through. If you have thicker items, you may want to drop the oil temperature back a bit to allow time to cook all the way through without burning or getting too dark.

Keyword Ginger plum sauce, Lemon, Tempura, vegetables

Chilled Vegan Melon Ginger Soup

cheffd

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  

• 1 Quart Honeydew, cantaloupe, or similar melon
• 1/4 Cup Fine diced fresh peeled ginger root
• 1 to 2 Cup Champagne or other sparkling wine
• 1/4 Cup Honey or agave syrup
• 2 Tbsp Chopped fresh mint, plus a few sprigs for garnish
• The juice and zest of 2 limes
• 1 Cup Fresh Blueberries
• 1/4 Cup Simple Syrup

Instructions

 

• Make a simple syrup: Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a pot. Cook down until it becomes a syrup. You want about 1/4 cup total. Pour he hot syrup over blueberries in a blender. Blend until smooth. Strain the blueberry syrup to remove extra solids and make it smoother. Chill until ready to use.
• Place all remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Chill and serve in a vehicle that allows the color to show. Drizzle with the blueberry syrup and garnish with mint sprigs.

Keyword Chilled, cocktail, Fruit, ginger, Melon, Mint, soup, vegan

Bourbon Blueberry Minted Mimosa

cheffd

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine American, French

Servings 4 Cocktails

Ingredients

  

• 1 Cup Fresh Blueberries
• 2 Cup Orange Juice, preferably fresh squeezed
• 2 Cup Champagne or sparkling wine
• 4 Oz Bourbon
• 1 Oz maple Syrup
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Mint Leaves
• Oranges, blueberries and mint to garnish
• Turbinado Sugar to rim glasses

Instructions

 

• Place blueberries, maple, and mint in a pitcher. Muddle together with a muddling stick or wooden spoon. Mix until flavors are well blended.
• Add in the remaining ingredients except garnish. Stir to mix flavors.
• Dip the rims of 4 champagne glasses in water and dip them in turbinado sugar. Pour the drink into each glass. garnish with oranges, blueberries, and mint. Enjoy.

Keyword barbecue, blueberry, Bourbon, Brunch, Champagne, Holiday, Mimosa, Mint, orange, Sparkling wine