summer 2012 recipes Featuring Local People, Places and Things that Matter Since 1990 Watermelon Salsa BY BETH MCCOURT

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1 Featuring Local People, Places and Things that Matter Since 1990 summer 2012 recipes BY BETH MCCOURT Watermelon Salsa 1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest (from about 1 lime) 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes) 1 tablespoon sugar 3/4 teaspoon pepper 3 cups seeded and finely chopped watermelon 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced 1 small red onion, finely chopped 8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt Tortilla or pita chips Stir together the lime zest, lime juice, sugar and pepper. Add the watermelon, cucumber, jalapeño, onion and basil. Toss gently. Chill the salsa until ready to serve and add the garlic salt just before serving. Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips. Makes three cups.

2 Baby Back Ribs 2 full racks (quartered) baby back ribs 1-quart beef broth 2 cups barbeque sauce (recommended: Bullseye Original Barbeque Sauce) 1 cup honey Place ribs and beef broth in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, and add enough water to fully cover ribs. Simmer over low heat for about one hour. Once tender, remove and set aside. Preheat the grill to medium heat. In a medium bowl, combine barbeque sauce and honey. Baste ribs generously with sauce and grill for about four minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Before heating the grill, brush with vegetable oil so that the ribs do not stick. Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette 4 lbs. sweet potatoes (8; preferably long) 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro Cover potatoes with cold salted water in a large pot, then bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly resistant in center when pierced with a small sharp knife, 25 to 30 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain well. When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes with a small sharp knife and quarter lengthwise. Prepare grill for cooking. Whisk together lime juice, salt, and pepper and add oil in a slow stream, whisking. Whisk in cilantro. When fire is hot (you can hold your hand five inches above rack for one to two seconds), grill potatoes in two or three batches on lightly oiled grill rack (over coals if using a charcoal grill), uncovered, turning, until grill marks appear and potatoes are just tender, three to six minutes total. Serve potatoes warm or at room temperature, drizzled with vinaigrette. Notes: Potatoes can be boiled and peeled 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Vinaigrette can be made two hours ahead and kept at room temperature. If you aren t able to grill, potatoes can be cooked in a well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat, turning, until grill marks appear, three to six minutes total.

3 Flag Cake Decorating a sheet cake, adapted from Ina Garten Make you own favorite cake, in a large sheet pan. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put the icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries. Red, White and Blue dipped Strawberries 12 ounces white chocolate chips Strawberries Blue sugar Melt 12 ounces of white chocolate chips in a microwave according to the package directions (make sure the container and the berries are dry; even a little moisture will alter the texture of the candy). One at a time, dip strawberries into the chocolate and then into blue sugar. Set them to harden on waxed paper. Makes 35 to 45 decorated berries.

4 Grammy s Baked Beans 1 pound dried pea or navy beans ½ cup pure maple syrup ¼ cup packed light brown sugar 2 tablespoons molasses 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1½ teaspoons salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 small onion, peeled 1 green pepper chopped One ¼ pound chunk salt pork 1. Soak the beans in cold water to cover overnight. 2. Preheat the oven to 300 F. 3. Drain the beans and combine in a 2½-quart bean pot or covered casserole with the maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add the onion and salt pork. Pour enough boiling water over the beans to cover them by ½ inch. 4. Bake, covered, for six hours, or until the beans are almost tender. Check every hour or so and if the sauce is below the level of the beans, add more boiling water to cover the beans. Uncover and finish cooking for an additional 45 to 60 minutes, until the beans are tender and a rich brown and the sauce is lightly thickened. Raspberry Vodka Lime Coolers makes 2 drinks 1/4 cup lime juice 3 oz. Raspberry Stolichnaya vodka 1 1/4 cups plain or lemon/lime sparking water Crushed Ice Lime wedges for garnish Mix the strawberry vodka and lime juice together in a cocktail shaker with ice. Divide it equally amongst two cups. Divide the sparkling water equally amongst the two glasses and add ice cubes to each one. Stir gently with a cocktail stirrer. Garnish with lime and serve.

5 Crunchy Slaw Salad Adapted from Trisha Yearwood SALAD 1 head green cabbage, finely chopped 8 green onions, finely chopped ½ cup sliced almonds ½ cup sesame seeds ¼ cup (½ stick) butter 2 3-oz packages ramen noodles, flavor packets discarded DRESSING 2 tablespoon sugar ½ cup vegetable oil 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 1. Mix the cabbage and green onions in a large bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, brown the almonds and sesame seeds in the butter. 2. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Just before serving, add the sesame seeds, almonds, and crushed raw ramen noodles to the cabbage and green onions. Pour the dressing, a little at a time, over the salad mix, then toss. Serves 10 to 12.