Susi's Kochen Und Backen Adventures

We happen to live in a state where the weather is nice almost year round, which is perfect since we are big on back yard grilling. One item that is a must have for a good barbecue is a tasty BBQ sauce. The shear amount of sauces for sale at the grocery store can be overwhelming and even within each brand you can find smoky, sweet, spicy, mild, home-style and the list goes on and on. Store bought sauces are great in a pinch, but we wanted a condiment that had all of the above components combined into one tasty sauce. 

To achieve what we were looking for in a great sauce, we started to make our own saucy condiments from scratch. After a bit of experimenting, we have found a couple of fantastic recipes that we have added our own touches to that have replaced any grocery store sauce you can find on the shelf. Is it more time consuming to make your own barbecue sauce then opening a store bought bottle? You bet, but you can't beat the rich and complex flavor profile of a homemade sauce along with being able to control the ingredients that go into it.

Today I'm sharing our Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce that we have been making over and over the past few years. We love serving it with pulled pork or using it as a  glaze on smoked ribs, but it is also tasty served with chicken or on a good burger. This flavorful topping has everything in it that we were looking for in a great BBQ sauce: sweetness, a hint of spiciness, a little smoke, a bit of tartness and most of all, lots of flavor.  Give it a try for yourself and see how easy and tasty this sauce can be on all of your grilled favorites and kick your grocery store sauces to the curb.

Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce 

~makes 2 (16oz.) jars~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons tomato paste
One 12-ounce can Dr. Pepper
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 teaspoons ancho or New Mexican chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter. Sauté the onion and jalapeno pepper in the butter until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute, making sure not to burn the garlic. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the flavors have blended. Continue cooking until the sauce begins to thicken, 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper if desired.

Let the sauce cool for about 10 minutes or until it is warm but no longer “boiling” hot. Puree with an immersion or traditional blender—this will make the sauce thicker. Let cool. Fill into cleaned jars. Store in the refrigerator.

Notes: The BBQ sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Slightly adapted from: Saveur 

Zucchini dishes for me, are reserved typically for the summer time. I remember growing up, my mom's garden produced some giant zucchinis. We would eat several meals off one of them. My mom would make all kinds of different things with the abundance of Zucchini, but one thing I always remember is her stuffed zucchini. It looked literally like a zucchini boat filled full of a hamburger/rice mixture topped with some kind of Swiss cheese, it was delicious but really doesn't have the same effect with the tiny ones found at the local stores. 

These days, my zucchini finds are restricted to supermarkets and farmers markets but I don't think I've seen such colossal zucchinis since being a child in my mother's garden. They are usually much smaller then what I had been used to. Nonetheless, they are tasty and by being the "baby versions" their skin is usually very tender.

I've had the recipe for this sauce in my files for a long time. I believe my sister was the one that gave it to me many years ago. It is a wonderful, light tasting sauce that is perfect for the summer months. The original recipe called for all mascarpone, but I decided to lighten it just a tiny bit by replacing some of it with light cream cheese. The taste was still just as good, and I actually really liked the little hint of tartness the cream cheese lends to the dish. The recipe also calls for diced prosciutto* which is a wonderful addition in this dish but if you would like to keep this a vegetarian meal you can leave it out and still be left with a fantastic tasting pasta sauce. The key to this sauce is to reserve a little bit of your pasta water and add it when tossing the pasta with the sauce since it can tighten up too much otherwise.

I served this recipe over Angel hair pasta since I had it on hand, but any other pasta would just be as delicious. I have also served it over whole wheat pasta before and it was also very good. A little simple side salad with a vinegar based vinaigrette completed this wonderful summer meal for us. If Zucchini is your "thing" as well, I hope you'll give this sauce a try!


*I love the taste of prosciutto in this dish but have made it before using pancetta or bacon which I cooked prior to adding them.




Pasta With Fresh Zucchini Sauce
(serves 4-6)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound zucchini, diced
1/4 cup water
1 vegetable bouillon cube
5 ounces Mascarpone cheese
3 ounces light cream cheese
3 ounces Prosciutto, finely diced
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
12 ounces Pasta, cooked and drained
2-3 tablespoons reserved pasta water (optional)

Preparation:

In a large pan cook onions in olive oil until tender for about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook for an additional minute making sure not to burn it. Add Zucchini, water and vegetable bouillon cube. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Add mascarpone and cream cheese and cook on low heat until melted. Add the prosciutto, taste for seasonings. Add pasta to the sauce and toss lightly. Add reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if desired. Serve immediately.