So tonight I decided to pull something out of the freezer and make some honey BBQ glazed pork bites and roasted sprouts. I have been cooking many years and even took culinary courses for 2 years. I love inventing in the kitchen and so tonight I did just that.
I got out one of the balsamic vinegar I purchased at the Italian festival last year. It is a cranberry balsamic {25 Star Reserva Balsamic} made by Olive-N-Grape; they also have fresh pressed olive oil. Oh my oh my if you want something amazing you need to try these!
So I decided to roast some sprouts in the oven tonight. I began by washing them; I buy fresh organic ones but you can buy any fresh you want. I let them sit and drain while I prep a pan with foil {makes for easy cleanup later}. Once prepped I set in reach to toss in the sprouts once cut. I find that cutting off just a tiny section of the ends and splitting them in half they roast so much better than whole. {Some I do have to cut into quarters due to the size} then I toss them into my pan until all done.
Once they are all in the pan I give them a drizzle of the balsamic, some first cold press extra virgin olive oil {first cold pressed means that they were crushed and pressed only one time and that the temperature did not go above 80.7*; giving this the most flavor of all olive oils}, pink Himalayan Sea Salt, and fresh ground medley pepper. Once dressed I use a spatula to lightly move them until coated. By shaking the pan to even them out I get a more even cooking. I place them in a 450* oven for 10-15 minutes depending on amount and size.
While the sprouts are cooking I begin making the sauce for the pork bites. I love raw dark honey so I use this the most. I use 1/2 cup of raw dark honey and 1/2 cup tangy BBQ sauce. I stir stir stir until the BBQ sauce mixes with the honey and makes a nice thick glaze. Now I do not like taking photos of raw meat so I did not take any of the pork however I take the country style pork ribs and I slice them down to 1/2-1 inch cubes.
Placing them on a foiled flat sheet {again easy clean up} I season them with some garlic, red pepper, fresh ground pepper medley, and a dash of seasoning salt. I place them in the 450* oven for 10-15 minutes to get a nice color to them. Pulling them out briefly I drizzle the honey BBQ glaze on them {if you own a honey spoon this is a great time to use one; a spoon or brush work great too} and back in the oven for 5 more minutes so they get a little crisp to the edge. You might have a little left over and that is okay you can use it as a dipping sauce or glaze them a second time.
Cheers to a NEW you, NEW thinking & a NEW life,
Nicole
