Brunswick Stew.

It began yesterday morning when we pulled a hunk of Boston Butt Pork Roast from the freezer and put it straight into the crock pot.  Without a plan.  As we bounced ideas around for something ‘different’ we could do with pulled pork…it came to me.  Let’s make Brunswick Stew. 

We pulled two boneless skinless chicken breasts from the freezer and added them to the crock pot with the pork, this would give us our meat base for the stew.  We also opened a bag of dried lima beans and got them soaking.

It was pulled pork roast for dinner on Saturday night, reserving enough for Brunswick Stew the following day.  On Sunday morning we got busy shredding pork and chicken (love cooking together), dicing up onion, new potatoes, jalapeno and garlic.

This might be a good time to discuss the heritage of Brunswick Stew.  Actualy when you live in Georgia and your family has a home on St. Simons Island, there’s no question where Brunswick Stew got it’s name.  Brunswick, Georgia of course.

This iron pot stands at the Brunswick/St. Simons visitors center as a reminder to those who question.

Recipe notes:  Classically Brunswick Stew is made with smoked meats.  Depending on which part of the south you’re from can change the ingredients list slightly.  For us, we were sticking to ingredients already in our fridge/pantry.  Next time I’ll opt for frozen lima beans (dried limas take forever and then some to cook).

When choosing your vinegar based BBQ Sauce, check the ingredients list, vinegar needs to be No. 1 or No. 2.  We love this HOT Georgia Soul sauce.  It delivers a little lot of heat, so no need for extra hot sauce.  I also substituted some leftover marinara sauce and the end of a bottle of chili sauce in lieu of the can of tomato sauce.  Some Brunswick Stew recipes call for okra, we added new potatoes to bulk it up a bit.  Gradually add your chicken stock over the time your stew simmers until you achieve the desired thickness.

When you get done, your Brunswick Stew should be thick with a wonderfully tangy tomato flavor.  This recipe is a great way to Share the Love with family and friends AND you’ll have enough leftover for a freezer tub as well.

The post Brunswick Stew {Eat Out of the Fridge/Pantry} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Grilled Swordfish with Lima Bean & Herb Butter.

I haven’t always loved Swordfish.  I remember it being dry and underwhelming, so frankly I avoided it.  Too many other choices that I knew I loved.  I’ve shared recently that fish speak to me.  There’s really no other way to explain how I can approach a massive row of freshness and choose….that one, I’ll have that piece of fish.  That’s what happened the day I fell in love with Swordfish.

Something told me after a good 20 years of no Swordfish, to give it another chance, a fresh start if you will.  Well apparently all Swordfish aren’t created equal.  What I really mean is all Swordfish isn’t prepared equally.  One thing Swordfish isn’t…is dry.  So forget I said that earlier and follow some very basic cooking advice.

Liberally apply olive oil, salt & pepper to both sides of fresh 1″ thick Swordfish steaks.  Heat the grill to medium high.  Grill steaks 4 minutes per side (1/4 turn after two minutes to get the pretty criss-cross grill marks).  After cooking on both sides, allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Melt in your mouth goodness.  You too will be in love.

We served our Grilled Swordfish with Lima Bean & Herb Butter.  Fabulous flavors.  I chose lemony thyme, parsley, and a bit of rosemary to blend with softened butter, garlic, s&p, and lima beans.  I love this.

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Grilled Swordfish with Lima Bean & Herb Butter

Servings 2

Author adapted from Food & Wine

Ingredients

For the Lima Bean & Herb Butter…

• 4 Tbl. butter softened
• 1/2 cup lima beans cooked & cooled
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 Tbl. fresh herbs minced (we used lemony thyme, parsley, rosemary)
• salt & pepper to taste

For the Swordfish…

• 2 6-8 oz. Swordfish Steaks
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Instructions

For the Lima Bean & Herb Butter…

• In a small food processor, combine butter, lima beans, garlic, and herbs. Process until blended but slightly chunky. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.

For the Swordfish…

• Preheat grill or broiler to medium-high. Season Swordfish with olive oil, salt & pepper.
• Grill steaks 4 minutes per side, quarter turning after 2 minutes for a criss-cross grill mark pattern. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• Serve will a dollop of Lima Bean & Herb Butter.

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