Chapter Nine

Savory Mains & Sides

The trick to cooking savory food with sweet liquids, like sodas, is to add enough savory flavors that the sweetness becomes a backup taste rather than a dominant perception. Sweetness is an essential element in savory cooking. All wholesome foods are somewhat sweet. Think about it. Carrots and onions are loaded with sugar. Fresh meat has a sweet taste; even hot sauce contains a good amount of sugar. In fact, the more savory a food is (especially if it has a lot of heat), the sweeter it needs to be for balance.

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Most cuisines use sugar as a seasoning. Think teriyaki, sweet and sour, wine sauce, tomato sauce, Thai peanut sauce, caramelized onions, barbecue, pickles, chutneys, ketchup, sweet potatoes, sauerkraut, baked beans … I could go on for a few pages. The challenge with using soda for sweetness is that some sodas are very sweet, so you can use only a small amount.

Soda pop cuisine hit its heyday after World War II, when soda manufacturers found a hidden market for their products in the kitchen. They began creating recipes and issuing cooking pamphlets, and America’s sweet tooth bit. Recipes for meatloaf, chili con carne, barbecue, goulash, and sweet-and-sour anything joined the cookbooks of busy homemakers. Particularly in the South (where the largest soft drink companies originated), food cooked with pop became standard fare.

Lemonade Shrimp Cocktail

4 SERVINGS

The flavor of sparkling lemonades comes not only from lemon juice but also, more importantly, from lemon zest, which is filled with flavorful oils that give a rich lemon-drop-type flavor. In this recipe, the lemonade is turned into a pungent sweet-tart vinaigrette for sautéed shrimp. Its flavor is expanded and amended with lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, lots of garlic, and a hit of cayenne. Serve these shrimp as a quick hors d’oeuvre or for a special lunch.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and sauté just until the shrimp color from pale pink to coral (depending on the variety of shrimp), about 1 minute. Add the lemonade and simmer until the shrimp are firm, about 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl.
  2. 2. Simmer the liquid in the pan until it is reduced by half, a little more than 1⁄4 cup. Stir in the lemon juice, cayenne, salt to taste, and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and return to a boil. Stir in the scallions, then pour the sauce over the shrimp. Let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with toothpicks.

Sweet Heat Mahogany Chicken Wings

6 SERVINGS

The flavor palate of Southeast Asia — sweet, sour, salty, and hot — is captured in this one-pot chicken wing orgy. The streamlined method takes about half an hour and results in the gooiest, most pungent, sticky-fingered chicken wings you can imagine. They’re the perfect food for tailgating, afternoons watching ballgames, or just hanging out.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, chile pepper, and ginger, and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the root beer and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, add the wings, cover, and let simmer for 5 minutes.
  2. 2. Uncover the skillet and cook at a slow simmer until the liquid reduces enough to glaze the wings, about 20 minutes. Toss gently every few minutes near the end of cooking to prevent scorching, and stir in the sesame oil. Serve hot.

Cola Chili

4 TO 6 SERVINGS

Forget about the image of cola as the world’s favorite sweet-tooth refreshment and think about what it really is. Cola started out as tonic, a combination of citrus peel and spices, not unlike a formula for bitters. That savory richness underscores the hot peppers, browned beef, caramelized onions, oregano, and cumin that are at the heart of a great chili. When viewed in that light, cola is no longer a quirky addition to this spicy stew, but a neglected aspect of its destiny.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wide, deep pot (such as a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Dredge the beef in the 1⁄3 cup flour. Add the beef to the pot, and cook until it is browned, turning as necessary. Do not crowd the pan; if needed, brown the beef in batches. Remove the beef to a plate and set aside.
  2. 2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté over medium heat until the vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the jalapeño pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and the 1 tablespoon flour, and sauté 1 minute.
  3. 3. Stir in the beef broth, cola, tomato paste, and cider vinegar, and heat to simmer, stirring often. Stir in the browned beef, cover the pot, reduce the heat, and let simmer until the meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Add the beans (if using) and the cilantro; heat through and serve.

Baked Root Beer Ham

6 TO 8 SERVINGS

The intense muscularity and salinity of salt-cured ham is mollified by a lacquer of sweet glaze, and this one made from root beer is happy to accommodate. The tangy, woody, herbal flavors of root beer, particularly sarsaparilla, mesh well with the salty, savory taste of ham. Sweet ham glaze, like this one, scorches easily, partly because it sits up on the surface of the meat, and partly because its sugar content makes it prone to burning. For those reasons glazes are added only after a ham is mostly cooked. In this recipe, because the oven is set at a moderate temperature and the ham is not too big, the glaze is given 20 minutes to set and develop a light crust. I love a little bit of char, but if you don’t, remove the glazed ham after 15 minutes.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. 2. Set the ham on a baking rack in a roasting pan and rub with the oil. Bake for 40 minutes.
  3. 3. While the ham is baking, combine the root beer, vinegar, coriander, allspice, cinnamon, pepper, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer until the mixture is reduced to one third its original volume, about 11⁄3 cups. Stir in the mustard.
  4. 4. After the ham has baked for 40 minutes, remove it from the oven. Brush half of the root beer glaze over the ham, then return it to the oven and bake 20 minutes longer, until the ham is brown and shiny.
  5. 5. Slice to serve, and drizzle with the remaining root beer glaze.

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Root Beer Rum Butter

4 SERVINGS

Sweetness is relative. Root beer is sweet, but it is also tangy and acrid, with woodsy aromas and hints of allspice and pine. Sweet potatoes are sugary too, but their sweetness is modified by plush, creamy starch and the scent of earth nestling just beneath the skin. The two ingredients have a lot in common and in this recipe they join forces, generating a love fest for the mouth. If you are a fan of crusty brown sugar on your sweet potatoes, get ready to taste the X-rated version of an old favorite.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. 2. Coat the sweet potatoes with the oil. Bake about 45 minutes, until tender.
  3. 3. Meanwhile, bring the root beer and rum to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Boil until reduced to about 1⁄3 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon and salt. Remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring until melted.
  4. 4. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and let cool a few minutes. Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise, and mash the flesh of each half with a fork. Drizzle on the root beer rum butter, and scatter the lime zest on top.

Pork Shoulder Braised with Ginger Ale

8 SERVINGS

Pork shoulder is a tough, fatty, flavorful cut that can be a leathery piece of gristle if cooked too harshly or a pudgy butterball of succulent porkiness if given time and plenty of TLC. This recipe is heavy on time (it takes about 4 hours), but not on work. Ginger ale helps spice the basting liquid for the meat. I usually serve pork shoulder like a pot roast, sliced in a pool of its cooking juices, but it also makes great pulled pork served on a bun. It’s your choice.

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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Combine the flour, cardamom, ginger, thyme, salt, pepper, and allspice, and stir to blend. Rub the blend all over the pork and let sit for 30 minutes.
  2. 2. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  3. 3. Put a braiser or a large, deep, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil. Let warm for 30 seconds, then add the pork, and brown the pork on all sides in the hot oil. Transfer to a platter and set aside.
  4. 4. Add the onion to the fat in the pan and sauté until it begins to soften, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds longer. Add the broth and ginger ale and bring to a boil. Return the pork to the pan and cover. Set the pan in the oven and cook for about 3 hours, until the pork can be easily pierced with a fork, basting the roast with the pan juices every 30 to 45 minutes.
  5. 5. Remove the pork to a carving board. If the braising liquid in the pan is thick, add a little water; if it is thin, bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until it thickens to the consistency of fresh heavy cream.
  6. 6. Stir the lime zest, lime juice, and cilantro into the braising liquid. Slice the pork and serve on a platter. Spoon enough of the braising liquid over the top to moisten the pork thoroughly. Serve the remaining liquid at the table as a sauce.

Cola Can Grilled Chicken

4 SERVINGS

The sight of a naked chicken perched on a grill with a beer can in its butt is well known to anyone who has used a grill in the last decade. The sight is funny, but the cooking method is nothing but smart. As the chicken cooks, the beer steams, keeping the interior meat moist and the skin crisp. In this recipe all I’ve done is replace the can of beer with a can of cola and kick up the flavor profile with a handful of seasoning; the resulting cooking liquid, tangy sweet and inundated with spices and chicken drippings, makes a tasty jus to drizzle over the chicken at the table.

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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Light a grill for indirect medium heat. If you’re using a two-burner gas grill, set one side to medium and leave the other side off. If you’re using a gas grill with three or more burners, set the outside burners to medium and turn the middle burner(s) off. If you’re using a charcoal grill, make a medium-thick bed of coals, banking half on one side of the grill and half on the other, leaving the center section empty. Whatever your setup, if your grill has a thermostat in the hood it should read 325°F.
  2. 2. Mix together the pepper, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Rub the chicken inside and out with 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture, and rub the outside of the chicken with 2 teaspoons of the oil.
  3. 3. Open the can of cola, and pour off 1⁄4 cup (toss it if you don’t want to drink it). Stir the remaining spice mixture into the can. Coat the outside of the can with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, and put the can on an oven-proof plate or sturdy rimmed sheet pan. Lower the chicken onto the can, inserting the can into the cavity of the bird. Position the chicken so that the front legs and the can form a tripod, holding the chicken upright.
  4. 4. Set the chicken and can on the grill away from the direct heat, cover the grill, and cook about 1 hour and 10 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the inside of a thigh registers about 165°F.
  5. 5. Transfer the chicken, still on the can, to a plate or tray. Holding the can with tongs and gripping the chicken with a towel, twist and lift the chicken off the can. You might need an extra set of hands to help you. Transfer to the chicken to a carving board. Let rest for 8 to 10 minutes, then carve and serve, drizzled with some cola au jus.

Fruity Meatballs

4 SERVINGS AS AN ENTRÉE, or 8 as an appetizer

Sweet and sour is the epitome of incompatibility. The two flavors don’t combine — they fight, and in the ruckus gustatory sparks start to fly. This very easy recipe for sweet-and-sour meatballs is a case in point. Both sugar and acid are built into the ingredients, so there is no need for any added sugar or vinegar.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Combine the breadcrumbs with just enough cola to moisten them, about 3 tablespoons. Mix with your hands until the breadcrumbs are mushy.
  2. 2. Add the ground meat, salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon of the pepper, and mix with your hands until everything is blended. Form into 1-inch meatballs. You will have about three dozen.
  3. 3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is aromatic, about 10 seconds. Add the remaining cola (there should be a little more than 2 cups), the ketchup, and the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Stir until well mixed, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is lightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in the parsley (if using). Serve with bread to sop up the sauce, with toothpicks as an appetizer, or spooned into split hoagie rolls as a sandwich.

Pork Chops with Chipotle Cherry Cola Gravy

4 SERVINGS

Chile peppers and fruit seem like odd flavor partners, but I’ve found that chipotle peppers (smoked jalapeños) have a distinct affinity to tart cherries. There is something about the scent of smoke and the subtle afterburn of chipotle that finds it soulmate in the fragrant savory-sweet-tart fruitiness of cherry cola and sour cherry preserves. Titillating flavors and a mahogany sheen make this dish seem gourmet, but the preparation is almost effortless.

Ingredients

Note: Because the broth is reduced to make a sauce, it is important to use a reduced-sodium broth. Other wise the amount of salt in the broth will become overpowering when it is concentrated through reduction.

Instructions

  1. 1. Season the pork chops with the Italian seasoning on both sides. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the pork chops on both sides, then remove to a plate. Pour off the excess fat from the pan.
  2. 2. Add the cola and broth to the pan. Bring to a boil and let boil until the liquid is reduced to about half of its original volume (about 3⁄4 cup). Reduce the heat to a simmer and return the pork chops to the pan. Simmer, turning once or twice, until they feel resilient to the touch, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chops to a platter.
  3. 3. Add the cherry preserves and chipotle to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and let boil until the pan liquid thickens slightly. Pour over the pork.

Ginger Beer Chicken Curry

4 SERVINGS

Ginger beer, the grown-up version of ginger ale, is usually so loaded with ginger that its spice radiates long after the first gulp is swallowed. It is that intensity that drives the flavors of this sweet-hot coconut curry over the top. If you prefer the flavor of white meat chicken over dark, you can substitute a similar weight of boneless chicken breast for thighs, but if you do, reduce the chicken’s simmering time to 10 minutes. But even with the reduction in cooking time, chicken breast will tend to be dry in this kind of preparation.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, brown on all sides, and then remove to a plate.
  2. 2. Add the mustard seed and garlic to the pan and sauté until the seeds pop, about 15 seconds. Add the curry powder, tomato, and ginger beer, and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan along with any juices that have collected around it. Cover and let simmer until the chicken is fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
  3. 3. Remove the cover from the pan. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. If the juices are thin, boil the mixture until it is reduced enough to lightly coat a spoon. Stir in the coconut milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour over the chicken.

Root Beer Baked Beans

4 to 6 SERVINGS

The natural tang of root beer meshes effortlessly with the tangy sweetness of a vat of baked beans. This traditional method for oven-baked beans is flavored with onions, bacon, mustard, jalapeños, and a little liquid smoke, if you are so inclined.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. 2. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan, drain on pepper towels, and crumble.
  3. 3. Pour off all but 2 teaspoons of the fat from the skillet. Add the onion and jalapeño and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.
  4. 4. Combine the crumbled bacon, sautéed onion and pepper, beans, root beer, barbecue sauce, mustard, and liquid smoke (if using) in a 1-quart casserole, and stir to blend. Bake about 1 hour, until the sauce has thickened.

Sarsaparilla Sauerbraten

6 SERVINGS

Sauerbraten can take weeks to pickle and cure. In this recipe I start with an already pickled corned beef to streamline the process. The main difference between sauerbraten and corned beef is the cut of beef (round for sauerbraten, brisket for corned beef) and the curing agent (sauerbraten is pickled with acid, while corned beef is cured in a salt brine). To my palate, the change of cut makes the meat more succulent, but the lack of acid is something that has to be rectified. I do this by simmering the corned beef very slowly in the oven with cider vinegar and sarsaparilla.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  2. 2. Set the corned beef with its pickling spices in a Dutch oven (or any roasting pan with a cover) just large enough to hold it snugly. Scatter the onion and carrot around the meat. Pour the soda and vinegar over everything, cover the pot, and bake in the oven about 4 hours, until fork-tender.
  3. 3. Remove the meat from the pan, and cover with foil to keep warm. Pour the liquid remaining in the pan through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the solids, and return the strained liquid to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the gingersnaps and let simmer until thickened, stirring often, about 10 minutes. If the sauce is a little lumpy, purée it in a blender or food processor. Then stir in the raisins.
  4. 4. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.

Cola Meatloaf

8–10 SERVINGS

A good meatloaf is hard to find. Duped by fears of fat and a reverence for beef, too many recipes ignore the simple truth that the sensual charm of any ground meat mixture is in the filler, not the meat. Once meat is ground, any moisture it previously possessed is gone. Baking it only manages to dry up what’s left. To make a meatloaf succulent, you must replenish its moisture from the inside out by adding liquid along with a starch, to absorb the moisture and hold it in the loaf. In this recipe the liquid is cola, which adds a pleasant flavor of fruit and spice to the meat. The starch comes from crumbled fresh bread.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. 2. Combine the bread crumbs and cola in a large bowl, stir to mix, and set aside until the bread absorbs all the liquid, about 5 minutes.
  3. 3. Stir the onion, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt, and pepper into the bread crumbs. Add the meat and blend with your hands until thoroughly mixed.
  4. 4. Form the meat into a mounded loaf on a rimmed sheet pan. Bake about 45 minutes, until browned and firm and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 155°F. Slice and serve.

Ginger Citrus Baked Ribs

4 SERVINGS

Spare ribs are always tasty, but they can be tough and dry if they are not moisturized in some way. That moisture can be added by soaking the ribs in brine before cooking them or by simmering the ribs in liquid before browning them. This recipe takes the latter course. The ribs are simmered with a lot of citrus fruit and ginger beer until the meat is ready to fall from the bone. Unlike your typical ketchup-based barbecue-style sauce, the citrus sauce is bright and light with a pronounced ginger kick. After being baked, the ribs are finished under a hot broiler or over a charcoal fire for a few minutes.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Squeeze the juice from half of each lemon, lime, and orange into a small bowl. Add the ketchup, chipotle, cumin, and oregano, and mix well. Set aside 3⁄4 cup of the sauce. Place the ribs in a roasting pan large enough to hold them in a single layer and brush them with the remaining sauce.
  2. 2. Cut the remaining citrus into thin slices and scatter them, along with the onion and garlic, over and around the ribs. Pour the ginger beer all around, cover tightly with foil, and bake for about 11⁄2 hours, until very tender.
  3. 3. Preheat the broiler or grill. Remove the ribs from the oven and broil (on a broiling pan) or grill until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. While the ribs are finishing, combine 1⁄4 cup of the juice from the roasting pan with the remaining reserved sauce. Serve the ribs with the sauce on the side.

Caramelized Onions in Sweet Jus

6 SERVINGS AS A SIDE DISH

Although caramelized garlic products abound, no one, as yet, has manufactured and marketed caramelized onions. One day a savvy produce packager will figure this out and reap the rewards, but until then we will have to make our own. By deglazing the roasting pan with root beer you increase the natural sweetness of the onions and augment their brownness. Caramelized onions can be served as a side dish with roasted meat or poultry or kept on hand to boost the flavors of soups and sauces anytime. They will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. 2. Cut the onions in half lengthwise. Cut off the pointed end of each onion half, and peel off the dry layers. Trim the root ends so that all the roots and dirt are gone but the core holding the onion layers together is still attached. Cut each onion half lengthwise into three wedges.
  3. 3. Toss the onions, oil, salt, and pepper on a large rimmed sheet pan and spread out in an even layer. Roast for about 30 minutes, tossing the onions halfway through to help them caramelize evenly, until they are browned on their edges.
  4. 4. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the soda and parsley over the top of the onions. Toss to combine, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Root Beer Barbecue Sauce

1 CUP

The sweet, sour, tangy, spicy, smoky amalgamation is very close in complexity to the multidimensionality of good root beer, especially one that is homebrewed. This sauce is lip-smacking, finger-nibbling good. Use it in any way that you would use a tomato-based barbecue sauce. Fair warning: If you’re using it on grilled food, add it only in the last few minutes of grilling. It scorches easily.

Ingredients

Instructions

Combine the root beer, tomato paste, vinegar, molasses, mustard, Tabasco, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and let simmer until lightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Sweet-and-Sour Soda Pop Brisket

6 SERVINGS

This rendition of a 1960s convenience recipe is invitingly simple and embarrassingly delicious. Nothing this good should take so little effort. The trick is in the cola or root beer. Both are complex formulas blending savory, sweet, and tart elements, and when they are combined with the juices percolating from braising beef, the result is as sweet and savory and nuanced as a recipe that has dozens of ingredients.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  2. 2. Season the brisket generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven (or any roasting pan with a cover) large enough to hold the brisket snugly. Add the brisket and brown on both sides. Remove to a platter.
  3. 3. Add the onions to the pan and cook until translucent and tender, about 8 minutes. Add the soda, ketchup, and vinegar, and bring to a boil. Return the brisket to the pan and turn to coat in the hot sauce. Cover the pan tightly and set in the oven. Bake about 3 hours, until very tender.
  4. 4. Remove the brisket to a cutting board, let it rest for 30 minutes, then cut into slices.
  5. 5. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid. Add the brisket slices to the cooking liquid, and reheat before serving.

Roast Teriyaki Ginger Ale Turkey Breast

6 SERVINGS

Teriyaki is a sweet, salty, tangy sauce used to flavor and glaze grilled meats, poultry, and seafood in Japan. Teri literally translates as “shine” or “luster,” referring to the sheen that develops on the surface of grilled (yaki) items when they have been marinated or glazed with teriyaki sauce. Several of the key elements in this teriyaki sauce come from one ingredient: ginger ale, which adds sweetness, tartness, and ginger to the blend. It is mixed with soy sauce, hot pepper sauce, a little brown sugar, and spices to become both a brine and sauce for the roasted turkey breast.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Combine the ginger ale, soy sauce, brown sugar, mustard, hot pepper sauce, and garlic in a large ziplock plastic bag. Seal the bag and shake until the sugar dissolves. Open the bag, pour half the marinade into another container, cover, and set aside in the refrigerator. Seal the turkey breast in the bag, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
  2. 2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  3. 3. Remove the turkey from the marinade, discarding the used marinade. Pat dry and coat with the oil. Set the turkey bone-side down in a roasting pan and roast for about 11⁄2 hours, until a thermometer inserted into a thickest part of the breast registers 165°F, basting with the reserved marinade every 15 minutes for the last hour.
  4. 4. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve.

Dr Pepper Corned Beef

6 to 8 SERVINGS

Dr Pepper has always been pitched as a mystery beverage — not just a secret formula, but a soft drink that defies classification: not a fruit, not a cola, not a root beer, but “a different kind of drink with a unique taste all its own.” The overall flavor is not unlike that of a cola with a strong fruit profile, one that is highly adaptable to a variety of recipes: Dr Pepper cakes, Dr Pepper sauces, and this sweet and tangy corned beef, simmered with Dr Pepper and served with mustard, sweetened with a reduction of the famous soda.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Set the corned beef in a large heavy pot with a lid, such as a Dutch oven. Scatter the onion, carrot, and celery around the meat. Add 2 cups of the Dr Pepper and enough water to just cover the meat. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and let simmer until very tender, about 3 hours.
  2. 2. While the meat is cooking, bring the remaining 1 cup Dr Pepper to a boil in a saucepan, and boil until reduced to 1⁄4 cup and slightly thickened. Let cool, then mix with the mustard.
  3. 3. When the corned beef is done, remove it to a cutting board, and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Cut in slices across the grain and serve with the mustard sauce.

Orange Coffee Cola Pork Tenderloin

6 SERVINGS

Pork tenderloin, a diminutive boneless cut of pork, is butter-knife tender but has a tendency to dry out during cooking. It benefits greatly from being soaked in brine, a mixture of salt, sweetener, and aromatic ingredients. The salt in the brine denatures some of the protein in the pork, encouraging the protein molecules to open up and latch on to moisture. This increases the moisture content of the meat by as much as 10 percent, and as it takes on moisture the pork also absorbs any flavorful elements in the brine. The flavors in this elegant pork are multilayered — orange and cola in the brine; coffee, cinnamon, and orange zest in the marinade; and bacon, beef broth, coffee, and orange in the sauce.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Combine 1 cup of the cola, 1 cup of the orange juice, and the salt in a large ziplock plastic bag. Seal the bag and shake until the salt dissolves. Seal the tenderloins in the bag, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
  2. 2. Combine the coffee, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and orange zest. Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry. Coat with the coffee-sugar mixture. Set aside.
  3. 3. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels.
  4. 4. Increase the heat under the skillet to medium-high. Add the pork and brown on all sides. Then reduce the heat to medium and check the temperature of the thickest tenderloin with an instantread thermometer inserted into the thickest end. It should register 150°F. Cook a little longer if necessary. Remove the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
  5. 5. While the meat is resting, add the beef broth and the remaining 1 cup cola and 1 cup orange juice to the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, and boil until reduced by half and slightly thickened. Crumble the bacon and add to the sauce.
  6. 6. Cut the pork into thick slices and serve with the sauce.

Ginger Glazed Carrots and Red Peppers

4 SERVINGS

This Asian-style vegetable stir-fry can be an accompaniment for fish, white meats, or poultry. The ginger ale delivers a sweetness that underscores the natural sugars in the carrots and peppers, as well as ginger, which seasons the sauce.

Ingredients

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and ginger, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the ginger ale and red pepper, cover, and cook until the carrots are tender, about 4 minutes. Uncover and boil off the excess liquid. Toss in the garlic and lemon juice. Serve immediately.

Soda-Raised Matzah Balls

12 DUMPLINGS

Dumplings, morsels of steamed or boiled dough, appear in every cooking tradition, and they all pose the same culinary challenge: how can they both be light and fluffy and still hold together against the rigors of boiling liquid? There are many methods, including folding in stiffly beaten egg whites or adding chemical leaveners, but the easiest and cheapest solution is to use a liquid loaded with air to make the dough. Soda-raised dumplings have been a trick of home cooks for at least a hundred years. This recipe for matzah balls, the dumplings essential to Jewish-style chicken soup, is a classic.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Combine the matzah meal, egg, seltzer, dill, oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl, and stir to blend. Beat the egg whites to a soft peak in a separate clean bowl. Fold the whites into the matzah mixture, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  2. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  3. 3. Wet your hands to keep the dough from sticking to you, and shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Drop into the boiling water, cover, and simmer until they are puffed and tender, about 50 minutes. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon. Serve in chicken soup. To store, pack the matzah balls in a freezer-safe container, and ladle enough cooking liquid into the container to cover them. They’ll keep in this manner in the freezer for up to 4 months.