Rub with Love Spice Rub Recipes

The following recipes from Tom's restaurants are delicious accompaniments to your Rub with Love entrees. Just remember, all the spice rubs can be interchanged with each other (try the pork rub on a roasted chicken for a Southwestern flavor, or the Bengal Masala rub on a duck for an East Indian flavor). And just like the rubs, these recipes are "mix and match" and can be paired with any of the spice rubs.

CORN AND BLUEBERRY RELISH
For grilled Rub with Love salmon.
6 servings

5 ears corn, husked
1 small Walla Walla sweet onion, or other sweet onion, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rings olive oil for brushing
1 pint blueberries, picked over, rinsed and drained
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced (about 1/3 cup)
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
small bunch fresh basil leaves, (about 1/3 cup, julienned)

Fire up the grill. Brush corn and onion rings lightly with olive oil and grill over direct heat, turning, until corn is cooked and slightly charred here and there and onion rings are softened and marked by the grill, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove corn and onions from the grill.

Shave corn kernels from cobs with a sharp knife, breaking up clumps of corn that stick together. Dice the grilled onion rings and combine with the corn kernels in a bowl. Add the red bell pepper, blueberries, lime juice, and olive oil to the bowl. Combine everything and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Just before serving, cut basil leaves into fine shreds and toss with corn relish. Serve with Rub with Love spice rubbed and grilled salmon.

CUCUMBER YOGURT
Serve with grilled Rub with Love lamb or grilled Rub with Love prawns or fish
6 servings (about 2 cups)

3/4 cup peeled, seeded and grated cucumber
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sprinkle the grated cucumber with the = teaspoon of salt and place it in a sieve set over a bowl. Allow the cucumber to drain for half an hour. Use your hands to squeeze as much liquid as possible from the cucumber, discarding all cucumber liquids. In another bowl, combine the drained cucumber with the yogurt, cilantro, mint, lime juice and zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep chilled.

 

PICO DE GALLO (FRESH TOMATO SALSA)
Serve with grilled Rub with Love chicken or grilled Rub with Love pork.
6 servings (about 3 cups)

6 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced small
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and minced, or to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
salt

In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt.

CORNMEAL ONION RINGS
A great match with grilled Rub with Love steak.

2 large onions, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick and separated into rings
4 cups flour
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons cayenne
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
peanut oil for frying

Set out three bowls for breading onion rings. In the first bowl place 2 cups flour. In the second bowl place the buttermilk. In the third bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups flour with the cornmeal, paprika, salt, cayenne, thyme, and black pepper. Dip the onion rings first in the flour, then in the buttermilk, and then in the seasoned cornmeal mix. Set the breaded onion rings on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Place breaded onion rings in the refrigerator for 1 hour to set.

Heat a straight-sided pan with at least 2 inches of oil, no more than halfway up the sides, to 350 F, checking with a deep-fry thermometer. Fry the onion rings until golden, then drain on paper towels.

WALLA WALLA ONION AND SWEET CHERRY RELISH

This simple relish celebrates the Washington cherry and Walla Walla onion season.

A perennial favorite at Tom's restaurants, serve it with grilled Rub with Love pork, chicken or lamb.

2 medium Walla Walla onions
olive oil
1/2 pound sweet cherries, pitted and halved
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup port
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Fire up the grill. Peel and thickly slice onions crosswise. Brush onion slices with olive oil and grill on both sides until soft and well-marked by the grill. Remove onions to a cutting board and coarsely chop. In a bowl, combine onions, cherries, balsamic vinegar, port, and black pepper. Set aside to allow the flavors to mingle for 15 minutes or more and serve at room temperature.

ROASTED SWEET ONION PUREE
Great with all of our rubs.

Cut 3 Walla Walla onions in half and place cut side down in skillet with one tablespoon olive oil. Place in 350-degree oven until soft (30-40 minutes). Peel off dry outer skin and pass through a food mill on the fine setting. Add a little chicken stock until puree is a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon around grilled duck or game.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO
Delicious with Rub with Love chicken or salmon.

1/2 medium butternut squash, about 1/4 pound
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 tablespoons soft butter, divided
2 cups arborio rice
6-8 cups chicken stock, heated to a simmer
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 Tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, and sage
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh sage leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scrape the seeds out of the squash half, brush the cut surfaces with the olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until flesh of squash is very soft. Remove squash from the oven and scoop out the flesh. Coarsely chop the squash and set aside.

Melt half the butter over medium high heat in a large saute pan. Add the raw rice and stir until grains are coated with butter. Add the minced garlic and stir for a minute. Start adding the simmering chicken stock, one cup at a time, only adding more chicken stock when the rice has absorbed almost all of the stock already in the pan. Stir frequently.

When rice is cooked to the al dente stage, add the rest of the butter, the roasted squash, parmesan cheese and herbs. Add a little more chicken stock, just enough to make the risotto soupy and creamy in consistency. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve hot garnished with fresh sage leaves.

 

SWEET PEA FLAN
A nice, creamy flan - a delicious counterpoint to all the spice rubs.

2 cups fresh peas
2 cups heavy cream
6 eggs
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Blanch peas — submerge in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and run under cold water. Puree and run through a fine food mill, to make approximately 1 1/3 cup puree. Combine all ingredients and then pour into buttered 6 oz. ramekins, until 3/4 full.

Place ramekins in an ovenproof baking pan and pour water into pan until level rises 2/3 up the side of the ramekin. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes or until just set. (To test for doneness, insert the tip of a knife down the side of a ramekin. The flan should be slightly firm, not runny.) Remove ramekins from waterbath. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Can be served at room temp or reheated in oven. Run a knife around edge and then invert flans onto individual plates.

ETTA'S RUBY CHARD
Especially good with the Indian flavors in the Bengal Masala and seafood rubs.

2 bunches Ruby chard; washed, stems removed, leaves torn
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-4 tablespoons chicken stock or water
1/4 of a lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over a medium-high heat in a large saute pan and add chard. Saute a minute or two and add the chopped garlic. Squeeze the lemon over the contents of the pan, add a little water or chicken stock, cover pan and cook until chard is completely wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

You can also cook tender greens like escarole and spinach by this method. If you like heartier greens like collards, mustards, kale or turnip greens, blanch them first in lots of boiling water until they are tender. Drain and then squeeze excess water out. Then proceed with sauteeing greens.

 

PEA & ARUGULA SALAD
Perfect with the curry flavors of the seafood rub — try it with scallops!
Serves 6

Aioli (prepare in advance)

1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic, chopped
1 cup pure olive oil
1/2 cup peanut oil

In a food processor, puree the egg yolk, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and garlic for one minute. Combine the olive and peanut oil, and with the machine still running, add to mustard mixture in a steady stream until emulsified. Season with salt and white pepper. Remove aioli from food processor and keep chilled until needed. (Any extra aioli, not needed for this recipe, is delicious with grilled salmon or with steamed asparagus.)

Salad

3 cups English peas, shelled
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon shallots, finely chopped
2 bunches arugula, picked over, washed and dried
1/2 cup Asiago (or Granna, or Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Blanch peas for a few minutes in a pot of boiling water, until just barely cooked. Drain peas and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice water. When peas are cool, drain well. Prepare dressing: mix lemon juice, olive oil and 4 tablespoons of the aioli together in a large bowl. Add peas, shallots and arugula. Toss. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pull the dressed arugula leaves from the bowl, and divide them among six salad plates, mounding the leaves in the center of each plate. Divide the dressed peas among the plates and garnish each serving with cheese curls and lemon wedges.

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