The Hot Dog Goes Vogue.

Beef / May 14, 2014

So this hot dog walks into a FOODIE bar. Everyone is staring at him and he’s getting nervous.

“What’s the big deal? Ain’t any of ya ever seen sauerkraut before? And mustard. Sheesh. Don’t you know I’m the ultimate comfort food?”

Soon a lone woman walks up to him, forming her words in short, painful sentences as though she is both attracted and disgusted at the same time. But at least she cares enough to help him understand what is so wrong.

“Listen, Pup. Around here we don’t like you plain folk. But I can help. If you want to fit in, you need to dress up your ingredients, play around, be adventurous, and lose that ridiculous bun. I’ve got someone you should see. She’s great at taking the mundame and really dressing things to the nines. You’ll still be you, but after a visit with her, you will fit right in around here.”

“Show me the way.” He responds, winking through his casing, clearly intrigued by her apron and stained chef hat.

Fast forward two weeks and this same hot dog has gone all haute couture on them. And they gather around him like he’s just invented sliced bread.

“Wow, what is that wonderful perfume? Smells like rosemary. And that bok choy! What an improvement over the cabbage. You even lost the plain mustard, instead flaunting that fancy maple mustard bourbon glaze. CLASSY. Even a few pears to make it pretty. The whole thing just WORKS!”

Soon they all wanted to know how this staple of mediocrity, took all of his regular accoutrements and upped his game. He was fabulous. Balanced, colorful, and satisfying.

“ifeellikecooking.com did it all!” He finally shouted when they could no longer stand the suspense. And the woman in the corner who had been brave enough to show him the way to pork Nirvana? She just winked and grabbed her fork and sauntered up to him in that way that made him know it was going to be one of those meals.

Want to know the secret? Just check out my SAVORY GRILLED KIELBASA OVER ROSEMARY PERFUMED BOK CHOY AND PEARS, WITH A MUSTARD MAPLE BOURBON GLAZE. It was terrific!

Grilled Kielbasa over Rosemary Perfumed Bok Choy and Pears

With a Mustard Maple Bourbon Glaze

#fabin 40
Prep time 40 / 2 Servings – Can Double

Ingredients:

1lb plain fresh Kielbasa Links, without skin if desired
½ head bok choy
1 firm Bartlet pear, quartered
2 sprigs of rosemary
4 T Olive oil plus drizzle
Salt and Pepper
3 T butter
¼ C pineapple juic

Glaze:

1/3 C yellow mustard
1–2 T real maple syrup
T bourbon
Salt and pepper

Direction:

Prepare grill. Remove skin from kielbasa if desired. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the glaze. Head in a small saucepan and set aside.
While cooked kielbasa is resting, (Cook thoroughly but not overdone. Then take off grill, cover with foil and let sit 8 minutes,) take the bok choy and rinse and dry. Cut off the ends of green, chop and put them in a hot saucepan with 1 T olive oil. Add a bit of salt and pepper and sauté for about 3 minutes until wilted by not overly cooked. You want them tender but still bright green. Put them on the plate as the base for the meal, arranging to the outside so they will show when presented.
Take the remaining bok choy, cut the very end off, and quarter the spears.Rub both pears and bok choy with the rosemary, like a brush, over and over again to perfume.Now drizzle oil oil over the pears of bok choy and salt and pepper. In a saucepan add 2 T oil and 2 T butter. Add bok choy and pears into hot oil/butter. Let sear about 2 minutes on each side. Turn again. Add the pineapple juice to deglaze and set the rosemary sprigs atop to continue to flavor veggies. Cover and keep warm until spears or just slightly softened. I found the total cooking time to be about 8 minutes.
To plate arrange spears over greens, arrange grilled bok choy, add kielbasa, top with pears and drizzle with mustard glaze.