We're still looking for recipes to include in a CoE Cares cookbook. This month we feature two from Pete Dawkins, whose pickles are well known around the dean's office. If you have a recipe you'd like to share please send it to 

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Bread and Butter Pickles by Pete Dawkins

This recipe makes enough to fill 8 pint jars. The pickles could keep in the fridge for several months and do not necessarily need to be processed in a boiling water bath unless you intend to keep them on the shelf. If canned, I rarely keep them on the shelf for more than one year as they begin to get mushy. I would always recommend they be refrigerated 24 hours prior to  serving for maximum crispness.
 
4-5 lbs of pickling cucumbers – home grown preferred
1-3 Onions – Vidalia preferred
1-3 Bell Peppers
4-5 cloves garlic
3-3.5 cups apple cider vinegar
3-5 lbs sugar
¼ cup pickling salt
1.5 tablespoons mustard seed
1 tablespoon celery seed
1.5 teaspoons turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
 
Wash cucumbers and cut off ends. Wash onions and peppers and cut into “chunks”.  I slice them two ways, one to produce large pickles and one to produce thinly sliced pickles. The latter is more of a relish but was how they were made as I was growing up. Also I get my spices from the DeKalb Farmers market. Their prices are very low.
 
For the thinly sliced ones, run the cucumbers, peppers and onions through a food processer using the slicing blade. You should end up with about 8 -10 pints of “product”, I put them in an old Tupperware cake cover. Sprinkle pickling salt over the “product” and mix thoroughly. Cover with ice and a lid and put in the refrigerator for 24 hours.  The next day, remove remaining ice and rinse the product with cold water to remove the salt. It takes at least 2 to 3 rinses. Taste the product to make sure it is not too salty, a little is ok. Drain as much water out as possible. I use a colander and leave in the sink to drain periodically squeezing it down.
 
In a pot, add vinegar, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric and clove. Bring to very low boil and simmer for about 5 minutes, add sugar (my original recipe called for 5 lbs but I have been reducing it over the years w/o noticeable change in taste). Bring back to a low boil and add product. Once it settles in, the juice should cover the product. Bring back to a low boil, simmer for a few minutes, pull from heat and place product in jars. Either place jars in a hot water bath for 10 -12 minutes (be sure to put something on the bottom of the pot  - like extra jar lids – to keep the jars from bursting, pull and let stand for 24 hours OR cool the jars before refrigerating). Note the screw lids will be sticky underneath so they need to be wiped down.
 
For the thick sliced ones, I slice the cucumbers by hand in any shape preferred. I like to cut them long-ways with about ¼ inch thickness as they work well on sandwiches. I also cut them into “hamburger chips” – round discs. I often add onion cut into wedges but rarely use the peppers. Follow the same procedure as with the thinly sliced ones.
 

Black Beans by Pete Dawkins

This recipe is simple and can be varied to the amount of beans you want to prepare. I typically use canned black beans, usually BUSH as they are on sale most often. I don’t take the time to cook from dry beans but those would be good. My family likes left overs so I increase the amounts beyond the recipe detailed below.

3 – 12 ounce cans of black beans
1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper copped
2 tablespoons garlic chopped
¼ cup mojo criollo (Goya)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat pan (hint: never heat pan with oil as the oil will burn/ go rancid, always heat the pan first, add the oil just before the veggies).  Add olive oil then onions and bell pepper, sauté on low heat, do not brown just get them translucent Add the garlic toward the end then add beans and mojo criollo. Simmer at least 15 minutes or until consistency is to your liking. (Some beans have more juice than others.) I try to make them early so they can sit for a bit to allow flavors to meld. I have found that you cannot put too much mojo criollo in the mix. I keep increasing the amount and it just gets better! Be sure to refrigerate the remaining mojo…..

Credits: I got this recipe from Pat Ledon, longtime friend at GT