Cherry Fennel BBQ Sauce

Makes ~ 3-4 cups  

Ingredients List:

• 3 cups pitted cherries, ~ 1 lb

• ½ large white onion

• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded

• 2 cloves garlic

• ½ tsp fennel seeds

• 2 tbsp whole grain mustard

• 2 tbsp white vinegar  

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 2 tbsp coconut sugar

• 1 tsp+ smoked salt to taste

• Protein of choice (Chicken thighs or Tofu)

• Avocado oil

• Fennel pollen for garnish

Directions:

1.     Puree all ingredients, except for sugar and salt, in high speed blender until smooth. Transfer to non-reactive medium sauce pan and stir in coconut sugar and ½ tsp smoked salt over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and scrapping down side of pan. Turn down heat and gently simmer until sauce thickens, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Salt to taste.

2.     For chicken, marinade 6 bone-in chicken thighs in ~1 cup BBQ sauce for 6 hours or overnight. Remove from marinade and pat dry. The drier the protein, the better the sear. Season with smoked salt and pepper just before grilling. Cook chicken over flame grill or grill plan on medium heat. If using grill pan, use ~1 tsp avocado oil to coat the pan. Baste with about 1 cup Cherry BBQ during last 10 minutes of cook time. Let rest 5 minutes.

3.     For tofu, use this recipe from Minimalist Baker for crispy tofu. Then, combine crispy tofu pieces within 1 cup of BBQ Sauce and broil for 2-4 minutes until BBQ has caramelized a bit.  

4.     Serve with remaining BBQ sauce and favorite summer sides. If you can find fennel pollen at the farmer’s market (or your backyard), a good dusting will work wonders over top the BBQ. I like serving Cherry BBQ with Summer Zucchini, Corn, and Fennel Hash with a Simple Little Gem Cucumber Salad with Yogurt Dill Dressing.

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