There's a simple reason why it's taken me so long to photograph my new favorite salsa: it's too delicious. It's gone before I can set up a good photo. It's a quick recipe, so it gets made while prepping dinner. By the time it's done, it hits the table. Any leftovers are often gobbled up first the the next morning atop someone's potatoes, eggs, or in a breakfast burrito. Besides, even if I were to try to get the shot before we sat down to eat, the light is all wrong. Unlike yours truly, food photographs best in the light of day.
Anyway, this recipe comes from Rick Bayless's awesome cookbook, Mexican Everyday. I had been turning out batch after grubbin' batch throughout the summer. Even though tomato season has passed, this salsa remains doable. Just take care to select some good, red, vine-ripened tomatoes, as I did this week. I allowed them to ripen a few more days on my counter, and made salsa when the tomatoes had that glorious garden-fresh tomato scent on their skins.
Last night we had Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos. Fresh salsa is an absolute must with Fish Tacos. I grilled the Mahi (which I just basted with a wee bit of canola oil, fresh lime juice, salt and pepper before grilling, and an extra shot of lime juice as a board dressing while it rested post-grilling) alongside some late season corn on the cob from Whole Foods, turning the latter into a quick Roasted Corn Salsa. Tonight's dinner will be a tough act to follow.
Here's both recipes:
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Print recipe only here
INGREDIENTS
1 jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 medium ripe tomatoes, quartered and cored
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 lime, halved
2 green onions, finely sliced
Salt and fresh pepper
METHOD
In Cuisinart, process or pulse jalapeño until finely chopped, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add garlic and process or pulse. Add tomatoes and cilantro and pulse until tomatoes are roughly chopped. Transfer to a small bowl.
Add sliced green onions. Squeeze juice from one half of the lime. Taste for seasoning to determine if you need the other half of the lime. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Roasted Corn Salsa
Print recipe only here
INGREDIENTS
2-3 ears fresh corn
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 lime
2-3 T chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper
METHOD
Preheat grill or broiler. Shuck the corn and remove all the silk. Brush with canola oil. Grill for about 5-7 minutes, rotating halfway thru, or until the corn is browned. Remove from the grill and allow to cool to room temperature.
Prep the remaining ingredients and combine in a small bowl. When the corn has cooled, cut it from the cob and add to the bowl. Add the lime juice and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as desired.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Salsa You'll Want to Put on Everything
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
My Low-Fat Greek Fries
We've long been fans of British chips and vinegar. I bake fry-shaped potatoes on smoking hot sheet pans (preheated in a 450-degree oven), then salt them generously once they're blistered and golden. We slosh Heinz malt vinegar all oven them, once served.
And we're big fans of the super yummy potatoes served up at the nearby Athenian Room. They do the thicker-cut steak fry, and if you get the Chicken Pita Plate, the dressing from the salad swoops on over to puddle around the fries making for a taste sensation. Only, sometimes there's not enough dressing so we always ask for extra. You might recall the terrifying event of 2010 when Tina Fey mentioned the Athenian Room on a web clip. Fear set into the neighborhood, prompting some neighbors to take their dinner at 5pm to avoid the hoards. We just avoided the place for about a month, until the excitement died down. And it did - they're back to drawing their regular crowd.
Lamb and Greek Salads are staples in the Pinch kitchen. It dawned on me a couple of months ago that I could totally reproduce a basic dressing and serve up some Greek fries (baked, natch) alongside our lamb burger. Whoa, baby! These things are good. We had them again tonight, which reminded me to write up the recipe Here it is:.
Pinched Greek Fries
Print recipe only here
INGREDIENTS
1-2 Russet potatoes per person, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-cm thick wedges
Canola oil
Salt
Pepper
one small garlic clove
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (they're not created equal - I ony use Colavita)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Generous pinch dried oregano
METHOD
Put 2 sheet pans in the oven and preheat to 450.
Trim potatoes into steak wedges. Toss in a bowl with 1-2 T canola oil.
Divide potatoes between sheet pans, spreading evenly.
Roast for about 25 minutes, turning and shaking the pan halfway thru baking time to ensure they're cooking evenly. Meanwhile, make dressing. Combine oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano in a small measuring cup or serving bowl (I use a small ceramic pitcher). Use a garlic press to press clove into dressing. Stir to combine. Reserve.
Potatoes are done when slightly blistered, golden, and
delicious. Toss with salt and serve on a platter with dressing on the side.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Pickle it, Just a Little Bit
I developed this recipe after two meals at Chicago Q in which I could not get enough of their house pickles. The restaurant is selling them by the jar now but it's way more fun to make your own. Best of all, they're done in a few hours. I made them a few nights ago. Within two hours of putting them in jars they had cooled and were quite enjoyable.
They are essentially a bread and butter pickle, but these have considerably less sugar and taste nothing like the sweet nasty that is the bread and butter pickle. These are crunchy and spicy and totally addictive. The onion bits are smashing, too.
My recipe is a based on the two recipes that looked most promising, one from Smitten Kitchen and the other from Lady Martha.
Oh, it should be noted that these are perfectly safe to keep in the refrigerator without making a canning event of it. If if you'd like to put up a great quantity just follow the recipe and sterilize your jars before filling, then just can as usual.
Here's that recipe:
Pickles for a Barbecue
Print recipe only here
Makes 1 quart
INGREDIENTS
1 pounds Kirby cucumbers or pickle cukes, rinsed and cut thick on a diagonal
1/2 medium sweet onion
1 T Kosher salt
2 cups ice
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 T mustard seed
1 t coriander seed
1/2 t whole black peppercorns
1/4 t celery seed
1/4 t turmeric
1/4 t chili flakes
METHOD
In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, onion and salt. Mix well. Cover the mixture with ice. let stand at room temperature for two hours.
In a pot, bring sugar, vinegars and spices to a boil. Drain cucumbers ann onions, discarding any unmelted ice. Rinse well and drain again.
Add cucumbers to pot and bring back to a boil, tossing. Remove from heat and cool. Transfer to mason jars and store in refrigerator.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Mind These Peas, Please
I've been noshing on peas like these all summer. The original recipe came from a cookbook by Sarah Raven called In Season. It's a great resource of a cookbook and is a great complement to James Peterson's Vegetables cookbook. Anyway, I have to give Mariana a shout out for gifting me Sarah's book. It's yielded a number of tasty sides.
I've played a bit with the original recipe, sometimes sauteing the mint, sometimes tossing it on at the end. On one occasion I followed Raven's recipe and added some fresh squeezed lemon juice but I really didn't care for it. Another time I added shallot at the beginning, sauteing it gently before adding the peas to the softened shallot and warm oil. But this way is my favorite way.
I don't know how good this would be using frozen peas. The might be ok, but I think the beauty of this dish is the crunch of the fresh pea and the marriage with fresh mint. I hope you won't have trouble sourcing fresh peas. You can always check the salad section at Trader Joe's. Their 10-ounce bag has not disappointed.
Bright Summer Peas
Print recipe only here
INGREDIENTS
1 to 2 cups fresh peas
1 t olive oil
2 T fresh mint, finely chopped
generous pinch kosher
fresh ground pepper
METHOD
Gently pulse peas in a food processor to crush them a bit. Don't overdo it. You want to retain their texture.
Transfer peas to a small saucepan or saute pan. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir gently for 3-4 minutes over a low-medium flame. Turn off heat, add chopped mint, stir and serve.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Szechuan Green Beans
Lots of Asian cuisine coming out of the Pinch kitchen these days. This recipe comes from one of Mollie Katzen's books. I don't follow it anymore, I just know to be grateful to her for putting into my repertoire.
I make these as either appetizers (Mollie herself said that whenever she makes them people tuck into them right away) or served up as a side dish.
You can use any skillet, but I most prefer my cast iron, which can take the heat (more than a nonstick) and sears the beans nicely. I like them with a kick, but if you're serving them to minors or folks who prefer milder foods, just limit the chili flakes to a tiny pinch.
Szechuan Green Beans
Print recipe only here
Serves 4 as a side dish
INGREDIENTS
12 ounces green beans, tops removed (leave the cute tails)
1/2 t canola oil
1/2 t sesame oil
4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped (not pressed)
pinch chili flakes
kosher salt to taste
Preheat a cast iron skillet over a medium flame. Add oils and chili flakes and continue to heat for another minute or so. Add garlic and green beans to the skillet together and saute for about 5-8 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. I like them on the crunchy side. Serve and enjoy.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Simple Summer Food: Vietnamese Summer Rolls
These are such a favorite. I haven't made them in quite awhile, but we had them tonite and think I'll keep them in the summer rotation. I used to make bean sprouts myself. I should relearn that trick. Supermarket bean sprouts disappoint so often.
Summer rolls are fresh and light, consisting of rice (in the form of the wrapper and the noodles inside), vegetables and - optionally - some protein. They are what you turn to when you discover how horrid those greasy little spring rolls are for you.
A good dipping sauce is pretty much imperative. I just love Mae Ploy, available in many supermarkets for like two bucks (in a big glass jar). But a good soy based dipping sauce is nice too. That recipe follows, too.
The trickiest thing with these is dealing with the wrappers which need to be cooked quickly in nice hot water and removed by hand. Tongs just mess things up for me. The wrapper needs to stay nice and flat without folding up on itself. Once it dries - even briefly - it gets pretty sticky. Just buy a package of them and play with them until you get a hang of it. I tossed three wrappers tonite while redeveloping my summer roll skills.
Also, don't underestimate the need for soft lettuce. Romaine is not going to cut it here. Trust me. Do, however, feel free to add shrimp or chicken or tofu.
Vietnamese Summer Rolls
Print recipe only here
Makes 4 rolls
INGREDIENTS
4-6 spring roll wraps (plan on ruining a few before you get the hang of them)
1-2 ounces bean thread noodles
1 T rice vinegar
1-2 carrots, grated
1-2 green onions, thinly sliced
4 pieces soft lettuce (like butter lettuce)
1/2 cup mung bean sprouts
2 T fresh cilantro
2 T fresh mint
Dipping sauce:
Mae Ploy chili sauce or gyoza dipping sauce (equal parts soy sauce and rice vinegar, plus a dash of hot chili oil and sesame oil, and a pinch of sesame seeds).
METHOD:
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add bean thread noodles and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 3-4 minutes, then drain and rinse well with cold water. Chop roughly and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add remaining herbs and vegetables (except for the lettuce) and toss with a splash of rice vinegar.
Place a sheet pan (one with a 1-inch rim) on the stove, fill with water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let cool down for a couple of minutes.
Submerge one rice wrapper at a time for about 10 seconds or until it's nice and pliable. Remove it carefully, keeping it in it's shape, and lay it flat on a cutting board. Place one piece of lettuce (about 2x3) in the center of the wrap and top with a generous spoonful of the filling. Fold up the sides and roll the whole thing over on itself. Reserve on a plate, seam side down, and continue cooking and filling wraps.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
On Fecklessness and Jicama
Recent headlines suggest that as long as AK-47s remain legal and marijuana remains illegal* there’s gonna be serious trouble south of the border. Being a Blogger of Little Brain I cannot speak intelligently about how to solve this problem, but - hello?!? - it’s not a new one. Mexico has had powerful drug cartels (feeding Hollywood with an endless supply of storylines) forever. Seems we’re just taking notice now because the country finally has a President with a backbone. Of course he’s going to need a lot of cash to beef up enforcement of his War on Drugs. Which is why we should all eat more jicama. Hey, it’s a start. And with NAFTA up for renegotiation and the last US dollar already spoken for, it’s the least we can do. Plus, jicama is really good.
I was served jicama this way as an amuse bouche at a great restaurant in Washington DC (maybe Tim can comment on the name). I've loved jicama always but only use it in one recipe: Grilled Pesto Chicken Salad. Here I've trimmed it into batons, doused it with a spray of fresh squeezed lime juice and sprinkled it with a good chili powder (in this case, a medium heat chili powder). When you've got guests coming over for Carnitas or Tacos you should feed them this, plated individually. They will be very impressed.
* Eat Cheese or Die?
Calvin Trillen once took suggestions for making Wisconsin's license plate motto ("America's Dairyland") as flamboyantly patriotic as New Hampshire's ("Live Free or Die"). "Eat Cheese or Die" won. Too funny. Of course lawmakers in the nation's capital (their plate moto is "Taxation without Representation"), terrified by perils of listeria and concerned that cheese could kill a foodie, took legislative action to save us all.
I don't want to get the common American Libertarian all fired up but, really?!? Bicameral support for cheese legislation?? (Ok, ok. I don't know the ins and outs of how a bill becomes a law, but bicameral sounds awfully good here.) I just don't see how the case can be made that an unpasteurized cheese aged less than 60 days is illegal in the US and not an AK-47? Does the news that Walmart, the master of the supply chain, cannot keep up with the demand for ammo right now scare you? It should. More than listeria or taxation without representation.
For more info on Mexico's drug problem read an informed opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal: In Praise of Mexico's War on Drugs.
Friday, February 20, 2009
On the Side: Parsley Cashew Green Beans
Not long ago green beans won a spot on the short but growing list of veggies enjoyed by resident youngsters. We've been eating them a lot so I've been dishing them out all sorts of ways: with pesto, with shallots and a smidgen of pancetta, Szechuan style (sauteed in sesame/canola oil with lots of garlic and chili flakes) and, shown above, with parsley and cashews.
It's not hard to make fresh green beans taste great; many a cook would add a pat of butter and call it a great day. But in the Pinch kitchen, where butter is only used for baking, more thought goes into cooked veggies. Plus, the extra flavors make a new vegetable more familiar for my kids who are accustomed to fresh herbs and garlic.
As for the green bean vs. haricot vert choice, I'm partial to the elegant haricot vert (I like my asparagus on the slender side as well) but will buy any beautiful green bean. It amazes me how frequently markets put out sorry looking green beans. Haricots verts are quite versatile - fine on their own, but also good as an addition. They're especially great mixed in with thin spaghetti; they're such great team players they practically wind around your fork.
Parsley Cashew Green Beans
Print recipe only here
Serves 4 as a side dish
INGREDIENTS
8 oz haricots verts or green beans
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
pinch crushed chili flakes
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 T cashews, finely chopped
METHOD
Trim bottoms off green beans, rinse and set aside.
Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chili flakes and garlic and saute briefly. Add grean beans and saute 1-2 minutes. Add parsley and cashews and continue to saute until cooked to your liking. Add kosher salt to taste and serve.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Pinched Potatoes au Gratin
Pinching unhealthy fats out of foods is one of my favorite things do to in the kitchen - just as long as the dish comes out well. Potatoes au Gratin might be the effort I'm most proud of. I give all the credit to the Gruyère; this cheese certainly stands alone. Gruyère is so flavorful that not much is needed. Couple that with the use of nonfat milk and the fat content is significantly lower than the cream-and-gobs-of-cheese version.
These make a terrific wintertime side dish. Just beware that they need to be baked for about an hour and plan accordingly. They're great leftover, too. I warm them up in my toaster oven.
Pinched Potatoes au Gratin
Print recipe only here
Serves 4
YOU WILL NEED
4 medium Russet potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup nonfat milk
2 ounces Gruyère, grated
2 garlic cloves, smashed a bit
pinch nutmeg
salt and fresh ground pepper
kitchen slicer or Mandoline to cut the potatoes paper-thin
8-inch skillet
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350° or 300° convection.
In a small saucepan, bring the milk, garlic, nutmeg and a few turns of black pepper to a simmer. Reduce heat to lowest setting - or turn it off completely - and allow to steep for 5 minutes.
Using slicer or Mandoline, cut one of the potatoes. Line the bottom of the skillet with a single layer of potatoes, overlapping them slightly. You won't use the entire potato in one layer; just save what's left for the next layer. Pour about a tablespoon of the steeped milk over the layer of potatoes, sprinkle a bit of salt and some fresh ground pepper on top. Top with a scant 1-2 t grated Gruyère. Repeat until you have used all four potatoes. Save the most generous sprinkling of cheese for the top layer.
Cover the skillet with foil and place in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 10-15 minutes, or until the top is golden. Allow to cool about 5 minutes before serving.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Happy Asparagus Season
The Chi-city farmers markets are up and running. It’s early, of course. This week was heavy on baked goods and potted herbs. As for produce, it was mostly about asparagus - thick ones, thin ones, purple ones, green ones. I have never tried the purple ones. James Peterson's Vegetables cookbook reports the purple ones turn green when cooked and taste the same as well. I chose a few bunches of thin stalks and served them up alongside lamb burgers last night.
I didn’t see the white ones that Europeans like so much. The white asparagus (spargel, in German) isn’t albino; it’s deprived of light while being grown. Cauliflower lacks color for the same reason, but with white asparagus the effect is achieved artificially by keeping a cover of dirt on the stalks. No light means no chlorophyll and no color. To read more about the glories of white asparagus (and find recipes) check out Delicious Days - a food blog run by a couple in Munich.
After years of grilling asparagus and losing a few through the grates I now only roast them on a baking sheet with a little olive oil, salt and pepper (400° for about 7 minutes). So delicious and simple.
The only thing I dislike about asparagus is the strange smells it causes in [insert your favorite word for pee, wee-wee, tinkle or urine here]. I had long understood that people digested asparagus differently and were either excretors and non-excretors of asparagus metabolites (sulfuric compounds). Further, not every excretor could smell the metabolites, breaking down the excretors into subgroups of perceivers and nonperceivers. But an Israeli study showed while all individuals excrete chemicals that make the urine smell, only about 40% can smell the chemicals. If you enjoy asparagus and have no idea what I’m talking about than you’re likely a nonperceiver. Or at least further along on the evolutionary chain for keeping your head out of the toilet.
Fröhliche Spargelsaison!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Broccoli Rabe: It's not easy eating green
The title is misleading; I really enjoy broccoli rabe. What's true is that my husband and children find it repellent.
Broccoli rabe (pron: rob) is not a type of broccoli. Both are members of the large Brassicaceae family but rapini (as it’s also known) is of the species Brassica rapa along with turnip, napa cabbage and bok choy. Broccoli hangs with cauliflower, brussles sprouts and kale in the Brassica oleracea species.
When I cooked and served it recently no one cared about its scientific classification. My loved ones do not resemble Barbara Kingsolver’s gleefully omnivorous family (as chronicled in her still great book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle). No, my loved ones hated broccoli rabe with a fervor usually reserved for the St. Louis Cardinals.
For the adventurous - or unsuspecting - here’s how to prepare broccoli rabe as a side dish.
Sautéed Broccoli Rabe
Print recipe only here
In a sauté pan, heat (over a medium flame):
• 1-2 T olive oil
• Pinch chili flakes
Add 2 cloves garlic, smashed slightly and sauté until the garlic is lightly browned and fragrant.
Add one bunch rapini - about 12 ounces and cook for about 5-6 minutes until tender, tossing gently every so often. I prefer it cooked al dente; cook longer if you like.
Add a generous pinch of kosher salt and serve.
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Saturday, March 22, 2008
Quinoa
Quinoa (pron. keen-wah) reveals my inner six year old. For years I couldn't pronounce it, hadn't tried it and assumed I would hate it. I figured it was one of the stinky items on the hot bar at Whole Foods that had no place on my plate. Then I tried it. Its nutritional stats are commendable: no gluten, high protein - it's considered a nutritionally complete food. And it's tasty.
I've experienced irrational fear of other consumables including: poi (which I habitually confuse with the carp in Japanese gardens), scrapple (needs no explanation, I'm sure), shepherd's pie (I saw a production of Sweeney Todd. The line,"...shepherd's pie with actual shepherd" scared the scrapple out of me), chai ("Tea!" you're shouting. "It's just tea!" I say if it is tea, call it that and I'll have some. Chai sounds like something scraped off the surface of a pond.), and corn dogs because a) doesn't a hot dog cause enough trouble on its own? and b) what even is a corn dog?
Maybe someday I'll get over these aversions and extol the virtues of the corn dog. Until then, try quinoa. I think you'll like it.
Quinoa
Print recipe only here
Serves four as a side dish
In a covered saucepan, bring to a boil:
* 2 cups water
* 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
Cover, reduce heat to lowest setting and cook for about 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
Sauté in 1-2 T olive oil, about ¼ cup each of:
* Leeks, finely sliced and chopped a bit
* Celery, finely chopped
* Red pepper, finely chopped
* One shallot, minced
When softened, add to quinoa with salt and pepper to taste. Also add:
* ¼ cup sliced almonds, smashed a bit with your hands as you add them
Stir all together, taste for seasoning and serve.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Happy Artichoke Season
Elsewhere on Pinch I've referenced my aioli. I used to feel like such a cheater about it. Actually, I still am a cheater - not only do I rely on Hellman's/Best Foods for the foundation, I've turned over its preparation to my husband who makes it better than I. I'm surprise by how much I like this dipping sauce (I was very committed to lemon-butter and am not a fan of mayonnaise). It's light and lemony and goes great with hot and cold artichokes (we often steam enough to have one or two around the next day).
Early in our marriage we missed an entire artichoke season. As the family gatherer, I received a lot of flak for this oversight. While you can find anything year-round, the season is early spring -March to May. In our home, if you want to show someone you really love them, you share - or fully gift - your artichoke bottom (and if you really, really love them you remove the fuzzy choke first).
Steamed Artichokes
Print recipe only here
Trimming an artichoke:
1. Trim the bottom layer or two of leaves and cut off the stem and a bit of the base.
2. Using your sharpest blade, cut the about one-half inch off the top.
3. Using clean kitchen shears, trim the pokie thing off the top of each remaining leaf.
Cooking an artichoke:
1. In a pot with a steamer insert, bring a few inches of water to a boil.
2. Steam for 15-20 minutes until the inner leaves are tender (remove one artichoke carefully and test a leaf or two to make sure).
Eating an artichoke:
1. Allow to cool slightly and serve with a bowl for discarded leaves and aioli, made by combining:
Happy artichoke season.
