the arugula files

Tomatillos, the Fresh New Vegetable (Plus Grilled Tomatillo Salsa Verde)

This is going to sound deeply superficial and shallow, but sometimes I buy fruit and vegetables based on looks.   It's a blogger thing, I guess. We all drink out of striped straws and like the look of fuchsia carrots.

Sometimes it feels a little ridiculous, like I'm a skeevy model scout, looking for the fresh new vegetable.  I like an exotic, unusual look, purple and green are my favorite skin tones to shoot.  So when these tomatillos showed up in my CSA, I wasn't thinking about what they would taste like, I was thinking, YES, I'm going to make you a star!

Chimichurri

When it comes to herbs, I've never been that impressed by parsley.  That was until I started making Chimichurri, the most addictive form of this otherwise underperforming herb.  Chimichurri sauce takes minutes to make.  No chopping required, just toss everything into your food processor. Make it at the beginning of the week and then add it to anything you aim to transform from bland to delicious.  I've used it to top grilled hanger steak, roasted sweet potatoes, or raviolis.  Careful, chimichurri – or crack parsley as I like to call it – is habit forming, and could result in periods of extreme happiness, followed by withdrawal symptoms.

Tzatziki

 

I'm really into Greek yogurt these days.   After searching for the perfect tzatziki recipe, I decided to abandon the internets and develop my own.  I wanted something fresh and garlicky that had a little bit of texture.  I also didn't want to spend time draining yogurt or pulling the water out of cucumbers and, therefore, was willing to put up with a lighter consistency.

This version was a hit in my house.  Marcus practically finished the bowl by picking it up and drinking it like cereal milk after all the cereal is gone. 

Now that I think about it, drinking the milk at the end of the cereal bowl gives me the willies.  Too sweet and murky.  I also don't like wooden utensils like chopsticks (metal ones are fine) or eating a popcicle off a stick.  There is something about the wood texture touching my tongue.   Does this make me insane?

Blood Orange Salsa

It's official: I'm done with winter.  I no longer find root vegetables exciting.  I need something that tastes fresh and light, not old and heavy.  Thankfully, citrus is in season, and I can continue my infatuation with blood oranges.  

This salsa is not for tortilla chips (though I suppose you could eat it with chips if you so chose); instead it's the perfect accompaniment for fish (recipe for Sustainable Chilean Sea Bass with Blood Orange Salsa and Toasted Hazelnuts coming to an internets near you soon!).

Baked Fries with Chipotle Dipping Sauce

Nothing beats baked fries.  Wait a minute, what am I saying?  French fries (as in fried french fries) actually do beat baked fries.  French fries are my favorite food, but baked fries are a close second.  Some nights, when I'm too tired to cook, I will cut up a potato into fry size slices, drizzle some olive oil on the slices, and bake them (on a pan lined with parchment paper) at 400 for about 15 minutes.  Usually I eat them with ketchup.  Some times I add a salad and drizzle them with balsamic vinegar.  That makes me feel virtuous.  This time, instead of salad, I made a chipotle dipping sauce with mayonnaise and chipotle spice.  It's quite easy to make, but not so virtuous. 

Let's Make a Deal: Spinach and Artichoke Dip to Die For. Literally.

There is a scene in my life movie when the food devil appears and temps me with a deal I can’t refuse: my soul for all the spinach and artichoke dip I can eat for THE REST OF MY LIFE without consequences for my hips or health.  I rip the contract out of his little red hands and sign my John Hancock on the dotted line.  I love, love, love spinach and artichoke dip.  It’s my favorite treat.  If there’s spinach and artichoke dip at a party I have to physically restrain myself from hovering over it like a cat over a fish tank.  How embarrassing. 

Grilled Tomato Salsa

My recent attempt to replicate the "black salsa" at Baja Fresh was a tasty failure.  I didn't come close to replicating Baja's mysterious liquid gold, but I did create a smoky, roasted tomato salsa worth sharing.

Ingredients

8 plum tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1/2 jalapeño
1/2 red onion
1 handful of chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime
1 chipotle pepper
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Cut tomatoes in half
2. Brush olive oil on open side of tomato
3. Place tomatoes on hot grill open side down
4. Grill until tomatoes they char and skins become loose (about 10 mins)
5. Take tomatoes off the grill
6. Remove skins
7. In a food processor add garlic, jalapeño, and tomatoes; grind
8. Stir in diced onions, chipotle pepper, and juice of lime
9. Mix the chipotle around to add flavor, then remove
10. Add cilantro and salt to taste

The salsa was delicious, but it wasn't a good copycat of the Baja Fresh salsa. Where I went wrong was not leaving the tomatoes on the grill long enough, I think.  The problem was that they were shrinking and were starting to fall through the cracks of the grill. If anyone has any information, ANYTHING, on how make recreate the black salsa at Baja Fresh, please share.  

I'm entering this salsa recipe in the Houndstooth Gourmet's “You say tomato, I say tomahto” recipe contest. 

Mango Salsa

Fresh, homemade salsa can make anything taste better.  ANYTHING!  You know the saying if you fry anything, including my shoe, it will taste good?  Well this applies to fresh salsa. And, salsa has the added bonus of being healthy. 

Since the threat of salmonella is taking tomatoes off most menus, including meals made at home, I decided to make mango salsa to serve with my dinner—boring bean tacos.  You can make salsa out of most fruit: oranges, nectarines, peaches, strawberries, mango, pineapple—even grapefruit.  As Mark Bittman says, "there's a zillion different variations on salsa." The salsa base is often the same. You need four key ingredients: red onion, lime, cilantro, and jalapeños.  When I make strawberry salsa I also add mint.  Yum.

In the mood for salsa? Avoid a visit from SALLY-monella and make it with fruit.

Mango Salsa:

2 mangos
1 lime
1/2 red onion
Handful of cilantro
2 jalapeños

Mark Bittman's fruit salsa video.
Elise's demonstration on how to cut a mango.
Olga cooks everything vegetarian with Mark Bittman here.