Salsa-On the Grill!

My head is spinning with all the veggies available at the Farmer's markets and farm stands right now. I am doing my best to incorporate it all into my daily dinner plans, as well as putting some of it away for winter.

Hannah and Alex have been asking me to make burritos for dinner. Nothing special, just some average beans, rice, guacamole, lettuce, etc. Last night I got tired of the begging finally got around to it. I had some leftover baby back ribs in the fridge and while this is far from traditional, I took the meat off the bones and used the meat in the burritos. We let everyone make their own, so I set out dishes of the aforementioned guac, lettuce, rice, cheese,  beans (Oh, BTW, Grandma Foodie has the best way to make quick beans for Mexican dinner: Take 1 can of pinto beans, undrained and one can of refried beans. Mix together and add a ton of chopped garlic and an insane amount of black pepper. Heat on top of the stove, or put into a casserole dish, top with cheddar cheese and heat in the oven until hot and the cheese is melted.)

And I also put out a big bowl of just made salsa that I grilled. Yes, I grilled it.

Does that make no sense to you?

You just haven't lived yet, then., because the grill is the perfect place to prep the ingredients for your homemade salsa. Char everything, then whir it all together in the food processor. Eat it immediately, because it is actually best hot. Yes, hot. The flavors of the chilies and tomatoes really stand out just as it's made. Fry up some tortilla chips (yes, I said fry some tortilla chips; you really wouldn't want to use chips from a bag. They're just so, so, bleah! Not as good as ones made from stale corn tortillas.

I had just returned from the farmer's market, having bought way more tomatoes than I could really use, (if there is such a thing) and as I was putting them away, I had a revalation: make salsa to go with the burritos.
My salsa on the grill can be made quickly and easily and it is hands down the best homemade salsa I have ever eaten (not to toot my own horn; okay, I'll toot my own horn). You simply must try it. No arguments. I don't want to hear your whining. Just do it now. While the tomatoes and chilies are still ripe and before you need a parka to stand outside and use the grill. (BTW, you can make this salsa with supermarket roma tomatoes in the broiler during the winter. I'll let you.)


Salsa on the grill
2 jalapenos
4 cloves garlic
1 onion, halved
6-8 tomatoes, halved
1 bunch cilantro
juice of one lime
salt and pepper

Heat the grill to medium. I like to use one of those grill pans to do the tomatoes and garlic, but everything else can go straight on the grill grates. Grill until charred on one side and flip and do the other. Try not to let the onions get too burned. Here is what my grill looked like

I was also grilling poblanos and corn, obviously.

After everything is nicely charred, put ONE jalapeno and the garlic and onions into the food processor and chop briefly with on and off turns. You can add the other jalapeno later if you want it spicier, just try it first. Add the tomatoes and pulse again. Add the cilantro and pulse again. Put into a bowl, add the lime juice and salt and pepper. Eat a bunch before you tell everyone it is done because you won't get any after they know it's ready.

Horning in

My sister has started a blog. Gee, I guess some people think anyone can do this. She is even going to publish recipes! The nerve.

Her blog, The Joy of Gluten Free Living  is about, well, eating and living gluten-free. Sounds like a complete drag to me. Not the blog, the gluten free. Imagine, not being able to tear into a loaf of crusty bread, sizzle it in olive oil and butter and then top it with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. The horror!

But, I know there are many people, my sister included, who get violently ill when they eat gluten. Joy (get it, The Joy of Gluten Free Living?) has mastered this lifestyle and she looks and feels great. She is happy and healthy and has overcome not only this health issue, but another major one as well. (It's an amazing story, I'd tell it, but that would be violating HIPAA. Wait, I'm not bound by HIPAA. Hmm...)

If you face this challenge in your life, go read her blog.

I'll give you a great recipe to start you off. I think it's GF, but Joy can tell you for sure.

Pork with Peach Salsa

3/4 lb pork tenderloin
Olive Oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
3 ripe peaches (yes, this is a great dish for summer, but you can get peaches now, if you're willing to pay...)
1 T lime juice
1 1/2 tsp honey
2 T chopped cilantro
2 jalapeno chiles, minced
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Line a baking sheet with foil. Brush tenderloin with olive oil, sprinkle cumin and oregano over pork, roast 25 minutes.

For the salsa: Cut peaches into small dice. Mix in lime juice, honey, cilantro, and jalapenos, season to taste.

Remove pork from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Slice, plate and top with salsa.

I suppose to round out this meal you could serve some rice and salad. I'm no expert at the GF thing, If need that, go ask Joy. If you don't just make the pork anyway, It is awesome.

Wine at Jan's

Well, we celebrated the end of summer (sigh) by meeting up at Jan's for some drunken debauchery accompanied by kids splashing in the pool and some good eats.

Laura brought a delicious black bean and corn salsa.

I don't know if this is the same recipe she used, but it is my version:

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

2 cans black beans, rinsed
1 can white corn, or leftover corn cut from the cob

1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 minced jalapeno

1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 1 1/2 limes
3 Tablespoons and red wine vinegar

3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix it all up and serve with tortilla chips.

Jan made a fantastic grilled pizza, it had sauteed veggies and goat cheese and some other stuff I may have been too drunk to remember. She put her pizza stone directly on the grill. Next time, I'll show her how to cook pizzas directly on the grill. It is easy.

Grilled pizza

Okay, if you're too lazy to make your own pizza dough, or you don't have time, you can use a dough ball from the grocery store. I make it in the Kitchenaid with 1 C warm water, 1 T yeast, 1 tsp sugar (dissolve yeast in water, add sugar, and proof (that means wait until it gets foamy for you dough-challenged people) add 1 T olive oil, 1/2 tsp kosher salt (do I really have to say kosher? All of my faithful readers would never dream of using regular salt, right?) and 3-4 cups of flour. Let rise about an hour.

Rip off a piece of dough and pat or roll it into some kind of pizza-looking shape. It doesn't have to be perfect. Brush it with olive oil (or in this case I will let you get away with spraying it with Pam. But this is one of only two sanctioned uses of Pam. I'll bet you can guess what the other one is, and it is NOT roasting asparagus, ANN) Plop it on a pre-heated grill set to medium and cook a minute or two on one side, until it is set a little. Flip it over and brush with olive oil. (No Pam THIS time, faithful readers) Top as you please. Lower the heat, close the lid and cook until the cheese is melted and the dough is cooked, about 5 minutes, depending on the heat and your toppings.

Suggested toppings:

Goat cheese, roasted red peppers, and kalamata olives

Carmelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, blue cheese and fresh mozzarella

Pesto, fresh mozzarella, slivered prosciutto and a basil chiffonade. (google it if you don't know how to chiffonade)

Tomato sauce and any traditional pizza topping

Fresh tomato, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil

Pears, manchego cheese, and walnuts

There were several other really good dishes that I don't have time to tell you about now. More from the kitchen later...