This recipe is inspired by a version of “Pico de Gallo” that I used to have at a restaurant called El Paraiso.  It was located at the bottom of a beautiful ravine.  I think they served quail there too.  Anyway, they made this salsa and the flavor is burned into my brain.  I loved it!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 fresh pineapple diced
• a bunch of minced fresh epazote or cilantro if you don’t have epazote
• chile serrano to taste
• lime juice, enough to drench all the ingredients
• minced onion
• squirt or two of mezcal (or tequila if you don’t have mezcal)
• squirt of olive oil
• squirt of white vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Process:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.  Let the flavors bind together in the fridge for a while, it tastes better.  Enjoy!

Note:

This salsa goes especially well with grilled carne asada or pork with adobo..  But it’s also good with chips.

Gazpacho is one of my favorite “soups” in the world.  It’s best when you make it in the Summer, when the tomatoes are delicious and very ripe. Don’t skip the step of peeling and seeding the tomatoes, that will make the final product much sweeter and delicious.  I serve it in chilled bowls, just place them in the freezer for an hour or more and they will keep the “soup” nice and chill!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes (ripe romas, vine ripened or heirloom will be good)
• Tomato juice or clamato
• 1 cucumber see ded and diced
• 1 bell pepper seeded and diced
• 1/2 onion dice d (red onion is good)
• 1  jalapeño ch ile minced (you can seed it for less heat, not include it at all)
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1-2 tbsp of balsami c vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce – a couple dashes to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin
• 2 slices of day-old bread or about 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
• salt & pepper to taste
• chopped herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, whatever you have), don’t chop until right before serving

Process:

Peel and seed the tomatoes.  The easy way to do this is to boil a pot of water.  With a sharp knife make an X shape on the tomato skin on the opposite side of the stem belly button.  Place them in the boiling water for 15-25 seconds depending on the size of the tomatoes.  Then put them in an ice-water bath or run them through very cold water.  They will be easy to peel then as the skin will just curl off.  Then cut them in half or quarters and squeeze the seeds out.  This is is an extra step but it will make a difference on the texture and flavor of your finished gazpacho.  I promise!

Put the chopped veggies (onion, green pepper, cucumber and jalapeño) in a bowl and mix.

In a blender or food processor put the tomatoes, half of the veggie mix from the previous step, tomato juice, garlic, olive oil, lime, vinegar,

Place the tomato juice, oil, salt, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, cumin and the bread or breadcrumbs.  Puree all the ingredients into a smooth mix.  Pour this into the bowl with the other chopped vegetables.  Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight if making ahead. Before serving check for seasoning and adjust as necessary (salt, pepper, lime, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, etc… some times I even put in a couple dashes of tabasco if the jalapeño is not doing its job).

Serve in chilled bowls with a swirl of olive oil and the chopped herbs sprinkled on top.   Serve and enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 bell peppers, squat and that can stand by themselves, tops cut off, seeds and veins cleaned out.

For the Stuffing:

• 1 cup of wild rice
• 1/2 cup of Wheat Berries or Pearl Barley
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• 1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
• 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 pound of ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, diced
• Ancho Chile powder
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Flat-leaf parsley
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

For the Sauce:

• 2 cans of stewed tomatoes
• 4 fresh tomatoes
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Ancho Chile powder
• 1 smoked chipotle (or to taste)
• A Cinnamon Stick
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

Process:

For the Stuffing:

Cook the wild rice, wheat berries, fennel seeds and cumin seeds in the chicken stock.  You may need to add a little more  to make sure the rice cooks al-dente.  Salt lightly.

In a skillet with a little olive oil cook the onion until it’s transparent, add the garlic and cook for a minute more.  Sauté the ground turkey until it cooks through, add the parsley, ancho chile powder, salt and pepper to taste.  When the meat is ready, add about half a can of the stewed tomatoes.  This will make the stuffing juicier.  When the rice is ready, fold gently into the meat.  Adjust seasonings.

For the Sauce:

While the meat and rice are cooking, put the remaining can and a half of stewed tomatoes in a blender with the fresh tomatoes cut in fourths, onion, garlic, the smoked chipotle, ancho chile powder, salt and pepper to taste.  Blend until pureed.  Heat a little olive oil in the skillet and saute the sauce and let it simmer for a little while with the cinnamon stick.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff the Peppers:

Put a lot of stuffing into each pepper and place the top cap loosely on.  Place the peppers carefully into the simmering sauce and simmer until the peppers are cooked through.  Make sure they don’t overcook and they still hold their shape.

To Serve:

Take a stuffed pepper, put it on a plate, take the cap off and grate parmesan cheese on it.  Ladle enough sauce over and around the bell pepper and serve.

Notes:

This is a very good recipe and can be adapted as necessary.  The ingredients are more like guidelines and feel free to replace seasonings to your taste.  The cinnamon stick gives the tomato sauce a very interesting flavor and it really completes the dish.  The wheat berries add a nice crunch.

I have used the same stuffing with hollowed-out zucchini (green and yellow) but the sky is the limit!

Delicious as a side dish for just about anything.  Light and tasty.

Ingredient:

• 1 large bunch of swiss chard, stalks and leaves
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 or 3 pressed garlic cloves
• 1/4 tsp of chili flakes (or to taste)
• 1 or 2 tbsp of soy sauce
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice

Process:

Separate swiss chard leaves from the stems. Chop the stems and set the leaves aside. Saute the stems in the olive oil until they are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Coarsely chop the leaves, add them to the pan with the stalks, add the garlic, chili, and soy sauce. When leaves are wilted and tender, remove from the heat ad add the lemon juice. Serve immediately.

Makes about 4 servings.

Variations:

You can use collard greens, mustard greens or kale (or a combination) in this recipe and it turnes out great too.  I’ve also done it “southern” style, where you fry some bacon first, fish it out, and in the bacon fat proceed with the recipe.  Chop the bacon into bits and return it to the pan once the greens are cooked.  Super yum!

Serve this salsa with anything that is taco looking or just to dip some chips in. This is more like a general guide for making the salsa, you can vary the proportions of the ingredients to suit your own taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds of tomatillos (those are the green thingies in the veggie section)
• 1 – 3 serrano chiles (to taste, Jalapeños work but they don’t have that wonderful kick)
• 1/4 onion
• 1 garlic clove peeled
• 1/2 a bunch of cilantro
• Salt and Pepper

Process:

Peel the skin off the tomatillos and rinse them in warm water to get the sticky stuff off, cut them in half or fourths if they are too big. Put them in a blender with all the other ingredients and just enough water to start the blender action. Blend until desired consistency. Make sure you don’t blend too much, a little chunkiness makes the salsa more interesting. Add salt and a bit of pepper to taste.

Variations:

Add one avocado to the blender (or even two) to make guacasalsa. It’s AMAZING as a dip with corn tortilla chips and also goes well in tacos.

Roast the tomatillos and chiles in a wok with a tiny little bit of olive oil until the outside gets blistered and a bit blackened before you blend. This makes the salsa a sweeter and a little smoky. The black bits also make it look more interesting. Alternately, roast the tomatillos on the grill… that works too.

I have made this salsa using normal tomatoes instead of tomatillos and it also turns out great, especially if you roast them first.