Roasted Tomato & Jalapeno Salsa

Mr. Vittles and I have grown our own veggies almost every year since we met.

Some years have definitely been more successful than others.  Before we owned a home, we would plant everything in containers on our deck, but last summer was our first time having a "real" garden space.

Interestingly enough, it was our worst crop to date.

Thankfully, this year we redeemed ourselves, and I think next year will be even better now that we've had two growing seasons in our home to learn from our mistakes.

One thing I learned this summer was to let Mr. Vittles do all the harvesting.  He got rather prickly when I picked a bell pepper before it was apparently 'ready.'  Jeez... do NOT mess with a man and his peppers.  Just sayin'.

Anyway, our jalapeno and tomato plants were going crazy toward the end of summer, and I could not keep up.  I love a good caprese salad, but we were getting tired of that, and there is only so much one can do with fresh tomatoes!  And I was really at a loss with the jalapenos, because even if I would use a sprinkling here & there in various dishes, there was always a bunch still left.

So I made this slightly time-consuming salsa, and it killed two birds with one stone... used up our veggies, and tasted amazing.  Totally worth the extra time and effort of roasting.

In fact, I'm not gonna lie - I basically had a dinner of chips and salsa a couple nights after I made it.

And even the Mini enjoyed it!  My dad & stepmom were over a little while after it was finished, and we were all hanging out on our deck.  I put the salsa out with some chips, and my dad (her Poppa) was breaking off chips for her - naturally, she wanted to dunk them in the salsa, too.  He was a little skeptical that it would be too hot, but I knew she likes other spicy things, so I figured we should let her try it.  Lo and behold, she loved it.

The next day, just Mini and I were sitting on the deck in the very same place.  She got a far-off look in her eye and said "Poppa.  Chips.  Hot."

Dreaming of food - that's mommy's girl.

And that's how memorable the salsa was!

Roasted Tomato & Jalapeno Salsa

• 1 1/2 lb. ripe whole tomatoes (about 10 medium), preferably plum
• 2-3 fresh jalapeño peppers, stemmed (amount depends on your preference for spicy & also size of the peppers)
• Half of a small white onion, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rings
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/3 C. chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed
• 1 t. salt
• 1 1/2 t. cider vinegar

Preheat the broiler on high. Lay the whole tomatoes and jalapeños out on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Set the pan 4 inches below the flame and broil for about 6 minutes, until darkly roasted on one side.  The tomatoes may split and lose some juices. Using a pair of tongs, flip over the tomatoes and chiles and roast the other side for approximately 6 more minutes. The tomatoes may get charred on the outside, but the idea is to cook them through. Set aside to cool.

Turn off broiler, and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place onion rings & garlic on another baking sheet, and roast in the oven, stirring every couple minutes, until the onions are browned and wilted and the garlic is soft and browned in spots (approximately 15 minutes). Cool to room temperature.

Peel the cooled tomatoes with your fingers and cut out the cores, working over your baking sheet to keep all the juices. Place whole jalapenos with the onion and garlic in food processor and process until finely chopped, scraping everything down with a spatula as needed. Place jalapeno mixture into a large bowl.  Without washing the processor, coarsely puree the tomatoes & excess juice from baking sheet.  Then add them to the bowl with cilantro, and stir to combine.  If needed, stir in some water to achieve a spoonable consistency.  Add salt & vinegar to taste, using ingredient amounts as guidelines.  Can be eaten immediately, or covered & refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Recipe Slightly Adapted from Rick Bayless with JeanMarie Brownson and Deann Groen Bayless, as found on Epicurious

Queso Dip

While Mr. Vittles and I were watching football yesterday, I got a hankering for some queso dip.

But a quick search online led me to much disappointment... most of the recipes required Velveeta.

I don't know about you, but I don't really get down with processed cheese.

So I got to thinking... what other kind of soupy cheeses did I have experience with?

This led me to the sauce you would make for macaroni and cheese (like my Pepperjack Bacon Mac & Cheese), so I decided to try a queso dip with a roux base.  And, I must say, we both thought it was pretty awesome.

Nonetheless, I asked Mr. V what he would change about it, and he said less tomatoes and more cheese.

Personally, I liked the amount of tomatoes in it -  but you can feel free to use half a can of Rotel if you'd prefer less.

I did, however, agree that it would benefit from a stronger cheese flavor- so I doubled the amount of cheese for you below.

Leaves you plenty of time to experiment to your taste before the Superbowl in a couple weeks!

On another note... are you excited for me that I'm back in the kitchen?  First brownies, then queso... and wait til you see what I made last night!

You're gonna like it.  That's all I'll say for now.

Queso Dip

• 2 T. butter
• 2 T. flour
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. onion powder
• 1/8 t. chili powder
• pinch cayenne (or more or less to your taste)
• 1 C. milk
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 C. grated Mexican cheese (I used a blend of jack & asadero)
• 1 10-oz. can Rotel diced tomatoes & chilis, drained but with some of juice reserved

In small bowl, combine flour, garlic, onion & chili powders, and cayenne (if using).  Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming.  Add flour mixture and whisk until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add milk and whisk until boiling.  Reduce heat and continue whisking about 3-5 minutes until mixture thickens (mixture should resemble heavy cream).

Remove saucepan from heat and add salt & half of grated cheese.  Whisk until melted, then add remaining cheese.  Add Rotel and mix.  If mixture is too thick, add some of reserved juice from Rotel until desired consistency is reached.  Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Original Recipe

Salsa Verde

Ok so this has nothing to do with cooking - but I am totally freaked out right now.  And unfortunately Mr. Vittles is not home tonight, meaning I have no one else to share this with but all of you.

So I think by now you know how much I despise moths.

I had them on the brain earlier today because Mr. Vittles showed me a picture he snapped of a moth at the golf course, which spanned the length of a Bic pen.

I know this because there was a pen next to it in the picture.

Naturally my first thought was, Eww, he got close enough to that thing to put a pen next to it??

But now that I think of it - man, what a jerk my husband is.

"Hey I know you're deathly afraid of these things, but I saw this mammoth moth and thought of you."

Gee, thanks.

(Reminds me of when my college "friends" Nat and Flav Vittles brought me back a giant, framed moth from their summer trip to Spain, and then insisted we hang it on the wall of our apartment.)

So then on Graphics Fairy, a vintage clip art blog I like to look at, I see a recent post of this moth drawing:

Which I am sure to some people is very... lovely?  But to me it is positively revolting.  This image will probably give me nightmares, and sadly I'm not joking.

The caption says that it's from an early natural history book, and the moth is called a "Death's Head Hawk Moth."

See, Moth = Death.  I knew it.

Anyway, the most disturbing part is a comment that a reader left, saying that they are native to Europe & Asia (thank goodness) and they have a strange ability to squeak when irritated.

Umm... first of all, I'm not sure what constitutes moth "irritation".  Second of all... squeaking?  I don't really know what that means, but regardless it's creepy.

So then as I was doing some internet research on this filthy creature (rule #1 - know thy enemy!) I actually SAW a moth fluttering out of the corner of my eye.

And... I dropped my laptop.

The last time I did that I broke the power cord - thankfully, this time no damage was done.

Which is especially good since it was actually just a feather from our little parrot that got swept up in a breeze from the fan, and not a moth at all.

Our Senegal Parrot, C.J.

Ok!  Well on that note... I guess you're probably looking for a recipe.

I really have no good 'story' for this salsa so this is probably as good a time to post it as any.  I just felt like trying out a green salsa recipe because I always enjoy it at restaurants.  This one isn't quite as good, but it's pretty darn close.

So, uh, that's it.  End of story.

If you need me, I'll be in bed with the covers pulled over my head.

Salsa Verde

• 8 tomatillos, husked & chopped into large chunks
• 3 shallots (or, 1 medium onion), chopped into large chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 4 oz. can chopped chiles
• 1/4 C. fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, seeded
• salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor.  Using pulse setting, coarsely chop.  Cover & chill in refrigerator.

Recipe from AllRecipes.com

*Note: For anyone who has never worked with tomatillos - they come in a papery husk that you have to peel off and then you'll want to wash them thoroughly (they have a sticky exterior).  Otherwise, they are basically like a green tomato, just with more seeds.

 tomatillos

Fresh Guacamole

If you don't already know, I won't bother telling you what I do for a living.

It's not a popular profession and you probably won't like me anymore.  It gets a reaction that's similar to that of "I'm a cop."

Not that I have anything against cops, but for whatever reason its one of those things that people usually react negatively to?

Like one time, in a Spanish class I took with my work partner and very good friend Joe Vittles, we were learning how to say different professions.  We had to go around the room and say what we do for a living, and the teacher would translate it into Spanish.

Joe V went first, and lied about our job.  I went next and, feeling bold, I told the teacher what I really do.

The entire class booed me. 

And... I shall leave it at that.

However, I will say that I usually spend more time out of the office than in it...which is good since, as I already mentioned to you, my cubicle at our new office is practically inside the Men's Restroom.

I will also say that I have seen more of the state of New Jersey in the past 3 years than I have my entire life.

And, with that much time on the road, I have also seen more idiotic driving than I have my entire life.

But one good thing about driving all over the place is that we get to see fun destinations that are far from home without wasting our free time or gas.  And we can even make a stop here & there.

On our lunch break, of course.

For instance, the closest Rosa Mexicano is almost an hour and a half away from where I live.  But since Joe V and I were not 5 minutes from there for work, we were able to stop there for lunch. 

Now if you've never eaten at Rosa Mexicano, they are famous for making guacamole fresh right next to your table.

They literally peel the avocado and add all the chopped up ingredients, mixing everything in an authentic molcajete.

And let me tell you - it is heavenly.

Joe V and I were talking about how, even though they were making it right in front of our very eyes, we could probably never make it as good.

Which I figured was probably true... but that didn't stop me from trying.

I did a Google search to see if I could find the recipe anywhere and, lo and behold, I found it on none other than the Rosa Mexicano website!

I guess since they make it right in front of you, they figure there's no use in keeping it under lock & key?  Especially since they have a whole cookbook now of their recipes they are selling.

So I did give it a try, and while I don't have a molcajete and it probably will never be as good anyway (maybe it's just the fact that someone is preparing it for you?) its one of the best home-made guacamole recipes I've ever tried.

Let me know if you agree!

Fresh Guacamole 

Chile Paste Ingredients

• 1 T finely chopped white onion
• 1 firmly packed T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 t. finely chopped jalapeño, or more to taste
• 1 t. salt, or as needed

Additional Ingredients

• 3 medium, ripe but firm, Hass avocados (about 8 ounces each)
• 3 T. diced tomato
• 2 firmly packed T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 T. finely chopped white onion

Make the chile paste: Grind the onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and salt together in a molcajete until all the ingredients are very finely ground.  Alternatively, use the back of a spoon to mash all the ingredients to a paste in a wide hardwood bowl.

Cut each avocado in half, working the knife blade around the pit. Twist the halves to separate them and flick out the pit with the tip of the knife. Fold a kitchen towel in quarters and hold it in the palm of your “non-knife” hand. Rest an avocado half cut side up in your palm and make 3 or 4 evenly spaced lengthwise cuts through the avocado flesh down to the skin, without cutting through it. Make 4 crosswise cuts in the same way. Scoop the diced avocado flesh into the molcajete. Repeat with the remaining avocado halves.

Using a spatula, gently fold all ingredients together and season with additional salt if necessary.  Serve with fresh tortillas or tortilla chips.


Recipe from Rosa Mexicano