Salsa Verde, Two Ways

Roasted tomatillos make a solid base for these two salsas. The first is the most common, and gets a fresh type of heat from raw serrano chilis. Roasted dry chilis give the second version an unusual smoky flavor. Make them both so everyone is happy.



What are tomatillos?
They are like tomatoes, only with a tangy kick. Then can be used raw, but searing mellows them out, and in our opinion, makes a superior salsa. They are encased in their husks, which must be removed prior to use.

Classic Salsa Verde



Ingredients
4 tomatillos
2 cloves garlic, whole
1-2 serrano chilis
1/3 cup cilantro
salt

Instructions
Cut the tomatillos in half. Place the tomatillos (cut side down) and the garlic cloves in a dry pan over medium-high heat. Sear for 4 minutes per side (or until browned). When cooled to room temperature, blend the tomatillos and garlic with the cilantro and chilis in a food processor until smooth. Add salt to taste.

Salsa Verde with Roasted-Dried Arbol Chilis



Ingredients
4 tomatillos
3 cloves garlic, whole
4-8 dried arbol chilis
salt

Instructions
Sear the tomatillos and garlic (see instructions above). Break each chili in half and dump out the seeds, saving the dried skins. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the chili skins in the oil for about a minute, or until darkened. Remove from the heat and let dry on a paper towel.

Blend the dried chilis with the tomatillos and garlic in a food processor. Add salt to taste.



We found both recipes in Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday cookbook!

Hickory Smoked Nuts

We cooked these nuts as a snack when a vegan friend (Chris) came to visit. After 20 minutes of smoking over hickory chips, these nuts tasted a lot like bacon. He didn't complain. 

Ingredients
1 teaspoon light brown sugar

1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 cup mixed salted nuts (pecans are mandatory, cashews, almonds, etc)

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 handfuls hickory wood chips, soaked in water for a couple of hours 

Instructions

Mix the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and rosemary. Pour the nuts in a 9 x 13-inch heavy-duty foil pan (or any pan coated with foil, as shown below). Add the oil and seasonings and coat the nuts. 

Prepare a two-zone fire for low heat (250 -350 degrees Fahrenheit). Basically, you want to let the coals heat up until they turn gray and move them to one end of the grill. Put the lid on and wait for the temperature to stabilize. Drain the water from the bowl of wood chips and dump one handful on the hot coals. 

When the chips begin to smoke, place the tray of nuts on the grate, away from the coals. Close the lid with the vent holes open over the nuts so the smoke passes over them on the way out. Let the nuts smoke for 10 minutes. Then open the lid, stir the nuts, place another handful of chips on the coals and close the lid for another 10 minutes. Remove the nuts and let cool in the aluminum tray. 

Smoked nuts recipe can be found in the Weber's Charcoal Grilling cookbook that Tim got for Christmas (best present ever?)

Easy Guacamole Recipe

This recipe has been approved by a real Mexican, but probably not as spicy he would have liked. You might want to tweak the ratio of ingredients, but this serves as a good base.

Ingredients
4 avocados
1 clove garlic, crushed
1-2 serrano chilis
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped fine
Limes
salt
onion (optional)

Instructions

Pit the avocados and scoop into a large bowl. Save the pit. Add the garlic, chilis (start with 1 to be safe), and some cilantro, and mash with a potato masher until chunky. Squeeze in the juice of one lime and as much salt as you desire, tasting with each addition. Top off with some more cilantro and fresh lime juice. Add a pit or two to prevent oxidation, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let sit for about 3o minutes.

I prefer 2 chilis, with seeds, but this is usually too spicy for most. One chili is usually enough.

Alternatives: Add half a chopped white onion rinsed under cold water.

Other recipes you may like:
grilled flat iron steak with cilantro dipping sauce
grilled steak and plantains recipe
tortilla soup recipe

How to Boil Corn

By popular demand, I am actually going to post a recipe for boiled corn on the site. What started out as an inside joke, has lead to quite a number of searches for the actual recipe. Who am I to argue? Behold, the one recipe everyone has been waiting for!

Ingredients
Corn on the cob
Butter
Salt

Instructions
Fill large stock pot 3/4 full of cold water. Cover and put on stove until boiling. Meanwhile, clean off corn, rinse, and get it ready to cook. Once water is boiling, add the corn and partially cover with lid. Boil for exactly 7 minutes, remove from water, add butter or salt if you want and eat it hot.

The important thing to remember is - do not add salt to the boiling water!

Enjoy! Learn more about how to cook corn.

Our buy this book for more than 170 corn recipes:

The Big Z's Famous Baba Ganoush

This baba ganoush recipe was created by my dad. Obviously he would never give out all his secrets - so I've modified it to be as close to his recipe as possible.



Ingredients
1 medium eggplant
garlic
parsley
2 hot peppers
2 lemons
Olive oil
tahini
salt & pepper

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350
Wash eggplant and pat dry. Chop 2 cloves of garlic into small pieces. Chop up some parsley and half a hot pepper.

Make 6-8 slits in eggplant skin and insert 2 cloves chopped garlic, parsley and 1/2 chopped hot pepper into the slots.


If you're having trouble pushing your finger through, then enlarge the slots by wiggling the knife around to widen the holes.

Drizzle outside of eggplant with 1 tbsp olive oil and wrap in foil so there are no holes.

Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes (60 for large eggplant). Remove from oven, unwrap foil, and let cool 20 min.

Cut eggplant in half and scoop into a food processor (without the skin) and process with 1/4 c olive oil, 1 tbsp tanini, juice of 1 lemon, 1 chopped hot pepper, 2-3 garlic cloves, parsley, salt/pepper until smooth.

Spread dip onto a plate. In seperate bowl combine juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 clove smashed garlic, 1/2 hot pepper finely chopped, finely chopped parsley, salt, pepper. Pour mixture over the top of baba ganoush for garnish. Drizzle it with a little olive oil. Serve with pita bread or veggies for dipping.

Other recipes you may like:
Distract the Neighbors Grilled Chicken
Hickory Smoked Nuts
Cinnamon Curry Roasted Chicken

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