Tuesday’s Foodie Update

Two things to report today: First, I have perfected my salsa recipe; and second, the sushi at Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse is as amazing as ever!

We ate tonite at TJSH for the first time in a couple of months. A variety of personal reasons had kept us away, and we had the jones some kinda bad for their signature spicy handroll. My fave is the tuna, and the Admiral likes the hamachi. Well, they were every bit as amazing as ever! Also, they now had abalone, so we tried a nigiri of same. Sweet and crunchy, the abalone could be my new “must have”.

Now onto salsa: Mexican and southwestern food is my second love, and a good salsa is food of the Gods. I’ve been making some salsas by hand for a couple of years now, and I think I’ve finally got one version down.

Mind you now, a salsa, to me, isn’t something you dip a chip into. Oh, no! Salsa is something you pile on! A good salsa is chunky and flavorful without having too much heat. Herewith is my salsa recipe:

18 roma tomatoes
4 medium tomatillos
1.5 medium red onions
fresh cilantro
2 limes
1 12 oz. can black beans
1 10 oz. can sweet corn
1.5 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
fresh ground black pepper
Tiger Sauce (or other hot sauce) to taste

First, prepare the tomatoes by removing the cores and seeds, and then dice. The idea is to get the tomato flesh, not all the extra liquid. Place into large bowl.

Remove the leaf covering from the tomatillos and place into a saucepan with enough water to cover, and boil lightly until they change color from bright green to pale green. Remove from pan and let cool, then chop and remove stem. Add to bowl.

Use about 1/2 bunch cilantro, rinse well, and chop the leaves finely, leaving out the thicker stems. Add to bowl.

Dice the red onions and add to bowl. Add salt, pepper, cumin, red wine vinegar, sugar, and juice from the limes, then fold together. Using an immersion blender, finely process about half of the bowl contents.

Drain and add corn. Drain and rinse black beans, then add to bowl.

Fold ingredients together and taste. At this point, adjust for saltiness, acidity, and heat.

Refrigerate for about an hour to let the flavors develop, then consume with vigor! I recommend either white or blue corn tortilla chips.