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.

Cooking With Rachel – Is It As Yummo As It’s Cracked Up To Be?

We are confirmed Food Network junkies. We’re on a first name basis with Alton, Rachel, Guy, Giada, Sandra, Bobby, and the rest of the bunch (in our own minds, that is). I fantasize about being the Next Food Network Star even though I’ve never actually tasted truffles nor cooked anything French, and I’ve only baked cakes twice in my life. Regardless, our admiration isn’t limited to the couch. Oh no. Not at all. We routinely get a craving based on something we’ve seen, and decide to give it a whirl ourselves.

Such was the case with this weekends 30 Minute Meals episode with the queen of EVOO herself, during which she cranked out a thanksgiving themed Shepherds Pie using ground turkey, a basic mirepoix (carrots, onions, and celery) and sweet peas with turkey gravy, and topped with mashed sweet potatoes and cheddar cheese. Looks tempting!

So tonight was the big test. Could we do it, how much time would it take, and would we like the result?

Well, we grabbed the ingredients over lunch at the local Safeway, and upon arrival at home set about creating our dinner. From memory. Without a recipe.

Peeled yams into a pot of boiling water with a bit of salt. Two stalks of celery sliced lengthwise and chopped. Two carrots grated. Half an onion chopped. Into the pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Saute medium.

Remove the mirepoix from the pan, add a bit more oil and toss in the turkey. Salt, pepper, and a bit of poultry spice. Spoon out the liquid so the meat actually browns. Meanwhile, drain the yams and mash with a bit more salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of butter.

Nuke the gravy (we cheated and bought premade), add the mirepoix to the turkey, and mix it all together. Taste, add a bit more poultry seasoning, then heat through. Dump into metal loaf pan.

Slather on mashed yams, cover with medium cheddar, and pop into the preheated 450 degree convection toaster oven and wait 6 minutes, until……

Ding! Pull it out to find a deliciously tempting brown on the cheese with bubbles around the edge. Hmmm, looks inviting and smells good!

But how does it taste?

I give it a solid 7 on a scale of 10, with the weak point being the somewhat bland store bought gravy (Rachel made her own using boxed turkey stock). The other half gave it a 6 and wasn;t sure she liked the flavor combination of the cheddar and not too sweet yams. We also forgot to add the frozen sweet peas to the mix, and they would have been a nice addition. Overall, though, definitely edible and filling but not quite “Yummo”. Time? A bit over at about 40 minutes.

Lobster prices are way down…

so perhaps it’s time to brew up one of my favorite (yet most expensive) recipes: Lobster Corn Chowder! The secret is in the broth made from lobster shells after the meat is cooked. Yummy!

I’ll post the recipe later tonight!