Summer sides: Salsa and Guacamole

There comes a time in a man’s life when they have to admit that a meal is not complete without UN-grilled items no matter how painful that might be. So here goes, sides that stand on their own even if they are next to delicious burgers or steaks.

Salsa (serves 4):

-1 clove of garlic

-1 container of cherry tomatoes/ about 10 oz. It is important to use cherry tomatoes, the flavor and consistency of your salsa depends on the tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes seem to work best, we usually use Nature Sweet Cherubs; that is unless we can get fresh ones from the farmer’s market.

-1/4 of a Serrano Pepper, the amount you use will determine the amount of heat in your salsa. Unless you want to burn your mouth off REMOVE THE SEEDS!

-1/2 cup of chopped onion (red or white)

-1/4 cup of chopped cilantro

-1Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

-1/2 tsp of sea salt

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl or food processor.

2. Either use a hand blender and blend to desired consistency in the bowl and do the same if you are using a food processor.

3. The best way to tell if the salsa came out the way you wanted it to is to try it with a chip; if the words, “now that’s the stuff,” follow, it’s good.

P.S. the longer the salsa sits, for example, for a couple hours in the refrigerator or overnight, the better.

Guacamole (serves 4...or 1):

-1large avocado or 2 small

-1 clove of garlic, finely minced

-1/4 cup of chopped onion (whatever type you prefer)

-1/4 cup of loosely packed cilantro (this is optional for cilantro haters)

-1/4 cup of tomatoes, roughly chopped

- Salt and pepper to taste

- Serrano pepper to taste (this is optional)

1. Put avocado, garlic, onion, Serrano pepper and cilantro in a bowl and mash together. We use a fork.

2. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Once everything is mashed and seasoned add the tomatoes (these go in last because mashed tomatoes in guacamole look weird).

4. To properly test with chip see step 3 above under Salsa.

5. If your guacamole was not completely devoured and you are unable to let go, you may have to store it.  So that the guacamole does not get that brown color, squeeze some vitamin C over the top of the guacamole and put it into an airtight container, lime or lemon work well. If you do not have those items you can cover it with plastic wrap pressing it firmly to the top of the guacamole. These methods usually help keep the guacamole mean and green overnight.

Music pick to help smash things up, Ozomatli. 

And Commence GRILL WEEK!

Course 1: Bruschetta

To celebrate our move to Omaha we were limited as to foods we could both make and enjoy because of the freak heat wave hitting the Midwest at this time. We're caught in a double-bind, cooking inside is hot, cooking outside is hot, waiting until the sun goes down so that we can grill....priceless, oh and yeah, cooler...slightly. As a result of this concept, GRILL WEEK was born...and grill we did!

When we dedicate our night to cooking we like to eat over a long period of time, because usually it is our event for the evening. So we choose some great music, pop open a bottle of wine or beer and get to it. We like to separate our meal into different courses so that we can enjoy making and eating each one. Therefore the first series of posts feature one individual course at a time.

To start we made a grilled bruschetta. How more people do not make bruschetta this way is...( we have no words for what it is).

Grilled Bruschetta (serves 2 or however many people you want to serve)
-Choose your bread (any crusty bread will work) it will need to be sliced.
-Cherry tomatoes. You need enough to cover the surface of your bread.
-Fresh Mozzarella sliced. Again, you need enough slices to cover the surface of the bread. 
-Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling. 
-Basil, chopped
-1 clove of garlic
-Sea salt
-Bamboo Skewers

1. Soak bamboo skewers in water for 15 minutes while you're prepping the other ingredients. We use the bamboo skewers to grill the tomatoes, soaking them in water keeps them from catching fire.
2. Slice your bread, into as many slices as you want to eat. Make sure they are about 3/4 of an inch thick.

3. We like to use a muddler to combine our olive oil, basil and garlic.



With a muddler you will place 1 clove of garlic, 2 tbsp of olive oil and 4 fresh basil leaves.

Then muddle away until the olive oil is bright green and the basil leaves are fairly well distributed.

4. Brush the olive oil mixture onto both sides of your sliced bread, coating completely. Now is a good time to pre-heat your grill on medium, about 350 degrees.

5. Skewer the cherry tomatoes, do not leave space between the tomatoes otherwise the skewer may burn. Learned that one the hard way...

6. Slice the mozzarella so that there are enough slices to cover the surface of your bread. Thin slices melt better!

7. Once the grill is pre-heated, lightly toast one side. This is the point where you put the skewers of tomatoes on as well.

8. Once the toasting of one side is complete flip that baby over and add the mozzarella slices. Close the grill, checking occasionally to make sure nothing has caught on fire and better yet to monitor the melting of the mozzarella. Make sure you're turning those tomatoes.

9. When the mozzarella is melted (after about 5 minutes) remove the tomatoes and the bread from the grill.

10. Remove the tomatoes from the skewers and slice to desired size, putting them on top of the mozzarella.

11. Roll ten basil leaves, slice into thin ribbons and sprinkle on top of the tomatoes.

12. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt to taste and then TASTE!

This course was made possible with the help of the Alabama Shakes (music pick) and Geyser Peak, 2011 Sauvignon Blanc (paired beverage or in this case IMpaired beverage).

WELCOME

You found us!  It was an elaborate game of 'Where in the World is Carmen San Diego,' but you solved the puzzle.  If you do not know who Carmen San Diego is we have already started on the wrong foot. Anyway, hope you're hungry because this will seem more interesting if you are. Prepare yourself for food glorious food, music, libations and many destinations. View our recipes, travel guides, and other shenanigans that we have posted (or in this case will post). You will also likely endure much more obscure references than Carmen San Diego. Prepare accordingly.