• Roasted Pineapple Salsa
    Food

    Essential Menu for a Cinco de Mayo Feast

    Mexican food and culture are irresistible to me – the warmth, the spices, the influence of the ancient. Cinco de Mayo is a day to celebrate it all. Often confused with Mexico’s Independence Day, the holiday actually commemorates the Mexican victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla and has evolved into a broader celebration of Mexican culture, particularly in the U.S. Here are my essential recipes for a Cinco de Mayo inspired feast. The Appetizer: Stuffed Jalapeño Skins No need to fry these stuffed jalapeños, since they get a crispy coating during a bake in the oven. They also have three kinds of cheese, fresh herbs, and chorizo,…

  • Salsa verde
    Food

    Salsa Verde

    Sometimes you need a salsa so bright it wakes up your taste buds with its freshness. This slushy, vibrantly green salsa livens up fish and cuts through the richness of meat with raw tomatillos and a few other ingredients, all of which are also green. From lime juice to chives, the shades combine to deliver the most satisfying color of chlorophyll and a flavor crisp enough to match the frosty turn of January. While the snow may have melted not long after it fell, we enjoyed a self-imposed snow day over the weekend. On the menu was this raw salsa verde made with a batch of tomatillos I had picked…

  • Roasted Pineapple Salsa
    Food

    Roasted Pineapple Salsa

    Fresh salsa is so much tastier than canned varieties that you will wonder why you haven’t been making it all along. You’ll also wonder why you’ve never used a pineapple as a salsa bowl. Fortunately, there is a bit of time to ponder such things while you watch the oven for signs of caramelization on the pineapple slices and blistered skin on all those juicy tomatoes that make up the base of this homemade salsa. Once the ingredients have cooled, use a blender to pulse them a few times, and then make good use of the hollowed out pineapple by transforming it into a serving bowl. Save the lid as…