Pinch Hit Salsa

Is the clock dangerously close to dinner time and you still have no idea what to make?  Need something to eat before you run out the door to avoid dying of starvation later?  Don't feel like cooking but really want something to eat?  My favourite go-to meal has always been quesadilla.  Throw something on a tortilla, add cheese, fold, fry, serve with lettuce, salsa and sour cream.  Fast.  Easy.  Delicious.

Unless you happen to be on an island in the middle of the Adriatic Sea.  

Fast.  Easy.  Delicious.  *sigh*... well, one out of three ain't bad.  There's never any need for hurry on this island and delicious is enough for me.

quesadilla:  fast. easy. delicious.

As I've told you before, I've managed to conquer homemade tortillas and, while not as fast as opening a package, it really doesn't take me much time to whip up a batch of six.  We always have cheese (though I do miss a good cheddar), our garden is still full of lettuce and sour cream, or kiselo vrhnje (the single most difficult item for me to pronounce in all of the Croatian language), is readily available at all local stores.

But wait.  A quesadilla without salsa?  That's a total quesa-don't-a.

Knowing that salsa is rare to find here and, when it is found, is barely affordable, I had grand plans to make a lasting batch with some of the lovely tomatoes from the garden this summer.  Alas, being the tomato fiends (that's right, fiends) that we are, we ate every single glorious red tomato that our plants produced and set aside none for making anything.  Oh the best laid plans....

But you know me; I absolutely refused to watch my go-to meal get up and leave so, after spending a good ten minutes staring at the cupboard shelves trying to materialize a large jug of Pace Picante out of thin air, I grabbed the lone can of tomatoes that was already physically present and decided to make my own.

flat leaf parsley

This is probably the easiest salsa you will ever make.  It might not be the best you've ever had, but it will take far less time than a trip to the supermarket and will cost much less than grabbing a jar in the chip aisle at the convenience store.  And it does taste fresh, even with canned tomatoes.  Are you ready?

Dump the following ingredients in to your blender, food processor or a receptacle deep and narrow enough to accommodate a hand blender without spraying salsa all over your kitchen (I used the hand blender - and no, before you assume I am suggesting this from experience, I did not make splatters):

• 1 400g (14.5 oz) can of whole, unpeeled tomatoes, undrained (you'd probably be fine with diced, stewed or chopped tomatoes since they will be salsalated later anyway - but that's what I used)
• 1 good sized onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (you could go with more - my tummy won't let me do more raw garlic than that)
• 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley (I would actually prefer cilantro, but will need to wait until we grow some)
• 1 minced hot pepper (use your own judgement on this one)
• 2 tsp lime juice (fresh if you can)
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp salt (more or less...)
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• few shakes cayenne pepper

Now whir it all up with your mixer of choice and.... snappity snap... salsa!  If you like it a bit more chunky, dice one of the tomatoes and hold back half of the chopped onions and stir them in after you've blended (if you've got fresh tomatoes on hand you could dice one up and add it as well).

pinch hit salsa

As with any salsa, the flavours are as varied as the people who eat it.  Some like it mild and some like it hot; you'll need to adjust the heat level according to your own personal taste.  The salt factor is negotiable too; if you'll be doing the dip with salty chips you might want to hold back a bit.  If you like it sweeter, add more sugar.  You get my drift.... Use this as a base and make it your own.

salsa in action

Quesadillas are once again fast(ish), easy and, as always, delicious.  You probably have a nice big jug of Pace sitting on the top shelf of your fridge but, if you find yourself without, this is definitely a hit in a pinch.

PS. Next year we'll grow more tomatoes.
.

Daikon Do

Have you ever wondered what to do with a daikon radish?  Yeah... me too!  I've always grated them for green salads; but, with our own pretty patch of white icicles growing in the garden, thought I'd try to dig a little deeper and do something new.  With such a solid, strong bite (not quite the kick of a horse, but definitely a good punch in the mouth) it would be a shame to not use them for a greater good.

daikon

I was preparing burgers for lunch and so, inspired by my undying love for horseradish with beef and some lingering thoughts of recently made red radish slaw (that I still haven't told you about it - but I will), thought a quick pickled daikon shred would be an interesting accompaniment.  Not such a far reach from grating in to salad, but different enough for me (and good enough to share).

daikon and company

First, peel away the woody exterior of the daikon, along with a few good sized carrots.  Shred them using the smallest grater holes you have access to, sliding the vegetables lengthwise to produce the longest, thinnest strands possible. Set them aside.

peeled carrots and daikon

lengthwise shred

shredded daikon

Next, combine 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of powdered ginger in a jar with a tight fitting lid.  Feel free to just pour, dash and adjust as you see fit (I would have done just that, but I've been trying to measure my amounts to make it easier to share with you).  If you are following my measurements, please note that when I speak of tablespoons and teaspoons I'm not using measuring spoons - I'm just opening up my silverware drawer and pulling out utensils (soup spoon, tea spoon...).  Give the mix a quick stir to combine the ingredients (choose your own spoon).

Add the veggie shreds to the jar and close the lid tightly.  Give the jar a good shake, turning it upside down and sideways to get everything mixed up nicely.  Put the jar in the fridge (or leave on the counter if you will be eating shortly) - give it a good shake or turn it from top to bottom (or lay on its side) every so often.  The longer you let this marinate, the better it will taste (but the stinkier it will smell... sorry).

jar for shakey shake

beef burgers w/sambal oelek mayo, daikon shred & grilled zucchini

A terrific topping for the burgers, this quick pickled daikon shred would work well with all kinds of meals.  Try it on pulled pork sandwiches or roll it up inside a wrap for an added touch of texture and fresh burst of flavour.  Or just eat it straight out of the jar.  It's too easy not to try and you really can't go wrong.

quick pickled daikon shred

Help!  What else can we do with our daikons?  Leave me a comment below or visit The Perfect Avocado on facebook - just please, PLEASE... let me know.
.

A Fresh Start

I have fairly good list of reasons why I've been away, but I'd much rather talk about why I'm back.

Radishes.

fresh start

Spring finally brought the sun and, with that, Saša and I decided to take on the task of reviving the disappearing garden.  We (ok, he) went to work with leveling the tragically overgrown patch, turning the soil and placing perfect rows of bricks to create a masterpiece mosaic of beautiful beds for our future bounty of fresh.  As an 'experimental' year (a term that will soften the blow for anything less than successful), we planted everything we could get our hands on. From arugula to zucchini, if we found seeds we sowed them.  We watered.  We weeded.  We waited.

And then...

a beautiful bouquet

Now really, what could possibly be better than a bunch of long stemmed red roses from your lover?  Why, a bouquet of fresh ruby radishes of course!  After a few jumps for joy and a celebratory kiss, I immediately whisked them away for a cold water bath, gently rubbing away their soil suits to fully expose their tasty roots.

cold water bath

Radishes (and other root vegetables) gather nutrients through water in the soil and feed their leaves which gather sunlight for energy to create sugars to feed back to the roots so they can grow up and become big, tasty edibles.  Naturally, bigger leaves capture more sun so, to do the best job they can for the team, the roots continue to give as much moisture as they possibly can to their above ground counterparts. Wait. What? You already know all about photosynthesis? Settle down. This is more than a science lesson; its a kitchen tip (so keep paying attention). If you remove the greens from your root vegetables as soon as you pull them from the ground you will stop the growing process; the roots retain their liquids (and nutrients) and you won't be disappointed by sadly soft radishes (or carrots... or beets...).  That makes such good sense, right?  I know!  You're welcome. Thanks for staying with me.

buzz cuts

As I performed the mandatory buzz cuts on my little batch of rad, my thoughts drifted toward the salads of our summer to come. Suddenly I was struck by a thought that pulled me right back to the present.  If we can eat radishes, we must be able to eat radish greens.  Can I make a salad today?  I paused for a quick conference with Google (please excuse my intuitive ignorance, but I wouldn't be able to cope with reading '...radish roots are lovely edibles; but stay away from the leaves, which are lethally poisonous..." after the fact)  To make a long story longer, the answer is yes.  The greens are absolutely fine to eat.

radish greens

Radish greens were washed.  Radish roots were sliced.  Carrots were shredded.  Onions were diced.  Wanting to keep it simple, I added the salad dressing equivalent of 'the little black dress' - a decent drizzle of (local homemade) olive oil, a double splash of  balsamic, a (small) sprinkle of salt and a dash of fresh ground pepper.  Classic beauty.  Always fresh.  Delicious.

radish green salad

Two things.  First, if you are running outside to your radish patch right now to tear off a leaf and taste for yourself, you'll probably come back later to tell me that I need to realign my taste buds.  Yes, the greens are bitter (and perhaps a wee bit prickly).  Remember the little black dress - it changes everything.  Second, if you do decide to try the radish green thing, I can't vouch for those which are bought at the store, but seriously doubt they'd be anything close to fresh (if I were buying radishes I'd just grab some lettuce too). In all honesty, while radish greens work well for salad, the flavour is not at all so radically exciting. The real thrill comes from planting a few tiny seeds, relying on nothing but earth, sun and rain, and filling a whole salad bowl three weeks later.  Nothing tastes better than that.

the goods

Want to see more Radish Green Salad?  Feast your eyes at flickr
.