balsamic tomato salsa

October 12, 2013 by flavorsmack

Stewed tomatoes. I was cleaning out my pantry, and came across a can that I must have mistakenly bought. I just stared at it. Trying not to be wasteful, I stood there thinking of how I could use it but something in my genetic make up won’t allow it. My mother, however, (insert the saying “bless her heart” HERE), seemed to think that they went with every skillet dinner we had growing up. I just couldn’t get past the weirdly shaped, skinless, lifeless chunks. They looked like someone beat the life out of them and then canned them up because no one else wanted them. I love tomatoes any other way – sliced, diced, raw, sauced – oh wait, that’s me! So anyway, they often got picked around at dinner. Now, as an adult, I am laughing at myself because I still can’t open a can of stewed tomatoes. I just can’t. But who needs them? Like I said, there are so many ways to eat tomatoes. This recipe can go a few ways. It can be a jalapeño type salsa made with lime juice or red wine vinegar, or turn it into a salad with feta and orzo. But the number one tip is to us the best ingredients you can since everything is fresh. I also prefer to use grape tomatoes since they hold their shape better when mixing everything together, but use diced if you prefer. This one was made to go with a swordfish dinner we were having. It was so good, that I had to break it out again from the fridge a few days later, and have some as an appetizer. Love you mom!

balsamic tomato salsa

1/2 pint of organic red grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 pint of organic golden grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 pint of kalamata olives, sliced (or any combination of olives)
1/2 English cucumber, peeled and diced
6 scallions, sliced
2 Fresno chilis, sliced
10 basil leaves, julienned
3 TB Aged balsamic vinegar (not your run of the mill balsamic vinegar)
1 TB extra virgin olive oil
pinch crushed red pepper
kosher salt and ground black pepper

get started on the salsa:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add the pinch of crushed red pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

hot pepper vinegar

October 5, 2013 by flavorsmack

Canning and pickling are not in my wheelhouse. My sister seems to have inherited those abilities, and spends nights and weekends filling her pantry (and possibly under her bed!) with all sorts of canned goods. I just can’t be bothered with all that boiling and worrying about top popping failures. I got sh*t to do. But when the end of a season comes for certain vegetables, something inside of me still wants to buy massive amounts of veggies and save them. So I’ve since found a happy medium. Easy refrigerator pickles are my answer to canning. I get the pretty jar, and the goodies inside for a few weeks, and I feel like I have accomplished something. Ok, so I don’t have a stocked pantry, but that is what sisters are for, right?
So while at the farmers market recently, I had in mind to buy some cute patty pan squash and pickle them, but since I know nothing about seasons, they didn’t have any. I then saw a full basket of assorted of hot peppers – jalapeños, Habanero, Thai chile peppers – you name it. They were calling me. Some people may call it a twisted sense of joy, but I wanted to buy them all. I refrained, but only because I knew I was just going to try making one jar of this vinegar recipe. The big question loomed if the vinegar would truly be tasty, or would turn out to be liquid fire. I was pleasantly surprised. I think adding in some milder chiles helped, plus I didn’t slice into the Habanero (I don’t know what came over me?). Since making them, I’ve made a quick vinaigrette, tossed the diced peppers into meals, and of course daring my kids to eat them like pickles.

hot pepper vinegar (adapted from Cooking Light June 2013)

4 cups hot chile peppers
4 garlic cloves, halved
1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
2 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

get started on the vinegar:

Slice 6-8 peppers in half lengthwise. Layer and arrange the peppers and garlic in a 1-quart glass jar. Combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Do not let mixture evaporate too much. Pour vinegar mixture over peppers. Cool to room temperature (so jar doesn’t break). Cover and refrigerate at least 1 week.

italian sausage tortellini soup

September 14, 2013 by flavorsmack

Summer vacation is over and school is back in session, so it is time for my behind to get into the swing of dinner planning with the onslaught of homework, practices, and oh yeah…life. Some people treat the new year as a time for resolutions, but my resolutions have always come during vacation time. I always seem to reflect over that time as to what I can do better or change when I get back. This year on vacation, I decided that it was a goal of mine to really try and plan better for a variety of breakfasts for my kids as well as dinner, since it is often just the three of us eating. I will always have my boxes of mac and cheese at my disposal, but I really wanted to try and cook for all of us this year and not for just the kids. But cooking dinner for just three people, two of whom are under 5 feet tall, is another task. It requires being able to chop onions and trying to remember (and explain) what makes a prime number prime. It also, at times, has you stirring at the stove, all the while instilling fear of what’s to come, because someone was mimicking her brother and so he decided to retaliate with a body slam. I love dinner time during the week. It’s chaotic. But it is a time to savor. You learn so much just sitting and talking. So that is what drives me to plan better, and hope that all the other commitments don’t get in the way (I know I am dreaming). So after doing the guilty pleasure this weekend of perusing Pinterest (I really feel guilty at the amount of time you spend on that site!), I found a recipe that I knew the kids and I would like because of the tortellini, so I made it this week. I loved this soup, and it doesn’t suck up all the broth like some do after putting it in the fridge. I definitely would make this again – and hope that no body slams or nerf injuries occur next time I make it.

italian sausage tortellini soup (adapted from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com)

1 lb. italian sausage, mild or hot
2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried basil
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, chopped into quarter rounds
1 bay leaf
crushed red pepper
kosher salt and pepper
8 cups chicken stock
2 (15) oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb frozen chopped leaf spinach, thawed
2 (9) oz pkg of refrigerated tortellini
grated Parmesan cheese – optional

get started on the tortellini soup:

In a large pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil. Remove the casings from the sausage and place in the pot. With a wooden spoon, break apart the sausage into bite size pieces. Brown the sausage until almost cooked through. Add the chopped onion, garlic and dried basil. Cook until the onions are turning opaque, about 4 minutes.

Add in the zucchini, bay leaf, a couple pinches of crushed red pepper (amount depends if you use mild or hot sausage), salt and pepper to taste. Stir everything to combine. Add broth and the diced tomatoes and simmer for 3 – 5 minutes. Add the thawed spinach and stir. Taste broth and adjust seasoning if needed.