Suzi’s Blog
Orange, Tomato and Chive Salsa
I don’t work at Barnes and Noble but I do shop there. When you first enter the store, there is often a rack of “special” books that you may overlook. They always have modest prices. They always have a distinct size or cover. You might pass right by, but if you see The Complete Mexican by Jane Milton, Jenni Fleetwood, and Marina Filippelli, grab a copy. It’s filled with recipes that simply don’t “look” like the ones you are used to. You’ll gain a very new perspective on Mexican fare.
For example, salsa. Salsa? Most of the time we make our salsa with some — but not necessarily all — of a core set of ingredients: tomatoes, chilies, onion, cilantro.
Here’s a twist. Keep the tomato, but ditch the other stuff. Use oranges and chives instead! Yes, it sounds almost bizarrely different. But, it’s delicious. I had this as a side dish with a Mexican trout — blog to come! — and it was brightly flavorful.
One note here. You dice up the tomato and oranges. There’s a lot of fluid running around. This dish is best made just before the meal. And, no, it really does not last overnight in the fridge. In that sense, it seems to be a very authentic “make it now and eat it now” dish.
Orange, Tomato and Chive Salsa
Yield: Serves 4 as a side dish
- 2 large, sweet oranges
- 1 beefsteak tomato, or 2 plum tomatoes
- Bunch of fresh chives [mine were right of the garden!]
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
Preparation:
Slice the base off each orange so they will stand firmly on a chopping board. Using a large sharp knife, remove the peel by slicing from the top to the bottom of each orange.
Working over a bowl, segment each orange in turn. Slice toward the middle of the fruit, and slightly tone side of a segment, and then gently twist the knife to release the orange segment. Squeeze any juice form the remaining membrane.
Roughly chop the orange segments and them to the bowl of collected orange juice. Halve the tomato, and scoop the meat into the bowl. Dice the remaining flesh of each tomato half and add to the bowl.
Hold the bunch of chives over the bowl, and use scissors to snip them in short pieces over the bowl.
Thinly slice the garlic and stir into the mixture. Pour in the olive oil, then season with salt. Stir, taste, and adjust to meet your needs.
Source: The Complete Mexican by Jane Milton, Jenni Fleetwood, and Marina Filippelli
Outrageous Chocolate Cookies from Martha Stewart
If you want to make to make chocolate cookies, you have some options. You can use semi-sweet chocolate, or bitter, or cocoa, or … You can use them all! At once. In the same cookie.
I hate to put this statement here but my lawyer insists: If you have sensitivity to caffeine, this recipe should be used only with clearance from your personal physician.
Lawyers and doctors aside, this cookie is dense and chocolaty and just incredible. There is a shock value to the cookie. It is soft and chewy so that you are suckered into devouring that first bite. And then your body is aware is you have just consumed your normal daily allotment of chocolate, all in that first bite. Suzen has served these cookies to dozens of people and there is always an immediate, stunned expression on the face. Followed by a smile!
No human can eat six of these at a time — I’ve tried and failed. The overpowering flavor will satisfy you in a cookie or two.
The cookies are soft, but they provide options. Use them to make an ice cream sandwich, then put in the freezer to harden. A rich vanilla or mint ice cream would be ideal. Chocolate ice cream? According to my lawyer, you are then personally responsible.
Outrageous Chocolate Cookies
Yield: About 3 dozen using a 1-ounce scoop
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 8 tablespoons [1 stick] unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 package (12 ounces) bitter-sweet chocolate chunks
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until almost melted, do not overheat. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder baking powder, and salt.
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.
Place dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets, slightly flatten. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in center 8 to 10 minutes.* Cool on sheets 10 minutes, with a thin spatula transfer to rack to cool completely.
Do not bake the cookies to a crisp; they are meant to be soft and chewy.
Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart Magazine
