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More Ways to Work A Strawberry: An Unexpected Recipe
2/10/2009 9:56:01 PM You've probably never tried strawberry salsa. It sounds weird and tastes unexpectedly delicious. I tried the recipe two ways: 1) as a salsa for tortilla chips 2) as a salad with grilled avocados.

Strawberry Salsa
Recipe from Epicurious.com



1 fresh serrano or jalapeño chili
1 cup finely chopped strawberries
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar if desired

six 5-inch corn tortillas
vegetable oil for frying
2 firm-ripe avocados (preferably California)

Wearing rubber gloves, remove stems, seeds, and ribs from chili and chop fine.

In a bowl stir together chili and remaining salsa ingredients. Salsa may be made several hours ahead and chilled, covered.

Stack tortillas and cut them in half. Cut stacks crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips and in a heavy skillet heat 1/2 inch oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Working in three batches, fry tortilla strips until crisp and golden, about 30 seconds, and with a slotted spoon transfer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle fried tortilla strips with salt to taste.

Halve avocados, removing pits, and peel. Slice each half lengthwise into 6 wedges and fan onto 4 salad plates.

Spoon about 1/3 cup strawberry salsa over each avocado fan and mound crispy tortilla strips alongside.

Strawberry Salsa with Grilled Avocados

Follow the same recipe but prepare it with grilled avocados. To grill the avocados, remove the pit carefully and brush them with a mixture of honey and olive oil. Place them, skin side down, on the grill until the skin becomes slightly charred. Turn them over and grill the flesh for about 2 minutes.

Gone Pickin'
2/10/2009 9:56:20 PMI pass a U-Pick farm on my way to work every morning. It’s always caught my eye but, not knowing how to cook, I never paid too much attention to it.

My skills in the kitchen have been improving. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still making blunders- the latest one a small fire in my oven that started when, without noticing, I dropped some tomatoes and olive oil onto the bottom.

But I’m at the point now where the kitchen has come alive.

I look forward to the prepping and chopping just so I can improve my skills. At the supermarket, I take my time in the produce isle, wondering what I can make with artichokes. (P.S. I found this great recipe in Bon Appetit for fried artichokes with a dipping sauce- stay tuned) And I window shop at Williams Sonoma, dreaming of owning my very own cherry red Kitchen Aide mixer someday.

This is what New York Times food columnist, Mark Bittman, calls the zen of cooking- the point where the chore turns into passion.

Last Saturday afternoon was a good one. One of those cool days- no humidity, sunny clear blue skies. I was sitting in my living room reading through my cookbook and picking out the recipes I’d be making that week. I looked out the window, asking myself, why am I not outside?

Then I read, “When cooking, the quality of ingredients is important. Fresh, locally grown produce is best.” That’s all it took. I got in my car intent on picking strawberries from the farm.

The U-Pick farm is lined with rows and rows of tomatoes, onions, herbs, strawberries, flowers. There are families with little kids laughing, screaming and running around. (If you’ve got kids, I recommend you find a U-Pick in your area, they love it.) It smells like dirt and sun and when you crouch down to pick the berries, you can hear the honey bees buzzing on them.

The people who run the farm stand are warm, friendly people. If you chat them up a bit, they’ll give you cooking tips and tell you how to store the produce you bought. All they charged me was $7. Not bad for a heaping quart of strawberries and a bunch of flowers that probably would have cost me a fortune at Whole Foods.

Making Your Very Own Farm Fresh Strawberry Milk Shake
2/10/2009 9:56:39 PMIf you’ve never tasted a strawberry from a U-Pick farm, you’re missing out. They’re a taste of heaven- sweeter and juicier than the kind you buy at the supermarket. The sun must work it’s magic on them. When you've brought your berries home, there's only one thing you'll want to do: make a fresh milkshake. Here's how to make your *ahem* berry own:

Step 1:

Once you've brought your strawberries home, sort through the container and separate out and spoiled or mushy ones. Rinse the berries with the caps still on under a gentle stream of cold water. To prevent them from absorbing too much water you can place them in a salad spinner.

Step 2:

Forget the fancy techniques- we're not trying to win Iron Chef here-and hull the strawberries by pulling off the leaves and cutting off the caps. Then chop them into small pieces

Step 3:

Once you've chopped the strawberries, lay them out on a cookie sheet and place them in the freezer for an hour. I know, I know that's a long time to wait, but trust me this makes all the difference.


Step 4:

Add the frozen strawberries into the blender with 4-5 tablespoons of sugar, 1 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. You can adjust the milk and cream depending on whether you want a creamier, thicker shake or if you've got a large group to make shakes for. I used skim milk  because that's what I had in the fridge, but whole milk makes a better shake. This isn't really a health-concious treat. Might as well enjoy. Blend the strawberries for about a minute or until the shake is at a consistency that you're happy with.

Step 5:

Pour the shake into a big cup, garnish with whip cream and your favorite toppings. I used vanilla wafers because I like the crunch but you can use sprinkles, chocolate shavings, caramel syrup or anything else that makes you happy. Serve a shake for a friend or loved one and enjoy.



I made a shake to cheer up my sister who had spent the day in bed with the flu.

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