Appetizers, Dinner, Lactose Free, Mexican, Recipes, Sauces, Summertime Meal, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tomatillo Salsa Cruda

February 14, 2024

This beautiful salsa is so refreshing and very easy to put together. It compliments a wide range of dishes: tacos, scrambled eggs, burritos, quesadillas, tortilla chips and grilled chicken. And since you do not need to cook any of the ingredients you can make this in a jiffy.

This recipe comes from Fermin Nunez, voted best new chef in 2021 by Food & Wine magazine. It caught my attention not only because I love Mexican cuisine, but also because it seemed easy to make. I knew it would be delicious served with tacos I planned for dinner. A little tart from the tomatillos and lime juice, a little spicy from the chiles, this salsa cruda (raw sauce) is delightful.

After a little chopping, everything goes into the food processor for a quick whirl. Lime juice, olive oil and salt are stirred in to balance the flavors. That’s it. The salsa is ready to be served.

Tomatillo based salsas go hand in hand with braised pork tacos and any style of tortilla chips.

Tomatillo Salsa Cruda

Recipe by Kiyo

Servings

servings

Adapted from Food & Wine magazine

Ingredients

12 ounces (about 2 1/2 cups) fresh tomatillos, husked, washed and roughly chopped
4 ounces (about 3/4 cup) red onion, roughly chopped
1 cup packed fresh cilantro (from 1 medium bunch)
2 ounces (2 medium) jalapeños, stemmed and roughly chopped
1 ounce (2) scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped
1/8 ounce (1 medium or 1 1/2 tablespoons) serrano chile, stemmed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Directions

Pulse tomatillos, onion, cilantro, jalapeños, scallions, and serrano chile in a food processor until finely chopped, 12-16 pulses, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in olive oil, lime juice, and salt. Season with additional salt to taste.

Notes

For a milder salsa, remove the pith from the chiles. Salsa will keep well for up to 3 days stored in the refrigerator.

Bread, Cheese, Dinner, Japanese, Recipes, Sandwiches

Japanese Ham Rolls

February 6, 2024

While watching YouTube cooking shows one afternoon, my husband and I came upon Japanese Cooking 101 by Noriko and Yuko. We were impressed by their many interesting recipes as well as the relative simplicity of the recipes. The one that instantly intrigued us was their ham roll. Apparently, most Japanese bakeries offer some version of this tasty roll. The rolls are pillowy, tender and just plain delicious. For a video of how to make the rolls, visit Japanese Cooking 101.

You can make the rolls with just ham, or add some cheese (grated or very thin slices) as we chose to do. Just be sure the ham and cheese are not too thick so you can roll them up easily. The topping of thinly sliced onions adds lots of flavor to each bite. Feel free to use a red or white onion. The finishing touches are a combination of Kewpie mayo and mustard which is drizzled over the top and dusted with aonori (dried green seaweed flakes) before the rolls are baked. We have also used a mixed dried herb dusting with good results as well as toasted sesame seeds.

Once the dough has risen it is divided into 8 pieces which are formed into balls. Cover the dough balls and let rest for 20 minutes before rolling out.

When rolling out the dough try to make a rectangular shape (about 4 1/2 by 7-inches) slightly larger than your ham slices. This makes it easier to roll the dough into an even shape.

Place some of the cheese (if using) on the rolled out dough followed by a slice of ham. If the ham is too large cut it to fit the dough. If too small, cut extra pieces to fill in the empty space. Keep the border of the dough free of ingredients.

Once the cheese and ham are layered on the dough, roll up from the short end and pinch the dough together to seal.

Next, bend the dough over and pinch the two edges together.

Push the dough down to flatten slightly.

With a sharp knife, make a vertical cut leaving 1-inch uncut at the side where the dough has been pinched together.

Gently open up the dough and lay cut side up on a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue with the remaining dough balls. Cover the baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel or the lid that sometimes comes with baking sheets. Let dough rise for about 45 minutes and up to 1 hour until doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, brush an egg or egg white wash (we like to use dried egg white powder) over the rolls. Squeeze a bit of mayo-mustard mixture over the tops of the rolls. Scatter onions over the top along with aonori, dried herbs of your choice or sesame seeds. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

These ham rolls are spectacular just out of the oven. Eat them while they are still warm. In the rare case you have leftovers, freeze them for that rainy day when you’re craving a satisfying snack.