Kari’s Kick Ass Corn and Avocado Salsa
August 21, 2011
My notes: Need I say more? When you are in the mood to give somebody a butt whooping, this is what you serve them. And they’ll thank you for it. Kari made this salsa for us last summer us before I tested it out on myself. She unmercifully did not turn down the heat. “I knew you could handle it,” she said with a knowing eye and a 
. Yes, thanks Kari for sharing what I consider to be the best salsa I have ever tasted. You really kicked my Midwestern bootie!
In my version (below) I turned down the heat a bit and upped the ratio of corn and tomatoes to avocados. This salsa is a gorgeous and healthy way to incorporate plenty of fresh summer produce into your cooking. It’s essentially a pico de gallo with avocado, sauteed corn, and a little cumin added in.
Kari’s Kick Ass Corn and Avocado Salsa (recipe adapted from Kari Hornfeldt)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- fresh corn cut from 3 cobs
- kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 large cloves minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups chopped tomato
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 2 medium sized jalapeno peppers, minced with seeds (use more jalapenos for extra heat)
- 1 cup chopped cilantro, packed
- 3 avocados, chopped
Directions
Do ahead up to a day before: Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and sauté corn. Some of the kernels will start to brown. Add kosher salt to taste. Transfer to a medium sized bowl to cool. (shortcut: use 2 1/2 cups Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn.)
Make the dressing: In a small bowl whisk together the apple cider vinegar, lime juice, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and cumin.
In a large mixing bowl combine corn, garlic, tomato, red onion, jalapenos, and cilantro. Add dressing to the other ingredients and mix. Let the flavors meld for at least a half hour.
Just before serving: Add chopped avocado. Toss lightly and serve with tortilla chips.
Ideas: If you like this recipe try Guacamole Salad. I also enjoy Salsa Verde. Check out my top 9 recipes that use fresh herbs.
What’s oishii? “Oishii” (pronounced “oy she”) is the Japanese word for delicious. I love sharing great recipes I discover from popular restaurants, cookbooks, food magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, etc.), tv shows, friends, family, and other blogs. I also develop my own. Please contact me if there is a recipe you would like the test kitchen to consider: michaelwbeyer@hotmail.com
Now it’s your turn. Do you have a salsa recipe that would kick our butts? If you enjoyed this post, we would love to hear from you! Please leave feedback in the comments section below. -Michael
Your Classic Bread-and-Butter Pickles
August 17, 2010
Your Classic Bread-and-Butter Pickles (recipe adapted from “Quick Pickles Easy Recipes with Big Flavor,” by Chris Schlesinger, John Willoughby, and Dan George)
My notes: I had my “moment” at the Galena farmers market over the weekend. I scored a 13 pound box of pickles for $3.00. I was so excited and knew exactly what I was going to make.
For me bread and butter pickles are wrapped up in fond memories of a beloved grandmother. My emotions unspooled as I started making them last night. My Grandma Beyer was most famous in our family for making dill pickes, but my favorite was always her bread and butters. These pickles taste the same as the ones she used to make. I’m in pickle heaven and Grandma would be happy to know that.
Please feel free to post links to your favorite pickle recipes in the comments below.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds pickling cucumbers (less than 5 inches long)
- 3 medium onions (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 4 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
- 3 cups cider vinegar
- 2 1/2 cups brown sugar
Preparation
Trim and discard the blossom ends of the cucumbers, then peel the onions and cut both into rounds less than 1/4″ thick. In a nonreactive bowl, toss them with the salt, then cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Drain well, rinse, drain again, and then set the cucumbers and onions aside.
In a nonreactive pot, combine all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring once or twice to dissolve the brown sugar. Reduce the heat to low, simmer for 3 minutes, and then pour the liquid over the cucumbers and onions. The cucumbers should be amply covered or slightly afloat.
Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. These pickles have good flavor as soon as they are cool, but the flavor will deepen if you let them sit for 24 hours. They will keep, covered and refrigerated, for a month or more. Recipe adapted from “Quick Pickles Easy Recipes with Big Flavor.”
What’s oishii? “Oishii” (pronounced “oy she”) is the Japanese word for delicious. I love sharing great recipes I discover from popular restaurants, cookbooks, food magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, etc.), tv shows, friends, family, and other blogs. I also develop my own. Please contact me if there is a recipe you would like the test kitchen to review: michaelwbeyer@hotmail.com
