I rode by Mami Nora’s Raleigh location on Wake Forest Road probably more than 100 times, always wondering about its Peruvian cuisine and if it’s interior was as funky as its bright yellow and red exterior. I finally decided to stop in for lunch a couple of weeks ago and have been back twice since then (one of those visits was to its Cary location). So far, I have loved almost everything I’ve ordered.
My good friend PJ gifted me with a bunch of homegrown tomatoes in August, and I decided to can them using my spicy salsa recipe. If you live near Raleigh, there’s still time to make this wonderful salsa to enjoy later, but you’ll want to do so in the next couple of weeks.
I’ve made this salsa several times (it was Richard’s favorite), but for some reason this version has been my favorite so far. Maybe it’s because I decided to add a little bit of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes, or used a mixture of hot peppers from my own garden, but I love how it’s zesty but won’t make your taste buds scream for relief. You can always add more hot sauce if desired.
When I went to open my first jar of this tasty salsa, I realized I didn’t have any tortilla chips. As luck would have it, I had a whole package of corn tortillas, so decided to make my own. This is so easy – three ingredients, pop them in the oven for 10-12 minutes and, viola, you have tasty chips that cost much less than store-bought ones. And much better than most of them as well!
Here’s a great and cheesy pie (or quiche, if you will), full of healthy spinach and mushrooms. You can use a regular deep dish pie crust if you want, but I think you will absolutely love the crispy hash potato crust instead. I used Egg Beaters® for the pie filling this time, but you can substitute it with 3 large eggs.
This dish is as tasty as it is colorful and is perfect for a meatless Monday meal. I like to have it for breakfast as well — just pop it in the microwave oven for a minute or so and serve it with some fruit salad.
Yes, it’s true — homemade marinara sauce is much better than any of the jarred stuff you get at the grocery store. By using fresh ingredients, you control what goes into it, especially sodium, sugar and preservatives. I have to admit that I normally use canned whole tomatoes whenever I make marinara sauce, especially in the winter. But not this year, with the canning kick I’ve been on. Yes, canning is a lot of work, but totally worth it. Creating Italian dishes when it’s cold outside, using the marinara sauce I preserved in the summer, just makes the recipes taste better!
I love this spicy marinara sauce as a basis for spaghetti and meatballs, pasta puttanesca, eggplant parm, lasagna – any recipe that requires a nice and spicy tomato-based sauce. BTW, it is superb on its own! Feel free to add other ingredients to the sauce as desired, such as diced carrots, Worcestershire sauce, other spices, etc.
My grandparents turned me on to store-bought spicy pickled peaches years and years ago. I think the peaches were packed into the jars whole, pit and all, but I won’t swear on that. I just remember how great these peaches tasted!
If you’ve been reading my blog lately, you know I’m on a canning kick and promised to share some of my most successful recipes. If you live in the Southeast, you know that peaches are in full season (yaaaaaaaah!) and just ready to be eaten by themselves, on cereal or yogurt, or made into cobblers, pies and bellinis.
For the first time ever, I canned fresh peaches and tried to make them spicy and sweet like those I enjoyed with Mamma and Pampa. And I loved the results for my initial try. While the peaches are naturally sweet, the cinnamon, allspice and cloves add such a wonderful spicy and warm flavor.
Make sure to use ripe but firm peaches, firmness being the key here. If you buy a bucket of peaches at a farmer’s market or fruit stand, inspect each peach — you don’t want the ones that are too soft (at least to preserve.)
With summer coming to an end, now is the time to start canning some of your favorite vegetables and fruits to enjoy in colder months soon upon us. If you’ve never canned before, it truly is quite easy. All you need are some basic supplies and tools, fresh produce and spices, adequate time and a little bit of patience. You and your family will be rewarded for your work in the end!
The great thing about canning is that you know exactly what is going into each jar. You can control the salt and sugar to some degree. And homemade canned food makes great gifts — I always love receiving jellies, salsas, pickles, etc. from my friends!
If you read my recent Blueberry Bliss blog, here’s how to make my Berry-Berry Infused Vodka as promised, along with a recipe for a great mojito-type cocktail. This is so incredibly refreshing and the mint pairs nicely with the berries. For those who have followed my blog for a while, you may remember that I like to come up with different flavors of mojitos each summer, using fresh mint out of my garden. Previous posts have featured a great pineapple mojito as well as a refreshing cucumber-melon one.
I traditionally use rum instead of vodka in my mojitos, but I’ve been on an infused vodka kick of late (click here for some of my other homemade vodka-infused delights.) So I decided to go with vodka for a change and just added some mint to it to make it mojito-ready. The result was outstanding — a nice, sweet berry taste with some cool hints of refreshing mint. And this berry-berry vodka doesn’t have to be used just for mojitos – you can make a cool chilled martini or just mix it with club soda or tonic water and lots of ice.
I had the great fortune to be a media judge this week at the Fire in the Triangle Competition Dining Series quarterfinal battle (lucky, lucky, lucky me!) If you’re not familiar with this Iron Chef-style competition, it is part of the Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series, a statewide event that showcases emerging North Carolina culinary talent and celebrates North Carolina’s agricultural bounty in a fun, festive setting. And yes, I can attest that it was both fun and festive, and I had a great time with all of my tablemates!
I was lucky to be invited to my friend Don’s organic blueberry farm the other day. It is not yet open to the public (maybe next year) so I agreed not to mention the location at this time. There were four of us who went and we had a great time visiting and picking (and eating) the sweet blueberries.
This was the first time I had picked blueberries, and it is much easier than picking strawberries, where you have to bend over the entire time. I got some great pointers on how to freeze some of my harvest, which was right at four pounds. Just line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, arrange unwashed blueberries in a single layer and freeze them for several hours or overnight. Place them in plastic bags, removing as much air as possible to avoid freezer burn, and date the bags. The reason you don’t wash them until you are ready to use them is because washing can result in a tougher skinned product. (I had no idea!)
Those of you who follow my blog know I love soup, especially chilled ones in the heat of the summer. Here’s a recipe I’ve been working on for a nice and refreshing cantaloupe and ginger soup. The sweetness of the cantaloupe and the spiciness of the ginger go fantastic together. Add some tangy citrus to the mix (I used freshly squeezed orange juice), a few mint leaves and some smooth and creamy Greek yogurt, and you have a savory chilled soup that’s perfect as a first course or just by itself.
Now here’s the fun part, especially if you are looking for a cool and refreshing summer drink. All you have to do is take your “soup” and mix it with some vodka in an ice-filled shaker. Strain it into a martini or margarita glass, and voila! A great fruity and savory cocktail that is sure to please. Don’t you just love multitasking?
Kel's Cafe of All Things Food 