Citrus and Secrets

 

Let's get this out of the way.  I'm not a big fan of citrus.  Okay, let me revise that.  I'm not a fan of eating oranges, tangerines or grapefruit out of hand.  That skin that surround each section, the dry white pith - no thank you!  I feel like I could chew it for days and it would never break down and that just plain grosses me out.  It once took me a whole 30 minutes to eat a clementine because I had to peel the skin off each section just to get to the tasty juicy parts.

People think I'm crazy.

I have no problem with orange juice - except maybe the really pulpy stuff - or the flavor of any citrus.  I obsess over cakes made using an entire citrus fruit, rind, pith and all.  I'm all for infusing spirits with the bright color and flavor of blood oranges.  Supreming or segmenting citrus and tossing into salads is a-okay too.  It's just that skin.  It, well, gets under my skin.

But this relish or salsa or whatever you want to call it, I would never turn my nose up at it.  It's bright, refreshing and a welcome change from the standby guacamole.  And really, it comes from Oprah, and who would say no to that woman?  Not I!  (Even if we did serendipitously end up camping a few sites away from her in Yosemite and she didn't come and share cocktails with us.)


Citrus Avocado Salsa
Adapted from O Magazine, December 2010

Originally, this recipe called for pomegranates, but since those are no longer in season, I substituted a variety of oranges for color contrast and differing levels of acidity.  Also, loving avocados as much as I do, I doubled up on the amount of avocado called for and opted for the more potent heat of a serrano chile.  Oprah made a convert out of this orange hater, and I think you'll love this salsa too.  It's quite lovely with pomegranates, so keep it in mind when their season comes back around. 

Makes at least 4 cups

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 oranges (I used 2 blood oranges, 2 cara cara and 2 navels for variety)
2 medium avocados, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2/3 cup diced red onion
1 serrano chile, seeds and ribs removed, minced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, salt and pepper until salt dissolves.

Remove all skin, white pith, and seeds from the oranges, reserving any juice that's squeezed out in the process. Drain juice into a measuring cup and set aside. Cut orange segments into 1/2-inch pieces and add to bowl containing lime juice.

Add the avocado, red onion, jalapeño, green onion, and cilantro to the bowl.  Gently fold the ingredients together, being careful to not mash the avocados. Add reserved orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until salsa is moist but not soupy. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and set aside for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld. Serve at room temperature with tortilla chips.

Super Dip

Perhaps you'd like to be the star of your Super Bowl party?  Perhaps you'd like to make a few new friends?  Then boy do I have just the thing for you!

Take it from me, I don't even care about things like the Super Bowl, but when it comes to a 4 hour span of snacking on a smorgasbord of goodies, I'm your gal.  This is when people pull out the big guns of finger food munchies, really go all out, and I can't turn down opportunities like that.

I can't remember how I stumbled upon this recipe - tastespotting is a likely candidate, though - but it had me scrambling to the fridge within 5 minutes to check what I needed to buy to MAKE THIS RIGHT NOW.  I know my picture is probably not really doing that for you right now in all it's washed out and blobby glory, but I bet if I would have just stuck a few radish slices on top and then told you about it tangy, crunchy, garlicky, earthy flavor that might motivate you some.  There's dill and lemon and the bite of garlic at the end and all of that is studded with hot pink radish chunks that could only improve if you manage to find the rare spicy ones.

I'm telling you, you have a hit on your hands here, what you choose to do with it is up to you.


Radish Dip
Adapted from Lick my Spoon

This dip gives you options and I've already tweaked it a bit from the original by adding an additional clove of garlic - more garlic is never a bad thing - and about 3 times as much dill because I love both of those flavors.  Go ahead and use Neufchatel for a lower fat option, with everything else going on flavor wise, no one will be able to tell the difference.  I obviously dipped to my heart's content with tortilla chips (serious addiction over here), but Lick my Spoon says Frito's Scoops are the way to go.  I won't tell if you pick fresh veggies, though.

1 cup diced radishes
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced

Put all ingredients in a bowl stir until completely mixed.  Serve with chips or veggies.

Giddy Up, Cowboy!

It's only Tuesday, and already I'm thinking about the weekend.  The reality of school starting again and attending full time is just that much closer now that it's officially August and the start of classes is 3 weeks away.  It's planning mode.  Cram as much of summer as I can into the next 20 days.  There are beach days, and mini vacations, and BBQs to attend.  There are afternoon happy hours and pools that I must find.  The next 20 days are one extended weekend and I need to make the most of it.  Because after that, I'm going to be bogged down with Chemistry, drowning in Statistics and up to my knees in Psychology (yeah, I obviously leave all the fun classes for last), and really, that sounds like the opposite of summer to me.

What I can see as being a part of my extended weekend is Texas Caviar.  Oddly named and not fish derived in the least this black eyed pea mixture is also sometimes called Cowboy Caviar - though it's not made from cowboys either.  It's sort of a half pickled chunky bean dip, best scooped up with tortilla chips.  You know, it's one of those casual dips where there are approximately a million variation on the idea, but this is the version I hold dear.  Sometimes there's Italian dressing (erm, no thanks, I don't even keep bottled dressing in the house), sometimes different colored peppers, sometimes corn, but this is the version that I first had, a few Labor days ago soaking in the hot hot sun at the beach, and it's the one I'll probably always prefer.  Heavier on lime juice and vinegar with only a touch of olive oil, smoky depth from cumin and crunchy bell peppers studded throughout.  And don't forget about the freshly minced garlic.  It's like pico de gallo's older hippy sister.  By which I mean it's sort of a salsa, but healthier and more complete.

Now pass the tortilla chips, please.


Texas Caviar

Like I said above, this is the version I prefer but it's by no means the one and only.  Feel free to play around with the flavors; use a different red bell pepper for something a bit sweeter, a serrano (or two) for more heat, add more olive oil. There's just enough liquid after it sits for a few hours that it makes a good dip, but not so much you couldn't serve this as a salad.

makes 4-5 cups

1-15oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, diced

1 medium (or 2 roma) tomato, chopped

About 4 or 5 thinly sliced green onions
Chopped Cilantro - about 1/2 bunch.
1 minced and seeded jalapeno

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 minced garlic cloves

Ground cumin to taste - about 1/2 teaspoon to start

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Fresh lime juice, to taste, about 1

Mix all ingredients together and let marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.