I always look forward to this time of year. Across South Valley,
gardens are brimming with a bounty of fruits and vegetables.
I always look forward to this time of year. Across South Valley, gardens are brimming with a bounty of fruits and vegetables.
If your garden space is too small, or your thumb is not green, the local farmers market and farms stands can easily fill your needs. My favorite items at this time of the year are fresh tomatoes and peppers. Both of them are well deserving of some space on your grill where they will become wonderful appetizers.
I have a love-hate relationship with tomatoes. I love the flavor, texture and color of good vine-ripened tomatoes. I do not like tomatoes when I want to add them to something during the winter, and they are lifeless and almost cardboard-like.
This time of year, when tomatoes are at their peak, should be cherished. Tomatoes that have been ripened on the vine have a superior flavor and a large amount of natural sugar.
Tomatoes from the grocery store and the ones vine-ripened and fresh from the plant are not the same. Even though many tomatoes for fresh consumption come from the Central Valley, a relatively short shipping distance, they are still picked before they have ripened.
Summer-grown tomatoes at the grocery store still have a bit more flavor than the tomatoes found in the grocery store during the winter. The best place to obtain tomatoes during the summer are at the your local farmers market or farm stand. It is well worth the trip and the extra effort. The explosion of true tomato flavor and sweet juice is something that cannot be missed during the summer months.
The grill is very welcoming to tomatoes. In fact, tomatoes from the grill are the foundation of one of those favorite appetizers, salsa. Have you noticed darker or almost blackened fragments of tomatoes, peppers or onions in your salsa? That is because the salsa you were served is a fire-roasted salsa.
Fire roasting the ingredients for salsa serves two purposes. The first purpose is to remove the skin from the tomatoes and peppers. The direct heat of the fire causes the skin to blister slightly and loosen on the tomato. Once the skin is blistered, it peels off very easily. The second purpose is the addition of flavor. Fire roasting the tomatoes and the peppers for salsa adds a different dimension of flavor. It adds slight smokiness and also mellows some of the spice of the pepper. When fire roasting onions for the salsa, they develop sweetness and lose their sharp bite.
My relationship with peppers isn’t love-hate, but it runs the spectrum from confident to fearful. Peppers can be a little scary if you don’t know the level of their spice. I do like spicy things, but I draw the line when the spice overpowers the flavor of the pepper.
Peppers found in the grocery store can be very good. The flesh of peppers is firm and shelf stable. Their sugar and color have had a chance to develop before they are harvested. When you choose peppers at the grocery store, you can be sure the product is of good quality. It is important to inspect them to see if they have been on the shelf too long. The skin of a pepper should be smooth and firm. If the pepper looks like it has started to become wrinkled and soft, it should be avoided.
Fire-roasted peppers have always been part of the Mediterranean culture. They are served in sandwiches, on pizza and are probably most commonly found on antipasto trays. The best peppers to use for these fine dishes are sweet red bell peppers. Fire roasting peppers cooks the flesh of the pepper, thereby making them more pleasant to the tooth. Just like tomatoes, it also serves to remove the skin and add flavor.
With a little bit of fire roasting, two jewels of summer can become a wonderful centerpiece to your appetizer menu. Serve the fire-roasted salsa with some tortilla chips. Consider frying your own tortilla chips for the freshest flavor. Serve the fire-roasted peppers with hearty crackers. The addition of fresh mozzarella is a beautiful complement to the complexity of fire roasted peppers. Become creative! Use the fire-roasted salsa and fire-roasted peppers in some of your other favorite meals. Their flavors cannot be beat!
Fire Roasted Salsa
From Mitch Mariani
Makes about 3 cups
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes (or 1 1/2 – 2 pounds)
1 medium red onion
1 jalapeño pepper
1 tsp. minced cilantro
1/4 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
salt and pepper to taste
tortilla chips
Step 1: Slice the tomatoes at their equator and remove the seeds. Slice the red onion approximately 1/2-inch thick. Pierce through the slices with a toothpick. This will prevent the sliced onion from separating on the grill.
Step 2: Over a hot fire, begin by grilling the jalapeño pepper. After the pepper begins to blister, add the onion to the grill. Continue grilling for about 3-4 minutes. Turn the onion and add the tomato to the grill, skin side down. Continue grilling until the pepper is blistered on all sides, the onion has become slightly softer and started to carmelize and the tomato skin has begun to loosen. Transfer everything into a large bowl. Be careful not to lose any juices from the tomatoes or pepper. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the vegetables to cool and sweat.
Step 3: Remove all the vegetables from the bowl and reserve the accumulated liquid. Remove the skin and core from the tomato. Remove the skin, stem and seeds from the jalapeño. Remove the toothpicks from the onions. Rough chop the tomatoes and onions. Finely mince the jalapeño.
Step 4: Add the chopped tomato, onion, minced jalapeño, cilantro, Mexican oregano and salt and pepper to the reserved liquid. Serve with tortilla chips.
Fire Roasted Sweet Red Peppers
From Mitch Mariani
Makes about 3/4 cup
2 sweet red peppers
Drizzle of olive oil for rubbing
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
Salt to taste
Hearty crackers
Fresh mozzarella (optional)
Step 1: Rub the peppers with olive oil. Grill the peppers over a hot fire, rotating every few minutes. Allow the skin of the pepper to blacken and the flesh to become soft. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the grilled peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow the peppers to sweat and cool.
Step 2: Remove the peppers from the bowl and reserve the accumulated liquid. Remove the blackened skin, seeds and stem core from the pepper. Cut the pepper into slices.
Step 3: Combine the sliced pepper with the reserved liquid. Add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt to taste.
Step 4: Allow the pepper to marinate in the flavors of the liquid mixture for at least 1/2 an hour. Serve with crackers and fresh mozzarella if you choose.
