I got some blueberries from Fry’s Grocery…..YUK they are so sour. Maybe I can make them into salsa so I did. I do note that you might have to play slightly with the recipe to adjust to what spice level and sweetness that you desire. This recipe makes about 16 ounces of salsa. So depending on how you are serving it I’m guessing around 4 servings. I think it would be delicious with many grilled meats and also tasty over certain cheeses.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

1 apple – peeled – core removed – diced

11 oz blueberries

1 onion slice extra thin and chop up

2 habanero peppers (wear gloves and a mask….maybe eye goggles too) cut in half and remove core

3 garlic cloves in skin (don’t remove skin)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground achiote

1 teaspoon dried oregano

pinch ground cloves

pinch ground cinnamon

pinch ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup fresh cilantro (leaves and fine stems) chopped

1 teaspoon dried mint (or 1 Tablespoon fresh mint chopped)

1 lime (just the fresh squeezed juice)

1/2 cup water

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

optional – 1 Tablespoon honey or to taste

Directions

Set your oven on broil.

On sheet pans spread place the onions, garlic, blueberries, and habanero. You want to broil them till they appear to be bunt. You might want to wear a mask because the fumes from the habanero will make you cough.

When the garlic cloves are cool enough to handle you can peel or pop them out of their skins. Throw out the skins.

Blend together the blueberries, onions, habaneros, garlic, salt, achiote, oregano, clove, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, lime juice, water, vinegar, oil. Slightly blend in the apple till it is still chunky. Add cilantro and mint. Taste it and decide if it needs honey or not.

Besides nachos with cheese or sour cream….I think this salsa would be good with many grilled meats and I also think it would make a good crepe filling.

Enjoy!

I had some leeks and I wanted to do something new with them that I have never done before. I found Jose Andres’s recipe from Food & Wine Magazine called, Leeks two ways with wild mushrooms. The thing that was new and different is that I learned that a leek puree can be made from the dark green leaves that I normally trim off. My leek green puree I added vegetable soup base instead of salt to add a little flavor…….My leek puree came out delicious but not silky smooth like the way Jose Andres’s leek puree came out and I cooked mine up twice as long to get tender…….I do chalk that up to maybe my blender isn’t as good and also I didn’t have farm fresh produce like the chef gets. The other thing that I had to change the most from Jose Andres’s recipe is that I can not boil my leek slices without them falling apart. I think maybe that Jose Andres’s produce is the best and is also farm fresh. The leeks I get seem ok but I’m sure they are much drier and just won’t hold together so I remedy this by doing mine in the oven in a covered pan to get soft. I removed the foil that covered mine and browned them slightly. I also didn’t have dried black trumpet mushrooms so I used whatever pack I had in my refrigerator (I used 4oz. pack of champignon mushrooms) Serving size is around one leek a person. I used one pack of leeks and mine were small so for me this only made 2 servings.

Ingredients for around two servings

4 oz mushrooms – cleaned and (cut in half if a round shape)

1/2 cup hot water

1 teaspoon vegetable soup base

1 pack leeks (2-3 leeks) – dark green parts cut off totally cleans and chop up the dark green parts. The white part gets cut in 1/3 inch slices

1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

sea salt to taste

2 thyme sprigs

1/4 Tablespoon olive oil (this is a guesstimated amount since I don’t measure what I spray)

1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Tablespoon of mint leaves – torn

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F

In a small sauce pan of simmering water add the leek greens and cook for around three minutes and then drain. (RESERVE LIQUID) Melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter, add the soup base and leek greens. Cook another minute or two. Blend this up with maybe a tablespoon of water till as smooth as you can get it,

The leek slices go in a pan or baking sheet with walls. Pour some of the reserved leek liquid till about half way cup the leeks. Add the thyme sprigs.) Season with salt and pepper and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in small chunks. Cover the pan and place on a middle rack for 15 minutes.

Get another baking sheet and place the mushrooms on it. Add the remaining 1/2 Tablespoon of butter in chunks. Spray lightly with oil. Keep in oven till cooked and starting to crisp. (timing will differ…in my oven my mushrooms took 12 minutes on the middle rack) Season with sea salt and ground black pepper.

Your leeks by now are done. I took mine slightly further and removed the foil covering them and returned the mushrooms to the lower rack. By now they’ve absorbed the liquid so I added more of the reserved leek water. I left mine in for 20-30 minutes more.

Mix together a tablespoon of white wine vinegar with a tablespoon or two of olive oil to top everything with.

Serve when ready.

Puree, leek slices, mushrooms, sprinkle on the oil mixed with vinegar and top the mushrooms with small pieces of mint.

A special THANKS to Jose Andres for his FORKING AMAZING recipe and to Food & Wine Magazine so I could come up with what I got here.