Salsa Fresca

Couple month's ago I posted a recipe for these and the green pepper salsa was the clear winner of this dinner.
Last night I prepared chicken & pepper quesadillas and although I like quesadillas, I really wanted to make a batch of green pepper salsa again so I could snap a decent pic and post the salsa here and on my sister blog.

Traditional salsa is tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, red peppers (or canned green chilies), onions, lime juice and oil. Some are made with canned tomatoes (gives it that steamed in a jar texture), roasted garlic and peppers and while they are all good versions, I like the ones that use all fresh veggies. Europeans would call this a salsa fresca or a relish. This is so healthy and vibrant, it would add something terrific on something plain Jane.

Difference with this is the amount of green peppers and the secret ingredient addition of ketchup. I love tart but I am from the B.Flay school of adding a touch of sweet to take that rough edge off the tart.
Now that low sugar ketchup is available, it makes the perfect sweet to the lime juice and gives the sauce a slight thickness to it.
The Nudge loves the green peppers, so since both of us loved this salsa, it will be our go to all summer. I might just have to buy a bag of tortilla chips.

Salsa Fresca
makes 2 cups
* 1 very large ripe tomato, seeded and diced
* 1/2 medium green pepper, diced
* 1 large jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed
* 1 tablespoon low sugar ketchup (Heinz makes a good one)
* 1 lime, juiced
* 1 tablespoon minced cilantro or parsley
* 1/4 small red onion, minced
* salt & pepper to taste
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 6 shakes of Tobasco
* 1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix everything on a small bowl and serve.

Ideas for using fresh salsa (besides Tex-Mex foods):
Spoon on top of steamed and cooled mussels.
Warm and spoon on top of grilled or roasted fish.
Add to rice and serve hot or cold.
Make a black bean salad.
Grill crostini and use as a bruschetta.
Add to macaroni and cheese.
Stuff into a chicken breast.
Bake it on bread for a change from calorie laden Garlic Bread.

Herb Nut Salsa

This is so Italian, really diabetic friendly and wonderfully full of flavor (think I got enough adjectives in there?). I think it closely resembles a chimichurri sauce but with hazelnuts for crunch and anchovy for salt.

Perfect with a steak of any kind. We spooned this over a rib-eye, but I do believe it originally was paired with a hanger steak. A inexpensive choice would be a London Broil or a flank steak.

Herb-nut Salsa
Adapted from Food & Wine, 2009
Servings: 6-8

* 1/4 cup hazelnuts
* 1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
* 1/4 cup snipped chives
* 2 teaspoons minced tarragon
* 1 teaspoon minced chervil
* 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, minced
* 2 teaspoons chopped rinsed capers
* 1 medium shallot, minced
* 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
* 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
* Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Toast the hazelnuts in a pie plate for 12 minutes, or until the skins are blistered. Transfer the nuts to a kitchen towel; let cool slightly, then rub off the skins. Finely chop the nuts and transfer them to a bowl. Add the parsley, chives, tarragon, chervil, anchovies, capers and shallot. Stir in the vinegar and the 3/4 cup of oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the steaks with oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, about 12 minutes for medium-rare meat. Let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the meat across the grain and serve with the salsa.



We shared a dry aged rib-eye we bought at Whole Foods (yum) and I made creamed spinach and mashed potato sides. A very good steakhouse style meal. Oh, and we also shared a very nice Barolo.

Sharing is a good thing....for the heart and the tummy!