A Pretty Green Dip

I love Salsa Verde. It's so flavorful, particularly if you take the time to roast or broil the veggies. I set a recipe out here in the blog a while back, but it seems I just never make it the same way twice. 

As it happens, I was asked to make a "Jalapeño Dip" for Easter festivities. As it also happened, I had a gallbladder attack and it was removed just 2 days before Easter, so I missed the festivities - but I did make the dip. Problem was, while it looked and smelled great, I just couldn't taste it for fear of what pain I would endure. I live by my taste buds, so this was against everything I know, to allow a new recipe out to family without ever really being able to taste how the flavors worked. 

Green Jalapeno Dip

Salsa Verde made with Poblanos

I had never made a "jalapeño dip" before, so I thought about it some, and decided that I should start with a Salsa Verde, or "Green Sauce" and then add ingredients to make it a dip. I wanted to make it with a tiny bit of bite, but nothing kids couldn't handle. I decided that instead of the one green pepper for making the Salsa Verde, I would add in two Poblano peppers. These gave the sauce a much deeper color than I had ever achieved before. As it happened, this batch of Poblano peppers had no particular heat to them, so that was good. Once most of the ingredients were together, I added in one roasted, peeled and seeded jalapeño pepper. I was "tasting" things only in the sense of a quick touch of the tongue - but no swallowing (I was in some major pain, I tell you). I detected no heat, so I added a second, and then a third. Finally I felt a little tiny note of spice - and left it at that. 

I asked the hostess of the Easter festivities to please poll those who ate this dip, so I would have some handle on how good was it. Did it need anything to boost flavor? The report was that it was amazing, and once people got past the color green, they gobbled it down and the container of dip was gone! I guess that means it was good.

Meanwhile, I am doing well after my surgery, so one of these days I am making another batch so I can actually taste it. Sigh. It sure did look good.

Green Jalapeño Dip

Green Jalapeno Dip

Made 3½ cups

1½ cups Salsa Verde, made with Poblano Peppers
4 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 cup cilantro leaves
3 blistered, peeled, seeded jalapeño peppers (leave seeds and membranes in if you prefer the heat) 
1 teaspoon salt 

Make the Salsa Verde recipe, adding in two Poblano peppers, blistered, peeled and seeded, to the basic recipe. The recipe for the Salsa Verde makes about 3 cups, so the rest can be frozen for a later date. 

Measure out the 1½ cups Salsa Verde in a blender and add in the extra jalapenos, lime juice, cilantro and salt. Blend very fine. In a mixing bowl, with hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth, then add the blender mixture of "doctored" salsa verde and beat to combine. Chill thoroughly before serving. Wonderful served with corn tortilla chips.
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If you wonder what else to do with the leftover Salsa Verde, it can be used as is for a dip, or it can be used as a braising liquid for a Pork Shoulder in Green Sauce. There are many wonderful uses, but the pork shoulder is such a favorite! Pollo en Jocon is another great use for it.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

An Unusually Delicious Breakfast

I love breakfast. Most often, I eat traditional "breakfast" foods: eggs, toast, bagel, bacon, muffins, pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, and others. This is pretty evident, if anyone looks at my Index and the breakfast items that are listed there. Then, there are just times when none of those foods, no matter how much a favorite they may be, just do not - quite - fit the bill on a given day. Nothing sounds quite right, and nothing appeals.

Poached Egg & Brussels Sprouts on Salsa Verde

This does not happen often, for sure. I love all those foods, and trying to keep portions under some control is difficult for me. I love food. I love to eat. I love the flavors of certain foods. I enjoy breads of most kinds. I try to keep away from plain white-flour breads, but there are some. When I got into making breads from rye flour and/or sprouted flours, I found a great love for the whole grain breads. Eggs themselves are a particular favorite, though I now have to keep cholesterol in mind. You may get the drift.

Salsa Verde; Salsa in bowl; Brussels sprouts in steamer pan; timed for 8½ minutes; perfectly steamed

So a couple of days ago, I was in this particular rut. I stood there in the kitchen, running through in my mind all the foods I would normally have for breakfast. And still I stood there, undecided. I opened the fridge and looked. Nothing. No ideas. I stood there some more. And then I thought maybe I should think outside of my particular box, for a change. 

I have done this before, at times. When I first found I had diabetes, I ate leftover (my own) stir fry for breakfast with all sorts of veggies in it. It was satisfying, and I love my stir fry, so no problem there. With that thought in mind, I opened the fridge again and looked. I noticed a jar of opened Salsa Verde. Love that stuff, so, okay, that came out. And then I saw a bag of Brussels sprouts that I had yet to open. Hmmm. Not sure, but got them out anyway. I closed the fridge while I thought some more. 
 

Poached Egg & Brussels Sprouts on Salsa Verde

Somehow, Brussels sprouts and Salsa Verde seemed an odd combo, but to me, at that moment, they sounded good. 

If I was going to eat Brussels sprouts, I prefer to steam them. Just barely cooked through, at about 8 to 8½ minutes, while they are still a beautiful bright green, they are so delicious. I got out my steamer. I set a pan of water to boil while cleaning the sprouts. I cut them into quarters, just so they would cook through quickly. I set them into the steamer part of the pan and used my "Misto" sprayer with olive oil and spritzed them a bit, then sprinkled salt over. I find that this way, the salt clings to the vegetables while they are steaming, and they are perfectly seasoned when done. Okay, that part of things was underway.

Then, thinking about the Salsa Verde. Normally I make my own (see my recipe here), but one day on a whim I bought two jars of Stonewall Kitchen Salsa Verde. I opened one a couple of weeks back, and it was really hot-spicy. Much more than my husband would tolerate, so I fried an onion with green pepper and garlic and added this to the salsa from the jar I was using, to tame the flame a bit. It was still spicy, but very tolerably so. I scooped some of this out into a wide bowl.

Boiling water from the sprouts; add vinegar; stir into a whirlpool; set spoon aside; crack in the egg

At this point in the process, I thought I would just have an egg with the sprouts. I got out a skillet for this purpose and set it on a burner to heat. As the Brussels sprouts were done and I lifted off the steamer insert, I thought about the boiling water in the lower pan and thought, "Poached Egg!" I haven't made poached eggs in forever, it seems, and here was the perfect opportunity. I turned off the burner under the skillet and instead added a dollop of vinegar to the boiling water and vigorously stirred the water into a whirlpool. I gently cracked the egg into the center of this whirlpool, turned down the burner to very low, and allowed the egg to poach for about 2 minutes, at which point it was just perfect: whites were set and yolk still runny.
 

Salsa Verde in bowl; Steamed Sprouts on Top; Poached egg ready to place

I had already toasted some of my Finnish Hapanleipa Rye bread and set it aside. The salsa was already in the bowl. I poured the Brussels sprouts on top of the salsa, then set the just-poached egg on top. A little grating of salt and pepper, and it was one beautiful dish. I broke the yolk, and sighed. It was a beautiful sight, for sure. Still, I hadn't yet tasted it, so that was still waiting. 

When I sat down to eat and took that first bite, I was in heaven. It so exactly fit something I had been craving without knowing what that was. Despite the odd combo of Brussels sprouts and salsa verde, it was wonderful. The egg was just that one added dimension. It was absolutely amazing as a flavor profile. The really dense Rye bread was a perfect accompaniment. It was so delightful, I decided to have it again this morning.

Poached Egg & Brussels Sprouts on Salsa Verde

Serves 1 

Poached Egg & Brussels Sprouts on Salsa Verde

½ cup Salsa Verde (any brand you prefer, or home made)
5 Brussels sprouts

a sprinkle of olive oil
a sprinkle of salt
2 - 3 teaspoons vinegar
1 egg 
Salt and pepper for serving

Place the Salsa Verde in a wide bowl and set aside. In a steamer pan put in enough water so the steamer insert is not setting in water. Bring the water to boil. While that is happening, cut off a bit of the stem end of the sprouts and discard, along with any damaged outer leaves. Cut the sprouts into quarters, lengthwise and place them in a steamer basket. If you have a Misto-type sprayer, mist the sprouts with olive oil. Otherwise, simply drizzle a little oil over them and toss gently. Sprinkle lightly with salt. When the water is boiling, set the steamer over top, turn down the heat to a simmer and cover. Time for about 8 minutes, or until they are just barely tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Lift off the steamer basket and set aside. 

Turn the heat down if the water in the pan is still boiling too vigorously. Add in about 2 - 3 tablespoons of vinegar. Using a large slotted spoon, quickly stir the water in a circle to create a whirlpool. Set the spoon aside and quickly, but gently crack the egg into the center of the whirlpool. Do this just barely over the surface of the water, so it doesn't splash and/or disintegrate. Time the egg for about 2 minutes for a still-runny yolk. 

Pour the Brussels sprouts onto the Salsa in the bowl. Lift out the poached egg with the slotted spoon and set on top. Season with salt and pepper if desired. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Fun Blog and Savory Sunday Dinner

First off, I absolutely must advise anyone who enjoys puns to check out the blog called "A Good Forking" (www.agoodforking.com), written by "Paris Stilton." Her actual name is Emerald Bond, she is from Australia, and I saw her apartment hunting in Paris on an episode of House Hunters International. She mentioned starting a blog and gave the name of Paris Stilton, and that grabbed my attention right away. I looked her up and was immediately taken with her witty and pun-ny posts, which are also very pithy and informative.

I love a good pun, and my family has seemed to evolve into these plays with words, puns and groaners all through childhood and on into adulthood. When my sisters and I get together it is just one round of hilarity after another with puns and word play flying fast and furiously. When I married my first husband, a Guatemalan, his English and understanding of nuance was less than perfect. Every time I used a pun or played with a word, it fell absolutely flat. It was so dispiriting. I had to learn to skip the innuendo, the puns and learn to speak very precisely and literally. And I did, but oh, how I missed that fun with words. 

My ex and I, far right, in 1968

As a matter of fact, on learning Spanish and living in Guatemala for a few years, I was able to not only understand Spanish puns, but make some of them myself. I was (I believe justifiably) proud of myself. My husband never could pick up on the puns in English, even after 18 years. So imagine the thrill when I met my current husband almost 25 years ago and I started to warn him that around my family he would be hearing a lot of plays on works and puns and he said, "Oh, so you all 'Pun-ish' each other?" Ahhhhh. He SO got it. And what a relief to go back to my puns and know they would be understood.

So, "Paris Stilton" really caught my attention. She writes about different places she has eaten and what they were served, what the presentation was like and the flavors. She is living in Paris, so most posts are from there, though there are some from London and Australia. Her photography of the varying foods is just superb, so you sit reading with drool just dripping down your chin. In the main, she really enjoys her food (and wine and drinks) and writes most favorably. In case you are curious if she ever gets a bad dish or a lousy place to eat, she has a category called "What the Fork?" to cover those. There are only 3, at this time. I am getting nothing by writing about and recommending her blog, except a real love of all she represents. She doesn't know me from Adam.

And Dinner!

On another topic, dinner last evening was just magnificent, in a very homey way. I had gotten a boneless pork shoulder roast when shopping last and it was in the freezer. I wanted to braise it in my Guatemalan Green Sauce, also frozen. It just didn't occur to me to get them out earlier, and I got both things from the freezer at noon yesterday. I unwrapped the roast and set it in my enameled cast iron pot. I set the unwrapped frozen green sauce beside it in the pot. The lid was slightly askew as neither item was remotely malleable enough to push down into the pot. I set the oven for 275 degrees and set the pot with lid askew so that it would (hopefully) fall properly onto the pot once the foods started to melt.

Pork Shoulder in Green Sauce with Cheesy Chive Polenta

I have had very good results with frozen roasts so far. Either in the oven in that heavy enameled cast iron pot or in the slow cooker. So it went yesterday. I checked the pot once at about 1:30, when I began to smell the food cooking, and added in some salt, bay leaves and a little oregano. I covered it and replaced it in the oven until 4:45 PM, when I got it out. The roast was not, quite, falling-apart tender, but very close. It was certainly cooked through, and I cut away the little elastic mesh around the meat and sliced it. The meat was wonderful and more moist than if the roast had cooked longer. I thickened the green sauce with some masa harina and it was good to go. 

As for an accompaniment, I really wanted to make polenta. I love polenta, though my husband is definitely not wild about it. When my kids were visiting a couple of weeks back, I made a beef roast in green sauce and had a tube of polenta in the freezer that I needed to use. I knew my husband didn't care for polenta, but assumed my kids would, as they are very adventurous eaters. I did make some rice to go with the meal, just in case. As it turned out, my son also said he didn't care for polenta, and served himself rice. For his second helping, he wanted to taste it with polenta. And shock! He loved it, and said it tasted better with the meal than the rice. This was no surprise to me, but I was very pleased. So last evening I decided to make polenta from scratch. It was equally great, if not even better with the green sauce (Salsa Verde).

Pork Shoulder in Green Sauce

Pork Shoulder in Green Sauce

Serves 6 to 8

1 (4-pound, approximately) boneless pork shoulder roast
2 1/2 to 3 cups Green Sauce / Salsa Verde
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 - 3 bay leaves

THICKENING:
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup masa harina (tortilla flour)

If your roast is frozen, set the frozen roast in a large heavy duty pot or slow cooker at least 5 hours before planned serving time. Add the green sauce, salt, oregano and bay leaves, cover and cook in a very low 275 degree oven or on low in a slow cooker for a longer period. Once roast is cooked through, slice and set aside. Mix together the water and masa harina flour and add to the green sauce and bring to boil to thicken the sauce slightly. Serve the pork and sauce over rice or polenta.

Cheesy Chive Polenta with Pork in Green Sauce

Cheesy Chive Polenta

Serves 2 - 4

3 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
¾ cup cornmeal
3 - 4 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons butter
¾ cup "3-Cheese Italian Blend" shredded cheese

Bring the water and salt to boil in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, with whisk in one hand and dry cornmeal in the other, slowly pour in the cornmeal while whisking briskly until all the cornmeal is incorporated. Remove the pan from the heat. Continue stirring with the whisk or a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens considerably, 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the butter and cheese until melted, then add the chives and stir well. Serve immediately.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.