Melon Mojitos!

IT IS SO HOT!!!

Is it hot everywhere? It’s hot in San Diego. And I know, before you start thinking please, it’s not HOT in San Diego, it is for us. Topped 90 degrees today at our house. The only way to beat the heat is with booze (no AC and no pool.) So please enjoy this recipe for a melon mojito- a summer twist on a classic cocktail.

Ingredients

• ½ c. honeydew melon
• ½ c. cantaloupe melon
• 4-6 fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
• 1½oz. rum (I used Bacardi)
• club soda

Instructions

1. In a blender, pulse the honeydew and cantaloupe until roughly pureed. Add the mint leaves and pulse just until the leaves are broken up.
2. In a cocktail shaker or mason jar, add some ice, melon puree, rum, simple syrup, and lime juice. Secure lid, and shake vigorously. In a glass, pour the mixture over ice and top with club soda.
3. Pour over ice into a chilled, sugar rimmed glass. Garnish with mint.

*** NOTES ***

1. I used fresh melon from our CSA. I have no idea what kind it was. Feel free to be creative.

2. I used mint syrup because the aforementioned heat destroyed our mint and I only had a little bit that was salvageable – which I used for the garnish.

3. Tonic water can be substituted for club soda.

VIOLA!

ENJOY!

– SUSANNAH 

CSA DAY!!!

Hello Blogosphere,

Just wanted to take a quick second to share the amazing goodies we received from week 3 of our Urban Life Farms CSA! (link to their website can be found in my profile and in the menu to the right (on desktop) or above (on phone or tablet.)

PICTURED- Banana Peppers – Heirloom Tomatoes – Sweet Corn – Bell Peppers – Melon – Mexican Sour Gherkins- and Apples.

FOOD AS ART – AM I RIGHT?

Happy Eating!

– Susannah 

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Tomatillo Salsa!

Hello Gastronauts!

Last week our CSA gifted us with all the ingredients one needs to make some amazing tomatillo salsa.

To make the salsa combine the following in a blender, magic bullet or food processor – 6-8 tomatillos (de-husked), garlic (fresh or crushed), pepper (either fresh chopped pepper*, or dry red pepper), onions (green, white or red), 1 or 2 tomatoes (any kind), salt, pepper (ground black), cumin, sugar, lime juice and olive oil.

* please be careful when handling and cutting peppers. use gloves when possible and thoroughly wash hands afterwards. do not get near eyes, nose, or mouth. *

This is different from the Salsa Verde or Green Sauce you’ll find in restaurants. That is an equally awesome salsa to make from tomatillos,s and if it interests you, some recipes can be found HERE.

If you’re not familiar with the little ball of wonderful that is a tomatillo, check it out here: CLICK ME

As the link says – “The tomatillo fruit is surrounded by an inedible, paper-like husk formed from the calyx. As the fruit matures, it fills the husk and can split it open by harvest. The husk turns brown, and the fruit can be several colors when ripe, including yellow, red, green, or even purple. The freshness and greenness of the husk are quality criteria.

Tomatillos are a key ingredient in fresh and cooked Mexican and Central-American green sauces. The green color and tart flavor are the main culinary contributions of the fruit. Purple and red-ripening cultivars often have a slight sweetness, unlike the green- and yellow-ripening cultivars, and are therefore generally used in jams and preserves. Like their close relatives, cape gooseberries, tomatillos have a high pectin content. Another characteristic is they tend to have a varying degree of a sappy sticky coating, mostly when used on the green side out of the husk. “

So I love these little guys. Sweet but not overwhelmingly so, crisp ( like those old pickle commercials on TV when some kid would snap a pickle in two before chowing down,) and most fun of all – semi indigenous to San Diego. If you can get your hands on some for sure make a salsa, slice them up for a summer salad, pan sear them with onions and olive oil to top a nice piece of fish, or just snack on them whole.

HAPPY EATING!!

-SUSANNAH 

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