Vegetables – Page 20 – Courage in the Kitchen

Some time ago, with Meche’s permission, I shared her recipe for guacamole on “Courage in the Kitchen.” Since fresh vegetables are still available at the local Farmers Markets, it’s not too late to make a batch of Meche’s Salsa Fresca. Salsa Fresca literally means “fresh sauce.” It is also called Pico de Gallo, which translates as “rooster’s beak,” heaven knows why. I prefer to call it salsa fresca.

Unlike the salsas you buy in jars at the supermarket, salsa fresca is made with fresh uncooked vegetables and must be stored in the refrigerator, It’s a wonderfully refreshing dip with tortilla chips, a flavorful sauce over scrambled eggs, and goes great with tacos, enchiladas and burritos.

And if you are counting carbs or watching calories, you would be hard pressed to find a better food to complement a low carb low calorie meal.

Meche made clear that her recipe is just a guide. Feel free to change the proportion of ingredients and even add some other ingredients such as radishes, cucumbers or even salad shrimp. Meche even said that the avocado was optional, but she seems to include one most of the time, and I like avocados. Start with tomatoes, onion, peppers and lime juice and go on from there.

4 medium tomatoes (about 3 inches in diameter)
1 small onion (1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter)
2 to 3 Jalapeño peppers or Serrano chiles
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 large clove garlic
2 T fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 avocado

Wash all the vegetables thoroughly. Remove the stem scar and cut the tomatoes in half. Remove the seeds and pulp and chop the tomatoes into half inch pieces. Peel and finely chop the onion.

Remove the stems, seeds and white membrane from the peppers and chop them into a quarter inch dice. Remove the coarse stems from the cilantro and chop the leaves finely. Peel and mince the garlic.

Cut a firm, barely ripe avocado in half, remove the seed and scoop the flesh from the rind with a spoon. Chop the halves into a coarse dice.

Stir the tomatoes, onion, peppers, cilantro and garlic together in a medium bowl. Juice a lime and stir two tablespoons of the fresh juice into the vegetables along with the salt.

Taste and add salt or more juice if necessary.

NOTES: For a milder salsa, substitute part of a green bell pepper for one or two of the jalapeño peppers. For a spicier salsa, use Serrano peppers or add a dash of hot sauce. If you like garlic, add an extra clove.

This recipe works best with an avocado that is very firm. If it feels just slightly soft when you press on the rind, it is right for salsa. If your avocados have gotten too soft, do not despair. Here’s a link to the recipe for Meche’s Guacamole

Primavera means “spring” in Italian, that time of year when tender young vegetables are just waiting to be tossed in a delicate sauce and then piled high on our plates. There was a time not long ago when people waited impatiently for spring to arrive so they could enjoy fresh vegetables again. At the Rang place north of Hayward, we checked the asparagus bed daily once the snow was gone and announced excitedly the appearance of the first blossoms on the peas, beans and tomatoes.

Today we can buy fresh vegetables throughout the year. Though the very best-tasting vegetables are those we buy locally when they are in season, we can still make a wonderful Chicken Primavera when snow covers the ground.

Adding sautéed chicken strips to fresh vegetables in a light sauce flavored with Parmesan cheese and basil makes a tasty Italian-style meal. Despite the fact that you will have an extra pan to wash, don’t try to do all the vegetables in the same pan with the chicken and tomatoes. The vegetables should be lightly cooked, the way Jerri likes them. The Italian word for this stage of tenderness is “al dente,” which roughly means that the vegetables crunch a little when you bite them.

This recipe makes six servings.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lbs. skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup sliced zucchini
4 Roma tomatoes
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups broccoli
1 cup snow peas
1 cup fresh asparagus cut in one inch pieces
4 large cloves garlic
3 T olive oil
3 T butter
1 cup whipping cream, warmed
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. fresh basil
Chopped parsley for garnish
Salt and pepper
1 lb. fettuccine

PROCEDURE:

First prepare the meat and vegetables for cooking. Slice the chicken breast into strips about 1/2” by 2” and pat dry. Wash all vegetables. Cut the zucchini into quarter inch slices, salt and put in a colander. If slices are more than an inch and a half in diameter, cut them in half or quarters. After 15 or 20 minutes, rinse the slices and allow them to drain. This is a good time to grate the Parmesan and start the water for the fettuccine.

Dice the Roma tomatoes. Clean and slice the mushrooms into 1/4” slices. Cut the broccoli flowerets and asparagus into bite-sizes pieces. Cut the stems and flower ends off the snow peas, peel and mince the garlic and wash and chop the basil.

Put about a quarter cup of flour, a half teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper into a paper bag. Shake to mix, then add the chicken strips and shake the bag to flour the strips very lightly. Heat about half the olive oil and butter in a frying pan and sauté the chicken until lightly browned. Turn down the heat, add the diced Roma tomatoes, and half of the minced garlic. Stir and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and released their juice. Turn off the heat.

By this time the water should be boiling. Put the fettuccine in the pot and follow the instructions on the box to cook the pasta to the stage of tenderness you want.

In a second frying pan, add the remaining olive oil and butter. Sauté the mushrooms for three or four minutes over medium heat, then add the remaining minced garlic and the other vegetables. Stir fry until the vegetables are heated through another three or four minutes. Do not overcook them. Warm the cream while cooking the vegetables.

Drain the pasta and toss it with the warm cream. Add the basil, Parmesan cheese, chicken and vegetables. Toss, check seasoning, and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley.

Serve with a green salad and fresh, crusty Italian bread for a memorable meal.

NOTES: You can substitute a teaspoon of dried crushed basil leaves for the fresh basil. I prefer Roma tomatoes for this recipe, but you can use other varieties. If the tomatoes are extremely juicy, you might want to remove the seeds and pulp.