A Spicy, Dicey, Mango Relish

I’m sure I’ve done at least 50 videos where I promise I’ll show a side dish or technique seen therein at a future date. Of course, I usually forget about it shortly thereafter, unless someone pokes me, but in the case of this spicy mango relish, I actually reminded myself.

I found myself in possession of some nice, fat shrimp, which I planned to spice up and sear simply (I promise to show that recipe at a future date). I was thinking of topping with some kind of fresh salsa, when I saw Michele had bought some mangoes for a lassi (I promise to show that recipe at a future date).

As luck would have it, the mangoes were sitting near a can of coconut milk, and I remembered the rice pudding video, and the diced mango technique I had so casually promised. The rest of the story is kind of anti-climatic.

This mango relish is wonderfully versatile and infinitely adaptable. It might be at its best simply enjoyed with tortilla chips, but a close second would be as I used it here, to dress some kind of spicy meat. It was crazy good on these shrimp. Promise me you will give it a try soon…or at a future date. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 3/4 cup Mango Relish:

1 mango, prepped as shown

2 tsp chopped cilantro

2 tsp sambal chili sauce, or other type of fresh or jarred chilies

2 tsp rice wine vinegar

big pinch of salt

Please Note: everything here is “to taste.”

View the complete recipe

A Humbling Strawberry Rhubarb Reminder

I was checking Twitter mentions last week, and saw that a viewer by the name of

nguyen4 had posted a strawberry rhubarb pie photo on Instagram (left), and credited me for the recipe. At first, I thought they were mistaken, as I didn’t recognize the pie as one of my creations, but then I realized that was because they’d made it so much better looking than mine. I hate/love when that happens. 

Anyway, once I got over this blow to my ego, I decided to repost this in case you missed it the first time, or just needed a little reminder as to what a fantastic spring pie this really is. Enjoy!

To read the original post and get the ingredient amounts, click here.

Strawberry Granita – So Forking Refreshing

We never had air conditioning growing up, and the closest we’d get was a visit to the refrigerator. You’d open the door, and let the cool air wash over you, as you pretended to look for something to eat. Of course, after a few glorious minutes, mom would figure out what was going on, and yell to close the door. I wish I had known about this strawberry granita recipe back then.

You can make and serve this gorgeous granita any time, but it’s really best enjoyed during the summer months. Not only because it’s cold and delicious, but also because it forces you to stick your hot, sweaty face in the freezer four or five times to stir. It’s such a bracing and refreshing experience that I almost feel sorry for people that do have AC. Almost.

Besides a welcomed respite from the heat, this mandatory, periodical forking creates the dessert’s signature texture. By breaking up the ice crystals as the granita freezes, you’ll get what looks exactly like ground granite, which is where this sweet treat’s name actually comes from.

I know it’s still early spring, but strawberries are beautiful right now, so why not practice a few times before the serious heat waves hit? By the way, let me be the first one to say it to you this year…it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 servings:
(Note: Yes, this will work with other fruit and berry purees)

2 pounds strawberries

1 cup water

1/3 to 1/2 cup white sugar (depending on sweetness of berries)
(Note: I've not tried other types of sweeteners)

1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp lemon juice

very small pinch of salt
*Note: freezing times will vary greatly depending on how cold, empty, large, etc., your freezer is. Just keep checking and forking!

View the complete recipe

Pita Bread – What’s in Your Pocket?

There are many baked products that you could make at home, but because of time, effort, and quality issues, probably shouldn’t. Fortunately, pita bread is not on that list. The dough is easy to make, and much like the flour tortillas we did, the taste and texture of the freshly made product is far superior to anything that comes with a twist tie.

The method is very straightforward, but I wanted to take a moment to talk about production. As you’ll see in the clip, after you roll the pita dough out, you’ll need to let it rest for 5 minutes before grilling. Since each one takes about 5-6 minutes in the pan, while one is cooking, you’ll want to roll the next, so it’s rested and ready to puff.

Speaking of “puff,” don’t be too upset if yours don’t go full balloon. Sometimes they all puff, sometimes some, and sometimes none. This is the way of the pita. But the good news is, even if they don’t fully puff, you should still get some sort of internal pocket with which to stuff. Even if you don’t, it’s okay…you’ll just call them “flatbread” instead! I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 pita breads:

For the sponge mix:

1 pkg dry active yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1 cup warm water (about 90-100 degrees F.)

1 cup (4.5 oz by weight) all-purpose flour

Then:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1 3/4 to 2 cups all-purpose flour, or until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms (about 8-9 oz by weight)

*Let rise about 2 hours, or until doubled in size. Form 8 small, round loaves, let rise 30 minutes. Roll out and let rest 5 minutes before grilling.

View the complete recipe

Meatless Meatballs! Celebrating the Magical Meatiness of Mushrooms on Earth Day

I’ve wanted to turn our famous veggie burger recipe into a meatless meatballs recipe for a long time now, and figured there would be no more appropriate occasion than Earth Day to reveal the results. After all, as I joke about in the clip, eating mushrooms is about as close to literally consuming the earth as you can get.

Despite being completely free of meat, at least the animal kind, these “meatballs” were fantastic. Thanks to a thorough browning, the mushrooms provided more than enough savoriness, and the garlic, cheese, and parsley did the rest. As impressive as I thought the taste was, what really blew me away was how close the texture was to actual meatballs.

For me, the true test of any alternative meatless recipe is whether I would eat it again, based on taste and texture alone, and not just because it’s meatless. In this case, I would…many times over. No, I’m not giving up real meatballs, but for a delicious and vegetarian-friendly change of pace, these really were tremendous.

So, whether you're going to make these because you’re a vegetarian who has been searching for a meatless version, or you’re a hard-core meat eater who just can’t believe your ears and eyes, I hope you give these a try soon. Have a happy Earth Day, and as always, enjoy!

Ingredients for 16 small meatballs:

(recipe can easily be doubled!)

1 pound white mushrooms, chopped into very small pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

pinch of salt to sauté mushrooms

1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup minced onions

4 minced garlic cloves

1/2 cup instant oatmeal

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

packed 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 ounce by weight, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, very finely grated on a microplane

(Note: it looks like a ton of cheese in the video, but it was only 1-oz. Because I used a microplane to grate it, it created a huge looking pile of cheese. It would be about 1/2 cup if you measure, but use weight for this ingredient!)

1 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste
pinch of dried oregano

2 eggs

3 cups of your favorite pasta sauce.

*Let mixture sit overnight in fridge. Bake meatballs for 12-15 at 450 degrees F., then simmer in sauce for 30-60 minutes before serving.

View the complete recipe

Next Up: Meatless MeatBalls

Why She Cooks and Why She Films

I wanted to share this video by my pal, and super-talented video storyteller, Liza de Guia, featuring another dear friend, Jennifer Perillo, from In Jennie’s Kitchen. If you’re a regular on this blog, you know I’ve shared many of Liza’s gorgeous, entertaining videos before, and this one is no different. This video is part of Food Curated’s Why We Cook series, and it shows exactly why I’m such a big fan of both these talented women’s work.

I’ll let the video speak for itself, but I couldn’t agree more with Jennie’s thoughts on fear in the kitchen. By the way, Jennifer has recently published her first cookbook, Homemade with Love, and it’s getting rave reviews. I’ve not read it yet, but will be doing so very soon. If you’re interested in taking a look, you can check it out here. Special thanks to Liza for letting us share her work, and also to Jennie for being a continuing source of inspiration. I hope you enjoy this, and find it as moving as I did.