Spicy Streets

My favorite food blog, Food 52, has monthly competitions. The category this month was "Your Best Street Food." I thought to myself "Arden, let's give it a try!" With a little researching and some input from the family kitchen I came up with this...

Although they look scrumptious, I pulled an "Arden," got too excited when I saw the category and failed to read the "place your votes" subtitle. The contest had ended last week! Nevertheless, we passed the log, boat, whatever around and judged it for ourselves. It was an overwhelming win.

For the salsa verde:

1 jalapeños
2 green or unripened tomatoes
Bunch of parsley
Bunch of cilantro
Limes
Cayenne pepper
2 avocado

For the boat, log, whatever:

6 jalapeños (depending on how many boat, log, whatevers you want)
Chorizo
Cotija cheese

Steps:

Cut the tomatoes in half and grate each half into a small bowl. Add the avocado, chopped parsley and cilantro. Chop and seed one jalapeño, add it to the mix. Squeeze in one lime and cover the top layer of the salsa with cayenne pepper. Grill the Chorizo on medium-high rotating for about 5 minutes. Cut the jalapeños in half and place them on the grill for about 4-5 minutes. Once the chorizo and the peppers are done, cut the chorizo to your liking (chopped, cubed..) and place inside the jalapeño boat, log, whatever. Top it off with the salsa verde and the cotija cheese.

Dig in!

Under the Sea

One of my favorite past times is roaming: museums, galleries, stores, beaches, parks, markets. I learn something new and experience something different each time I find myself strolling through a 60's inspired record store or walking along the beach. It is the mindless act along with the accidental "stumble upon" that makes your short journey through the book store or farmer's market so meaningful.

Yesterday I made my way over to Newport and roamed through the Santa Monica Seafood Market. They sell seafood caught by "responsible sourcing" along with cheeses and wine.

Here are some guidelines to follow from the Natural Resource Defense Council on responsible consumerism in regards to seafood:

In the supermarket:

* Look for fish fillets that are shiny and glistening in the light, not pale and dull.
* Smell the container of a prepackaged fish, look at the date and quality of the display. Seafood should be no older than a day or two.
* Look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) logo, which certifies that the seafood is from a sustainable wild capture fishery.
* Frozen fish can offer some of the best value in the store and be as good as buying fresh fish. New technologies allow fishermen to quick-freeze seafood right after it’s caught making it fresher and easier to transport. Thaw your fish in the fridge, typically taking 6 - 8 hours, under a wet towel.
* If buying thawed fish check that the fillets are an even color; anything thawed more than a day before should be avoided.

At a seafood store:

* Check out the cleanliness of the work area.
* Ask to smell a piece of fish. The servers shouldn’t let you if they correctly follow the health code.
* Ask about the fish: When was it brought to the store? When was it thawed? You’re looking for fish that has been thawed as recently as possible.
* Introduce yourself to the servers, if you build a rapport it’s likely they will help you chose better seafood.