Tomi's Roasted Salsa

This is my absolute favorite salsa recipe. It’s from my friend Tomi. I love it so much that years after touching base with each other I reached out to him because I was craving his salsa.



Roasted Salsa
1 – 28oz can of whole tomatoes
1 – medium sweet onion (1/2 inch slices)
1 – jalapeno (the more tan lines on it the hotter it will be:
3 – cloves of garlic
1 – teaspoon salt
1- teaspoon pepper
1 – teaspoon garlic powder
Small bunch flat leaf parsley (optional)
Directions
Take the sliced onion, garlic (leave husk), and Jalapeno and place under the broiler in the oven. Turn them frequently until all the skin is charred. Next place the whole canned tomatoes in the blender along with the onion, garlic (husk removed), and jalapeno (if using parsley, add that as well.) Pulse on high until you get your desired consistency. Try not to blend it too long. Add the salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. If it’s too thick than add a little water.
A note from Tomi – It’s a pretty easy recipe, you just need to change it up until your happy with the results. This recipe has changed a little over the years. Things I do now that I didn’t do way way way back in the day: roast the onion, garlic, and jalapeno, use canned tomatoes (this helps with consistency, for extra spice I add canned chipotles, and sometimes I add cilantro instead of parsley.
A note from me – I like to add red onions, when roasted they are so yummy. I also like to add cilantro to the mix (as you probrably noticed in the photo).

The Ultimate Paella

This is a variation from Tyler Florence’s recipe in “Eat This Book” Prep 30 min Inactive Prep 1 hr 0 min Cook1 hr 0 min Total:2 hr 30 min Ingredients Spice Mix for chicken, recipe follows 1 (3-pound) frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 Spanish onion, diced 4 garlic cloves, crushed Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish 1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed 4 cups short grain Spanish rice 6 cups water, warm Generous pinch saffron threads 1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined 2 lobster tails 1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed Lemon wedges, for serving Special equipment: Large paella pan or wide shallow skillet Directions Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Heat 1/4 c oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Brown the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve. In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it’s perfect. Cook’s note: The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat. Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges. Spice Mix for chicken: 1 tablespoon sweet paprika 2 teaspoons dried oregano Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered

Best Chicken Caesar

Proper Chicken Caesar Salad

One evening Doug and I were watching an episode of Jamie Oliver’s cooking show that was dedicated to summer salads. He created his version of a grilled Caesar and we had to immediately replicate it. We’ve since tweaked it a little but this is by far our favorite salad. Yummy… the chicken and croutons come out crispy from the grill The dressing is mashed together with a mortar and pestle to bring the anchovies to a paste. Chicken Caesar Salad Directions You can make this salad on the grill or in your oven just use the same technique of layering the bread and chicken inside a bbq veggie grill dish if you want to pop it onto the grill. Try to use chicken legs (not dry old breasts) and wings, smoky pancetta and rustic bread to suck up all the juices. It’s a lovely little salad with just a hint of attitude – and it’s versatile, as you can serve it hot or cold. Ingredients 4 whole free-range or organic chicken legs, skin on 1 loaf ciabatta bread (about 9 ounces), torn into thumb-sized pieces 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped Olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 12 thin slices pancetta or bacon 1/4 clove peeled garlic 4 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained 3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan, plus a few shavings to serve 1 heaped tablespoon creme fraiche 1 lemon, juiced Extra-virgin olive oil 2 or 3 heads romaine lettuce, outer leaves discarded Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the chicken legs in a snug-fitting roasting pan with the pieces of torn-up bread. Sprinkle with the chopped rosemary, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands to make sure everything is well coated, then lift the chicken legs up to the top, so they sit above the bread. This way, the bread will soak up all the lovely juices from the chicken, giving you the best croutons! Pop the pan into the preheated oven. After 45 minutes the chicken should be nicely cooked. Take the pan out of the oven, drape the pancetta or bacon over the chicken and croutons, and put back for another 15 to 20 minutes for everything to crisp up. The chicken legs are ready when you can pinch the meat off the bone easily. When they’re cooked, remove the pan from the oven and set it aside for the chicken to cool down slightly. Pound the garlic and anchovy fillets in a pestle and mortar or a Flavor Shaker until you have a pulp. Scrape into a bowl and whisk in the Parmesan, creme fraiche, lemon juice and 3 times as much extra-virgin olive oil as lemon juice. Season dressing, to taste, with salt and pepper. Pull the chicken meat off the leg bones – you can use 2 forks to do this, or your hands if you’re tough like me – and tear it up roughly with the croutons and the bacon. Wash, spin dry and separate the lettuce leaves, tear them up and toss with the chicken, croutons, bacon and creamy, cheesy dressing. Scatter with some Parmesan shavings.