Pico de Gallo For My Friends!

Wow. Please forgive me. I really am the worst blogger ever.

Over the past month I have essentially abandoned you guys, my friends! I didn't do it on purpose, and I didn't do it because I don't like blogging (because, trust me, I love that you people get to read what I have to say). I did it because life is crazy. And yes, that does seem like a bit of a cliche, sorry excuse, but it's true.

On top of school, I still work Saturdays at the bakery, and I just got a job as a prep chef at a very beautiful inn over in New Hope! I hardly have time to cook for myself, let alone cook and take pictures and write about it. However, I realized I need to put in more time over here at elkinthekitchen, so this is my foray back into blogging.

Today, since I'm only blogging during the hour I have in between school and the restaurant, I will share with you my favorite snack, pico de gallo. I make it constantly, and constantly add variations to the recipe, because its so easy to do! Oh, and it looks really pretty too.

Pico is the most perfect summertime snack, and it can really brighten up you day. It pairs well with salads, sandwiches, and even just some good old tortilla chips, and it takes almost no time to whip this up for my friends. I hope you make it for some of your own friends this weekend! #elkinthekitchen

Pico de Gallo (to be shared)

Ingredients

2 medium sized tomatoes

1 large onion

1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed

juice of 2 limes

1 bunch of cilantro

2 pinches of salt

Directions

1. Clean tomatoes and cilantro. Peel onion.

2. Chop onion, tomatoes, and jalapeno in a medium dice, or smaller/larger depending on your preferred chunkiness and texture, and place in a medium sized bowl. I don't mind bigger chunks, but I know some people can't stand it!

3. Finely chop the cilantro and add to bowl. (Note: make sure cilantro is very clean before you add it to the mixture, because it is known to have a lot of dirt hanging out in between its green leaves). Add the lime juice and salt to the bowl.

4. Mix, put into a nicer serving bowl if you want, and enjoy with some salty tortilla chips and maybe some lemonade as well!

Variations

Sometimes, I like to to add some type of fruit to my pico. In the past I have done strawberry or papaya, but recently I have been grilling slices of pineapple, chopping those up, and throwing them into the mix! It adds a nice smokey flavor to the whole thing.

Eggplant and Fig Sauce

My month at school has been kind of crazy, with weird, long, daily breaks on the train that aren’t all that relaxing. In fact, I’m sitting on a train right now, and I’m getting pretty antsy. This is why I look forward to the weekends even more than I did before. You know that corny phrase, “living for the weekend?” Yeah, that’s me, but not in a bad way. I don’t dread the week, I just get really really excited for Friday thru Sunday.

A few Fridays ago I made a pretty great meal for myself and my friend Liv. It was pretty quick to make, and most of the ingredients are things that you probably already have in your fridge. I am going to give you the recipe for delicious Eggplant and Caper sauce, which I paired with farrow, but would go great on pasta, polenta, or really any other carb. It all just depends on what your preference is. #elkinthekitchen

Eggplant and Fig Sauce

Ingredients
1 eggplant, cut into 1 sq. inch cubes
4-5 Tbsps. olive oil
2 tsp salt
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 larger tomatoes, diced
½ onion, coarsely chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
2 dried figs, very finely chopped
2 Tbsps. Capers

Directions
1. Heat up in the oil in a heavy bottomed pot. Once hot, add the eggplant and salt to the pan. Sautee about 7 minutes on medium heat, or until eggplant has softened greatly.
2. Add the garlic, tomatoes, brown sugar, and onion. Sautee that mixture until all ingredients resemble a sauce, rather than separate entities, about 10 minutes on low-med heat.
3. Remove from heat, stir in the figs and capers, and serve with a pasta or grain. I used farrow for my meal and it was lovely.

Boozy Brussel Sprouts

So, obviously I haven't been posting quite that much over the past few weeks. A few weeks ago, it was my last full week at work, before I started at my brand new college lastweek! It's been emotional and scary and this morning my mom yelled at me to "make friends" as I was getting on the train, so needless to say, it's also been embarrassing.

I have still been cooking, because if I didn't I would probably be even more emotionally exhausted than I am now, but I haven't been that careful to take any pictures or notes while doing so. However, I did manage to snap a few pics of brussel sprouts that I made for myself a few days in a row last week. These things are so good, I ate them straight out of the pan with my fingers one of the times. Also, I added these to my Easter menu, and I know it's a little late for that now, but if you ever have guests over and need a quick side of vegetables, this would be a great article for you to read. Also, my vegan guests enjoyed this recipe, because it doesn't have any dairy or animal products (even though if you wanted to add some bacon or butter, it would be 10x better).

These brussel sprouts are crispy and oily, as well as salty, spicy, and a little boozy from the white wine I toss in at the end. Sorry in advance to my mother who is probably wondering what happened to that bottle:) #elkinthekitchen

Boozy Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 bag of brussel sprouts, bottom parts removed and each sprout quartered
2 pinches of salt
Black pepper to taste
1 pinch of dried red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup of white wine

Directions
1. Heat up the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
2. Once the oil is hot, toss in everything except the white wine. Let the brussel sprouts cook and crisp up, occasionally mixing around with a wooden utensil, but not so much that no parts of the sprouts brown. If they look burnt, it's probably okay. The crispier the better. However, lower the heat if necessary.
3. Once the contents of the pan have been cooking for 7-10 minutes, and are decently browned, pour in the wine. Let the wine cook out for a few minutes, still mixing with a wooden utensil. After the wine has cooked out and your sprouts look dry again, they are ready to eat!
4. Put on a plate and enjoy as a snack, meal, or side!