Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Roasted red pepper salsa

Just thinking about this stuff makes me laugh. The kids practiced it over and over again and got the flavor and look down just right. (it's awesome) On competition day, I walk around while they're cooking instead of staring at them because I can't talk to them anyway, so it makes me more nervous to watch them not being able to say anything if I see something they need to do. I got back over to our station (my awesome family comes to watch every year and creates a big cheering section!) and everyone is asking me why they're burning the pepper and why the sticker is still on while they're "burning" it. Yes, it's okay to "burn" the pepper because they were roasting it, but NO, the sticker shouldn't still be on there! It was in prime view of our crowd and the judges and the first question the judges asked was about the sticker, too. Oops! Of course, something they've never done before and something they'll probably remember the rest of their lives every time they wash a pepper. Anyway, this was another thing I always hoped we had leftovers of. I took it home a couple of times and used it for chip dipping and one week I used it in my "Sunday soup" and it added great flavor. They came up with the flavor combination on their own and it was right on!

Roasted red pepper salsa

1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp honey
1/2 red bell pepper, roasted (have to roast the whole thing and just use half in your salsa or make a double batch)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 tsp garlic salt
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Roast red bell pepper over open flame until blackened all around, then put it in a bowl, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside for ten minutes.

Combine honey, ground pepper, vinegar, garlic salt, dried onions, garlic and cilantro. Mix until combined.
Wash off the roasted red bell pepper until all the black skin is off.
Chop the peppers in long strips, then mince half the pepper and chop the other half. The minced half should be nearly pureed.
Add the peppers to the salsa, then the lime juice. Mix until combined. Serve cold or room temperature.







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