Pineapple Salsa

I adore cilantro. Can't get enough of it. I use it fresh. I use it dried. I use jarred cilantro products like Goya's Recaito. I grow it in my garden. My daughter's middle name is Cilantro. OK, maybe not, but it is the nickname for my husband's left pinky toe. TMI? Anyway, when I have fresh cilantro, I love to make my own salsa.

You'll need ripe pineapple, ripe tomatoes, fresh cilantro, fresh lime juice, freshly ground pepper, kosher or sea salt, and olive oil. The pineapple and tomatoes need to be diced. The cilantro needs to be chopped. And the lime needs to be squeezed. You can certainly buy the pineapple already peeled and cored if you don't want to process it yourself.

I probably use about a one-to-one ratio of pineapple and tomatoes. Season with freshly ground pepper and kosher or sea salt. I like to add about 2 tablespoons of Paul Newman's Oil and Vinegar salad dressing (or his balsamic dressing). You can use olive oil if you don't have any of the salad dressing on hand. Mix everything together. The longer this sits, the better it gets. You can certainly use it right away, but the flavors develop beautifully after a day or two in the fridge.

If you want some heat, chop up a few jalapenos, and throw them in. You can add diced onions or fresh garlic. This would also be great with mangoes instead of pineapple. Serve it simply with tortilla chips or along side some grilled fish, chicken, or pork.

Make what you like, and like what you make!

Holy Guacamole!

Whenever I discover perfectly ripe avocados on my weekly grocery shopping trek, I do a little happy dance right there in the produce section (it's true, check the surveillance tapes at Redner's). Perfectly ripe avocados = perfectly fresh guacamole! With just the addition of lime juice, cilantro, tomatoes, and a few seasonings, the result is truly sublime.

Of course, there are as many different recipes for guacamole as there are bad reality shows on TV (Bridalplasty, I'm talking to you!). Mine has gone through a few variations throughout the years, but since I came up with this one, I haven't made it any other way.

You'll need some ripe avocados, lime juice, tomatoes, fresh cilantro, freshly ground pepper, kosher or sea salt, a pinch of sugar, garlic powder, and chili powder. If you don't know how to process an avocado, just do a search on youtube for a tutorial.

I use chunks of avocado and diced tomatoes along with a generous portion of chopped cilantro. I love lime juice, so I use the juice of one large lime or two small limes. Season with salt and pepper. Throw in a pinch of sugar along with a light sprinkle of garlic powder and chili powder, and mix everything together. Taste the guacamole and adjust the seasoning as you like.

That's it! When you keep it as simple as this recipe, your mouth will do a happy dance tasting each of these phenomenal ingredients. I love the creaminess of the avocado mixed with the tartness of the lime, sweetness of the tomato, and distinct flavor of the cilantro. The garlic and chili powder are subtly in the background, but if you want them to be more prominent, use some fresh garlic and a bit more chili powder. You can also give it a kick with cayenne. I'm not a big fan of raw onions, so I don't use them here, but knock yourself out if that's what you like.

Make what you like, and like what you make!

Deep dish pizza

Chicago absolutely holds the patent for the best deep dish pizza I have ever experienced. I don't know how they do it, but this is my attempt to capture just a fraction of that glorious baked Chicagoan goodness.

What you'll need:

• Two refrigerated pie crusts
• 1 can of whole plum tomatoes
• 1 lb of bulk Italian sausage
• Sliced provolone or mozzarella cheese
• Grated romano or parmesan cheese
• Fresh or dried herbs: basil, oregano, Italian parsley
• Salt and pepper

You need to let the tomatoes drain. Pour them into a colander, and open the tomatoes, so they can lay flat on the pizza. I also pull out the stem. Just do this carefully, so the little buggers don't spit their juice at you.

Let the pie crusts sit out for 10-15 minutes to soften. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. I have a 10" cake pan, but you can certainly use whatever size you've got. The pie crusts are for a 9" pan, so I need to roll the 2 crusts together to make them a little bigger than the pan. If you're using a 9" cake pan, you can just place the 2 crusts on top of each other directly in the pan.

Place the pie crust in the pan and fold over the edges to make a crust. You can take the time to make the edges pretty, but I prefer a more unkempt look to mine. Grate some cheese over the crust - I like to use Locatelli. Then you can layer with sliced cheese. I'm using provolone, but mozzarella would work just as well.

The next layer is bulk Italian sausage - hot or mild or a combination of both. If you have links, slice open the casings and press into the pan to cover the whole pizza.

The next layer is the tomatoes. Make sure they have drained. I also pat them with a paper towel to get any excess moisture off of them. Lay them out on top of the sausage to cover the entire area. Season with kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Add a sprinkle of sugar if the tomatoes are too acidic.

At this point, you can add any number of toppings: mushrooms, onions, peppers, olives, etc. I'm keeping it simple this time, adding only some fresh oregano and grated cheese.

This needs to bake 50-60 minutes. When you take it out of the oven, let it sit for at least 10 minutes. There will be some juices around the crust from the sausage that will reabsorb a bit as it sits.

This is as close as I can get it. If anyone has any other suggestions or inside information as to how to make an authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza, please share. In the meantime, I'm happy with the baked goodness that is my deep dish pizza.

Pork wraps with a Greek twist

I had some leftover roast pork in the fridge from our New Year's Day dinner. I don't make the traditional pork and sauerkraut because we're not too fond of sauerkraut unless it's from Usinger's in Milwaukee, and we consumed our supply long ago. Mental note: place a Usinger's order.

Instead, I like to brine a pork rib roast the night before in a mixture of salt, brown sugar, black peppercorns, and whole coriander seeds, and then roast it on high heat. The fat on the outside of the roast gets crispy (my hubby's favorite part) while the inside is flavorful and juicy. So what to do with the leftovers?

I thought I'd go with a Greek twist for this one. If you have pitas on hand, use them, but I always have a pack of flour tortillas in the fridge. Quesadillas are the easiest way to utilize leftover chicken, steak, pork, anything really. But this time, I'm making wraps.

A couple hours ahead of time, I sliced the cold pork thinly, drizzled a little olive oil on the slices, and sprinkled with some dried herbs. Greek seasoning would be the best thing to use. The mint, garlic, and oregano are so fragrant. I thought I had some in my cupboard, but I guess I never replaced the jar after I used it all. Mental note: buy more Greek seasoning.

So I substituted a light sprinkling of herbs de provence, another very fragrant dried herb blend. It's not really necessary to do any of this ahead of time, but the longer the herbs are on the pork, the more flavor they will impart. In addition to the flour tortillas and pork, I'm using sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced onion, tzatziki, and feta cheese.

Heat up a frying pan and warm up the pork slices. The pork's already cooked, so you just want to heat it up, not turn it into crispy bits of rawhide that would be best served to your dog. Throw the tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them. Then you can assemble the wraps.

You can buy a container of tzatziki which is a yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and dill sauce, or make your own. It's fabulous - I could eat it by the spoonful. Could? I do eat it by the spoonful. I happen to have a container of pre-made tzatziki, so that's what I'm using. Layer up your ingredients however you'd like, then roll up the tortilla.

If you like olives, throw some in there. If you don't have feta, use whatever cheese you'd like. If you don't have tzatziki, you can layer Greek yogurt and sliced cucumbers. If you don't have pork, leftover chicken, steak, or lamb works just as well.

I made my serving into a salad.

Make what you like, and like what you make.