On the post below you’ll see this same photograph. And in the post I told you about the wonderfully refreshing fruit salsa given to me by our friend Debra. This salsa was matched perfectly to our spicy carnitas, but you can also eat it by itself.
I saw Debra yesterday and she gave me her recipe for the salsa and I just thought it would be a good idea to pass it along to all of you out there who saw the post and wondered how to make this colorful summertime dish. Enjoy!

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
12 ripe strawberries, diced
1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped, fresh basil
juice from 1/2 lemon
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all in a small bowl and refrigerate.

This carnitas recipe comes from our friend Kitty. She cooked it up for a group of us one night, and the flavor blew us away.
We served our dish with a homemade fruit salsa, given to me today by our friend Debra. Great job Debra…now we can rave about your fruit salsa in addition to your incredibly moving and timeless photographs!
In the fruit salsa are strawberries, mango, mint and onions. The onions taste as if they were marinated in something and we aren’t sure what it is, but whatever it is….it works! The fruit salsa couldn’t have come at a better time. It was perfect with the carnitas.
Enjoy!

Carnitas

3 Lbs. pork shoulder (Boston Butt)
juice of one orange
1/2 cup milk
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic
1 onion
2 cups chicken stock
generous lard, bacon fat, or oil (we used olive oil, not much)
oregano, to taste
thyme, to taste
Chicago seasoning or something smoky (we used smoky paprika)
Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, to taste (use more than you think you would)

Cut pork into 2 x 2 squares and brown in fat. Add onion and garlic and brown slightly. Add stock, orange juice, milk, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper, and water to barely almost cover. Cover and cook at 350 F. for 3.5 – 5 hours (check after 2.5).
Remove when liquid level is low and meat is falling apart. Shred meat and toss with generous helping of Frank’s Red Hot sauce. Serve with soft tortillas, salsa (fresh tomato, onion, lime and cilantro), sliced avocado and sour cream.

This lovely collection of sweets comes courtesy of the Rustic Italian Food cookbook by Marc Vetri with David Joachim.
To quote a portion of the top paragraph “the recipe is all about pectin and temperature…”
The pectin will most likely have to be increased. I had to more than double the amount in order to get the mixture to achieve the desired consistency, and I was never able to get my candy thermometer to go above 220 degrees.
Another piece of advise: they would have you cook this in a medium saucepan. Instead you should use a large pan, like the one you’d boil water in which to cook pasta.

Makes about forty 1 inch squares

2 pints fresh strawberries (I got mine fresh from my garden!)
1 Tbsp. powdered pectin (I used about 2 1/4 Tbsp.)
2 3/4 cups sugar, plus more for coating
1/2 cup liquid glucose or light corn syrup
1/4 Tsp. fresh lemon juice

Line a 9 x 7 inch baking dish with microwaveable plastic wrap. Puree the strawberries in a food processor, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Measure out 3 1/3 cups of the puree and pour into a medium saucepan. Warm over low heat.
Mix the pectin and 1/4 cup of the sugar together, then stir into the warmed puree. Bring to a boil and add the remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar in three stages, stirring each addition until dissolved before adding the next.
Stir in the glucose or corn syrup and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to prevent clumping. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. When the mixture reaches 230 F degrees, stir in the lemon juice and remove from the heat. When the mixture stops bubbling, immediately pour it into the prepared baking dish, where it will begin to set. Let stand on a rack at room temperature until fully set and cooled, about 1 1/2 hours. The pate should be like soft, squishable Jell-O, set, but not so hard that it’s jiggly and would bounce if it fell on the floor.
Store at room temperature covered in plastic wrap. Do not refrigerate, or the sugar may separate out.
When ready to serve, cut the pate’ into 1 inch squares. Put the sugar for coating in a bowl and add about 5 cubes to the bowl at a time, tossing to coat.

In my neighborhood, a few of us have created a magazine exchange. When we’re finished with what we’ve read, we pass it along. It’s a recycling thing.
In any case, one of my neighbors gave me a Good Housekeeping from April of this year, and I have to admit, I rather enjoyed it. I’m sure I haven’t read a Good Housekeeping before, avoiding it, thinking it’s one my Grandmother would have liked, therefore, not for me.
Wrong!
The magazine isn’t glitz and glamour, but it was packed full of fun and informational stuff.
From that magazine came this recipe. The dish is not colorful in appearance, but it’s very tasty. In my opinion it would taste equally as good, hot or cold.

HEAT: 1 large covered saucepot SALTED WATER to boiling on high.
ADD: 10 Ounces CHINESE EGG NOODLES or THIN SPAGHETTI. Cook as label directs; drain and rinse under cold water.
PUREE: in food processor, 3/4 cup CHICKEN BROTH, 3 Tbsp. each LOWER-SODIUM SOY SAUCE and LIME JUICE, and 1 Tbsp. each SUGAR, SRIRACHA HOT SAUCE, and CHOPPED FRESH GINGER.
HEAT: 2 Tbsp. CANOLA OIL in 12 inch skillet on high.
ADD: 8 ounces GROUND TURKEY; cook 5 minutes, breaking up with a spoon. Add broth mixture; simmer 5 minutes or until turkey is cooked through.
STIR: in 5 ounces BABY SPINACH (I USED SWISS CHARD from the garden); cook 1 minute.
DIVIDE noodles among 4 plates; top with sauce and chopped peanuts (I threw the noodles in the pan with the turkey and sauce, tossed, and put the whole thing on a platter for everyone to take what they wanted)
Serves 4

I put these two dishes together for a late lunch, both of them coming from The Silver Spoon cookbook. The only thing I added, that was not called for, was a couple of splashes of red wine into the beet dish just as it was about finished. I also did not cook the beets before adding them to the onions.
These recipes are so easy, and when served together on a large platter will be perfect for a weekend brunch or impromptu lunch with friends on your front porch! Enjoy!

Eggs With Tomatoes (serves 4)

2 Tsps. olive oil, plus extra for brushing
4 large tomatoes
pinch of dried oregano
4 eggs
1 sprig fresh flat-leafed parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush an ovenproof dish with olive oil. Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds and some of the flesh. Sprinkle the insides with a little salt and place upside down on paper towels for 10 minutes to drain. Season the insides of the tomatoes with oregano and pepper and divide the olive oil among them. Place the tomatoes in the prepared dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, break an egg into tomato, return the dish to the oven, and bake for an additional 5 minutes (mine took a bit longer). Garnish with parsley and serve.

Beets With Onions (serves 4)

2 Tbsp. butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 Lb. 5 ounces cooked beets, peeled and cut into thin sticks (I cut mine thin on the mandolin and added them to the onions uncooked. I had to cook them for about 8 minutes, but they were al dente when finished.)
salt

Heat the butter in a pan, add the onion, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the beets, mix well, and season with salt. Cook for an additional few minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and serve.

Today, another over 90 degree day, Sandy made this salad which has been adapted from an Ina Garten recipe. My only problem with this dish is that it’s hard to limit myself to just one bowl! The cold and savory flavor was perfect for a hot day like today. Uncork a nice bottle of chilled white wine!

Ingredients

1/2 pound gemeli pasta
kosher salt
good olive oil
1 lb. ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
1/2 lb. good feta cheese, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1 lb. fresh asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces, blanched

For the dressing:

5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
6 Tbsp. good olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced
1 Tsp. capers, drained
1/4 Tsp. kosher salt
3/4 Tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, feta and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt and pepper in a mini-prep food processor until almost smooth.
Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and parsley, and toss well.