Friday, October 24, 2008

Roasted Corn and Wild Mushroom Salsa

I'm known to be salsa-intensive. Chefly Husband might be able to get through a meal at a TexMex restaurant with just one small bowl of salsa to go with his chips, but if I'm with him, we need at least three. I like it. A lot. Sometimes, I'll admit, my strategy to get even more salsa is to select a salsa that Chefly Husband won't eat...say, one based on large amounts of corn, like this one, from The Great Salsa Book:
Roasted Corn and Wild Mushroom Salsa

4 ears fresh corn
1/3 cup cleaned and diced morels or other wild mushrooms
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), finely diced, with 1 teaspoon of their oil
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 teaspoons minced fresh marjoram
1 clove roasted garlic, minced
1 teaspoon adobo sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cut the corn kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife (about 3 cups). Heat a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan or skillet over high heat until almost smoking. Place no more than two layers of the corn kernels in the pan at a time, and dry-roast for 4 to 5 minutes until smoky and dark, tossing continuously.

Sauté the mushrooms in 1/2 teaspoon of the olive oil until they are cooked well, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the corn, remaining olive oil, and the rest of the ingredients, and thoroughly combine.

Note: If fresh wild mushrooms aren't available, use a combination of dried wild and fresh domestic mushrooms.
Serving suggestions: This is a very versatile salsa; especially good with chicken, grilled steak, or as a side dish.
Yield: About 3 cups.
Heat: 4-5
Fresh corn and fresh morels? This recipe isn't too slavish about seasonal availability, is it?

The side dish suggestion is a good one; I could see eating this with a spoon, and it would be nice not to be viewed as a freak because of that. Not that I eat salsa out of the jar with a spoon. Not often. Not again. Oh, God...

Anyway.

This would also be great loaded up on a tortilla chip or five.

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