My recent adventures to the grocery have been without a shopping list. I feel that going without a shopping list gives you the opportunity to see what’s fresh and available in order to have the best tasting dish. The other part is that it feels like “hunting and gathering” and then bringing home what you find. While I love the structure of going to a grocery and knowing what you want and where to get it, I like the freedom of going outside the box.

Going outside the box has pros:

• You buy what’s fresh.
• No disappointment if the ingredients are not there.
• There are chances you’ll find more creative food ideas.

The cons:

• You spend a lot of time in the store.
• You buy stuff you don’t need.
• You buy stuff you don’t need.

With all this being said, I went out to the market without a list and came back with a great piece of sashimi grade tuna.

Seared Tuna Sashimi

Ingredients
Sashimi Grade Tuna

Tools
Knife
Blowtorch
Cutting board

Method
Place tuna on plate. Turn on blowtorch. Sear the outside of the tuna. Slice and serve.

I see it every year – the mad Christmas rush of youngsters and their parents jamming up Guitar Center to make the first monumental purchasing step in their rockstar careers: buying their first axe.

There are usually pre-packed sets rigged up for just this occasion.  Ibanez, Fender, Dean, and a host of others bundle a low grade electric with a small amp and accessories, all for about $200.

Now there’s definitely nothing wrong with starter guitars–my wife has fiercely held on to her sunburst Fender Squire from the early 90s despite the pleadings of our sound tech—and it’s a great way for parents to test the waters with their excitable juveniles without breaking the bank. The problem begins when the 30-year-old is still riding with training wheels, so to speak.

While it is definitely true that the guitar does not make the guitarist, there are lessons to be learned about tone and sound quality that can only be learned on more advanced instruments.  And definitely a recording or performing artist needs good sound going into mix.  The problem is, that while there is no shortage of guitar “unicorns” out there, not many are willing to take the leap from $200 to $2000.

Everyone has their Dream Guitar (though if you acquire it, a new Dream Guitar will emerge).  It is usually hung up high somewhere, glistening on a guitar store Hercules wall-mount.  You take it down every once in awhile, hook it up, and are amazed at the fact that this beautiful beast can actually make your limited skills sound kind of impressive.

Then you put it back because your rockstar career has not taken off to the point where you can invest in such finery…in fact, on your salary, you probably shouldn’t even be in the store in the first place.

For a long time, the guitar world has hungered for a mid-range model series which delivered both quality and affordability.  Enter the Paul Reed Smith Custom SE Series.  The Custom SE Series is not exactly new, but it continues to make notable advances providing quality (and beautiful) instruments in a mid-level price range.  Rumor has it that Carlos Santana was behind this.  A longtime poster child for PRS, Santana wanted models that anyone could afford to play.  So they got them made in Korea and bang, $600 bucks off.

The PRS Custom SE Series runs between around $540 and $700.  The prices fluctuate throughout the year and depending on the model, but $650 is a good buy.  For example, my wife is the doting owner of a PRS Custom SE Semihollowbody (much to my sound tech’s delight).  She got it two years ago for $650 and it is a world of difference.  The quality of the instrument is nothing short of amazing and for under $1000, I have not seen anything else that can match it.

Since then, we have adopted a slightly cosmetically damaged PRS Custom SE Paul Allender–not used but marked down…steal!  We have also picked up a used PRS Custom SE 22 for about $300.  Best. Buy. Ever.  If you find a Custom SE on sale used, pick it up and give it a play.  They really are tremendous.  We may never be Santana-worthy, but for our moderate skills, the sound is just addicting.  Great construction, quality pickups, beautiful bodies, and PRS production make this series stand out as not only a cut above the rest, but really the only game in town for the semi-serious guitarist.

Resources:
PRS Guitars

July 4 is coming up and I’m sure people will start to get their grills ready to cook up a feast. What kills me is that sometimes I’ll attend parties where the person at the grill clearly doesn’t know what they are doing where your options are burnt meat or raw meat.

I’m going to go over two styles of charcoal layouts that help me grill. First we need to talk about lighting. I like to use chimneys to get the coals started. This technique does not use charcoal lighter fluid. Some say they can taste the fluid in the meat. Tasting the fluid in the meat usually happens when you don’t let the fluid soak into the coals (when it says wait 15-20 minutes, wait). Also, as a warning, do not use the charcoal that has already been soaked in fluid such as Matchlight in starter chimneys. I mean, it works, but the chimney is not needed.

Secondly, what kind of charcoal should you use? I’m a big fan of wood coals. Wood coals, sometimes called lump coals, tend to burn hotter and faster than charcoal briquettes. The formulas I use when picking coals are: What’s in stock at the store and what am I cooking? “What am I cooking?” is the main question. I tend to use charcoal briquettes if I’m cooking chicken, pork, or fish. I use lump coal when grilling beef, lamb, or another meat that could use a nice sear. Oh vegetables…I like charcoal.

I’ve chosen two of my favorite layouts I usually do for grills. Here are the pictures:

I’m not sure what these are officially called but I call the one on the left, Warm/Hot. The other is Hot/Warm/Hot.

The Warm/Hot layout is useful when you want a quick sear on the meat but then need some time for it to cook through. I use this method when grilling chicken. I also like to use it when making Tritip.

The Hot/Warm/Hot layout is just like the Warm/Hot layout except it’s hotter in the middle. I use this layout when making burgers or steaks. This layout is helpful if you want that crispy sear and you’re managing thinner cuts of meats where you just need a few minutes before serving.

Whatever layout you choose, I always recommend creating a cool safe spot. This safe spot will save you from burning meats and gives you time to rest. I used to be full charcoal grill person…ask my dad. He used to laugh at me when I did that. Sure enough I had burnt meat.

Happy grilling!

I’m beginning to think that a lot of the food I make comes purely from inspiration.  It’s either that or I’m really a sucker for marketing.  I was walking past a giant display of flat screen televisions and Ratatouille was playing.  In terms of Pixar flicks, Ratatouille ranks up there with Incredibles and Toy Story.  Sorry but Wall-e disappointed me; however, I did manage to get a well-rested sleep in a theater.

Going back to Ratatouille.  I thought to myself, “If a rat can do it, so can I!”  I researched recipes all over the place and no one really seemed to have a standard.  Thomas Keller’s French Laundry and his technique of making ratatouille inspired the movie.  So I tried it out, just like Remy did…or at least a variation of it.  I took all the ingredients that I found on all the ratatouille recipes on the internet, and removed some like squash florets to make my recipe.

Ingredients
Squash
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Eggplant
1 can tomato sauce
Basil
Oregano
Cumin

Directions

1. Slice the squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant into thin slices.  Use a mandolin if you have one.
2. Arrange them in a pie dish.
3. Bake for 30 minutes in a 400-degree oven.
4. In a separate pan, add the tomato sauce, basil, oregano, and cumin.
5. Cook over medium heat and reduce the liquid by 50%.
6. Pour liquid over vegetables.

Disclaimer:  I didn’t put exact amounts for the ingredients because I winged it.  This was a lesson where I should of documented my steps.  Contact me if you want more exacts.  I’ll try to duplicate the recipe again.

I’m not sure why I’ve never tried this recipe out while I was on island full of mangos.  I’ve been to a couple of restaurants that are serve mango salsa.  After that, I went on a salsa quest.

After tasting a couple of restaurant salsas, I looked for a recipe of my own.

My first search gave me this recipe:

Mango Salsa Recipe

Ingredients

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 1/2 cup) (See: How to Cut a Mango)

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 Jalapeño chile, minced (include ribs and seeds for a hotter taste if desired)

1 small cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)

3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

3 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Also good with diced red bell pepper and jicama.

Method

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the salsa ends up being a little too hot or acidic for your taste, you can temper it by adding some diced avocado.

I have a lot of friends who aren’t into cilantro.  I must agree that cilantro is an acquired taste that happens over time.  However, some people say it’s not salsa if there isn’t any cilantro.  So began my quest to find out what makes a salsa.

Here’s the definition of salsa: a hot sauce containing chilies or a spicy sauce of tomatoes, onions, and hot peppers.

The above recipe has some of the flavors according to the definition minus the tomatoes.  Does a mango match the acidity levels of a tomato?  I think so. Both of them are fruits that contain some kind of acid.  After doing some research, I found out that there are pH levels around 4-5 for tomatoes and 3-4 for mangoes.  More research shows that after adding lemon to tomatoes it reduces the pH level by 1 point.  Technically, they are pretty close.

The only difference is how to deal with the sweetness that comes from the mango.  I found another recipe that uses green mango:

Canning Salsa: Mango Salsa

Yield: 6 to 8 pints

• 6 cups diced unripe mango (about 3 to 4 large, hard green mangoes)

• 1½ cups diced red bell pepper

• ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion

• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

• 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger

• 1 cup light brown sugar

• 1¼ cups cider vinegar (5 percent)

• ½ cup water

Method: Wash and rinse canning jars; keep hot until ready to use. Prepare lids according to manufacturer’s directions.

Wash all produce well. Peel and chop mango into ½-inch cubes. Dice bell pepper into ½-inch pieces. Finely chop yellow onions.

Hot Pack: Combine all ingredients in an 8-quart Dutch oven or stockpot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce to simmering, and simmer 5 minutes. Fill hot solids into clean, hot half-pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Cover with hot liquid, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids.

Recommended process time for Mango Salsa in a boiling water canner.
Canning Salsa		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 – 1,000 ft	1,001 – 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Pints	10 Minutes	15 Minutes	20 Minutes

IMPORTANT: The only changes you can safely make in this salsa recipe are to substitute bottled lemon juice for the vinegar and to change the amount of pepper and salt. Do not alter the proportions of vegetables to acid and tomatoes because it might make the salsa unsafe.

But canning?  I tried it without canning and it was pretty bad.  I did like the flavor of the garlic.  Then I tried it with ripe mango.  Garlic and sweet mango don’t mix.  My biggest thing about this recipe was the lack of “fire” in the flavor.  When I think of salsa, I usually think of the dance which is very spicy on it’s own.

I was craving a mango salsa that didn’t require canning and used ripe mangos.  After playing around with different recipes I settled on this one.

Edel’s Mango Salsa Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 1 Jalapeño chile, minced (include ribs and seeds for a hotter taste if desired)
• ½ cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• ½ clove of garlic, finely chopped
• Juice from a lime
• Juice from a lemon
• Hawaiian sea salt and white pepper to taste
• Tabasco to taste

Method
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Tabasco.  Let is soak for at least 2 hours.