Monday, August 20, 2012

Black (Bean) & Gold (Pineapple & Corn) Game-Winner Salsa




I know, I know...it's still summer...who in their right mind is thinking football and tailgate parties this time of year?  This gal! Mieke & Tall Matt bought pre-season tickets for the Steelers/Colts game to help celebrate my birthday a little early this past weekend.  Mieke, Tall Matt, Mark, Kimber and I kind of partied all weekend long, actually...and there's nothing wrong with that! 

Never having been to a Steelers game or to Heinz Field, Matt (he's from MI - land of the Detroit Lions) wanted to do it up right...and so we did.  Good Lord, we kicked off on Saturday morning for a Sunday night game! Meat & Potatoes and their magnificent Bloody Mary Bar brunch was the first stop and the beginning of one fantastic weekend.  (http://meatandpotatoespgh.com/menus/brunch_menu.pdf ).  We zigzagged through Market Square and the Strip District hitting several more fun spots, did some shopping - or looking before calling a timeout on Round One of the pregame festivities.  

Dinner?  We simply threw some good steaks on the grill, cooked up beautiful ears of sweet local corn on the cob and I whipped up a quick tomato feta salad with basil from the garden.  Kimber surprised me with gluten-free chocolate birthday cupcakes filled with Nutella and piled high with Nutella buttercream.  Wow!

After a good night's sleep, pregame Round Two kicked off! Brunch at Verde Mexican Kitchen & Cantina in the fresh summer air made for one perfect start.  (Brunch menu: http://verdepgh.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Verde-Menu-Brunch-2012-07-14.pdf)  

From there, we hit several other lovely establishments before ending at James Street Gastropub and Speakeasy (great jazz & original eats & great cocktails, too): (http://jamesstreetgastropub.com/).  Next stop, the North Shore!

Once in the Heinz Field parking lot, we raised the tailgate and unloaded the main event: fresh made guac (yes, I packed the molcajete!), salsa roja, Black & Gold Salsa (Matt LOVED it!),  chicken salad with almonds, apple jalapeno coleslaw (I posted this one a while ago, here's the link: http://dinnerplan-it.blogspot.com/2012/03/apple-jalapeno-slaw.html ), melon chunks, rolls, tomatoes, even Rice Krispie treats...a variety of beers and Grilled Peach Vodka Basil Sweet Tea, too ( http://dinnerplan-it.blogspot.com/2012/07/grilled-peach-vodka-basil-sweet-tea.html).  We did NOT go hungry (or thirsty)...and we shared with our appreciative neighbors, too!

The hit of the tailgate?  Black & Gold Salsa.  Here's the recipe.  It even brought the Steelers a win!



Black & Gold Salsa


  • 1 medium pineapple, peeled and cored, cut into chunks
  • 1 large banana pepper, seeded and chunked - a nice yellow one
  • 1 jalapeno, ribs & seeds removed ( or not, if you want it hotter)
  • 1 small onion, peeled, chunked
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, finely minced
  • 1 large ear of corn, leftover, kernels removed (if you don't have a leftover ear of corn, use canned or frozen - 3/4 C or so)
  • 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin (more or less - however much you like cumin!)
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce, I used Cholula lime, but use your fave

Using a food processor, chop the pineapple coarsely, don't puree it!  Keep some good texture to it.  Remove to a mixing bowl.  Process the jalapeno, but make that nice and fine - but not pureed by ANY means; add to bowl.  Do the same with the onion and banana pepper, achieving a dice somewhere between the pineapple and the jalapeno sizes and add that to the mixing bowl, too.
 

Add everything else into the mixing bowl and stir until well-blended.  That's it!
 

Serve with tortilla chips.
   
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