The first ‘official’ date that Hubby and I went on after meeting was to Old Salem here in North Carolina. It’s an amazing village that has embrace the late 1700′s and invites visitors to view what life was like back then. We watched candles being made, butter being churned and other home chores of the times that we take for granted today.
That was on a Saturday in November. Through the following months, we enjoyed many such trips; sometimes to the mountains, other times to the beach. There are many absolutely breathtaking places within a few hours of where we live. It’s much different than when I was up in Chicago. There, we had the city, sure, but if you wanted to see real ‘nature,’ you had to head north; hours north.
Then came a day in March when not-yet-Hubby sat me down and explained that while he had done all these things on Saturdays with me over the past five months, it was stopping; now. Period. End of discussion.
You see, I’m from Chicago. We have the Bulls. We had Michael Jordan. Because of that, we never really missed the fact that there aren’t really successful college basketball teams in Illinois. Hubby hails from Ohio. They have college sports there. And, apparently, they really have college sports here in North Carolina.
It’s March. Those of you that have college sports knows what that means. The Madness has set in. During this month, we don’t do anything on Saturday afternoons. Even now, the television is on while Hubby and Dudette are playing ‘Don’t Break the Ice,’ some game involving a penguin, ice blocks and hammers.
I’m still not a college sports fan, but I do support my man, who is. So, snacks will be here in abundance this month.
That’s one of the reasons I chose this magazine.
The Process
Simple. You gotta love a dish that tastes good but is simple to make. If you can cut up a tomato, drizzle it in olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper, you can make this.
Ok, yeah, there’s a little chopping to be done; green onions, garlic and pickled jalapenos, but that’s easy.
The Verdict
This is delicious. I’m usually a fan of fresh salsa, but that’s because I don’t enjoy the processed flavor of the jarred variety. This tastes roasted. The tomatoes are sweet, a bit caramelized at the edges. That sweetness is offset by the pickled jalapeno and the lime juice. With salt and pepper to taste, it’s perfect.
Hubby, my non-tomato person, thought so too. He seemed a little put out when I covered the container and told him it would be even better after it sat in the fridge for a while. I’ll put money on his grabbing it back out as soon as I head out the door with Dudette in a few minutes. I might even put money on it all being gone before I get back.
What I’d Do Different Next Time
I’d add a handful of cilantro and leave out the sugar. My tomatoes were plenty sweet without it and it’s not necessary.
- 1½ pounds large plum tomatoes, quartered and seeded
- EVOO, for drizzling
- Salt and pepper
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- ¼ cup drained sliced pickled jalapeno chiles, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 pinch sugar
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees . Arrange the tomatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with EVOO; season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 25 minutes. Let cool, then chop. Transfer to a bowl.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients into the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
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