Kitchen Time

Every year at this time I make my famous (insert silly smiley face here) Irish kick-ass salsa. Its deadly to all wimps, wussies, democritters, the very young and elderly alike. It takes me a good two hours of construction.

This afternoon, after I closed the shop, I ran to several markets for the ingredients. I'm finicky about my fresh vegetables. So, I arrived home with a truck load of bags, and the makings of a fish dinner.

No, I will not detail a list or recipe...sorry, it's mine. Suffice to say I make a base and include a small portion of fresh ingredients into the base, and then smack it to death in a blender. This base is poured into a very large bowl and then I chop and add fresh vegetables. Tomatoes, bell pepper, cilantro, onion, and various peppers. I also include salt, black pepper, Tabasco sauce, and the seed of one of the fresh vegetables. Guess which.

The salsa must be thick. I then refrigerate over night, and this step is very important...overnight. The salsa will thicken, almost congeal. When a chip is dipped into the sauce and released it should stand without tipping over.

Above, the birth.

And, finished. Cover with plastic wrap, after you adjust the seasoning, and chill over night. If you like that silly football game scheduled for tomorrow evening, this and a cold beverage of your choice should keep you entertained when the game disappoints.


Your taste may vary but I appreciate Nacho Cheese chips with mine...my wife like those tasteless plain chips - but then again she's from Georgia.

*****

I had a hankering for fish. I satisfied my craving.

Preps...btw, the bottle of Yellow Tail was on sale. Not bad. But, they use those silly plastic 'corks.'

I sauteed the fish, after a dip in egg wash and seasoned flour, in olive oil and butter. As the fish sang its happy song I placed a batch of fresh asparagus in a bit of olive oil and butter with a dash of white wine vinegar and placed pot of grits to fire. For you Yankees that's fine ground corn. Try it.

After I plated the fish I made a simple wine and butter sauce with shallots and garlic with a dash of Balsamic vinegar. I reduced the sauce by half. If you have a cardiologist on speed dial forget the butter as I use full stick...real butter.

Dinner is scheduled for 1800 hours...hurry.

Stephen

For Bob

I was chastised for my lack of knife photos by our good friend, Bob. So, here you are Bob.

Please excuse my awful photography. I still use a Blackberry.

I collect 'Old Timer' USA made knives...I'm far from rabid in my hobby (I have about two gazillion hobbies) but once in a great while I 'get a bug' to buy.  Here are three that fell into my lap of recent.

Above: See, Bob, focus is awful. Anyhow, this is the first model year (1962) of the Schrade-Walden Old Timer 15OT. As you well know, Schrade dropped the Walden in 1973. If you find an Old Timer with the Schrade-Walden brand, grab it. Please don't droll. Oh, carbon steel.

Above, the top is an Improved Muskrat 77OT. She's nothing special but she's mine. The bottom is my daily pocket knife carry, a little three blade 34OT, razor sharp. Well, heck, all my knives are razor sharp. I hate dull tools.

The Muskrat open. Distinctive by its almost equal blades. See the metal stain, I love it as it reflects the blades carbon steel. Hate stainless. Even though 'stainless' means the blade 'stains less.'

Here the Sharp Finger cased. The old leather has a wonderful scent. She's sharp enough to cut one's soul.

My other daily, outside the pocket, carry. A Benchmade Mel Pardue 154CM.

There you are, Bob.

Stephen