Corn Cucumber Salsa–the winner!
It’s that time again! September is the 6th anniversary of the Burnt My Fingers blog, and as in previous years we look back at the recipes that have generated the most clicks over the last 12 months. Or, not. The Colonel’s KFC Three-Bean Salad, Vincent’s Garlic Cole Slaw and Squash Casserole a la Highland Park Cafeteria always make the list so we’ll give them a bye. With those three taking a victory lap, here’s what’s left in our top five recipes:
- Corn Cucumber Salsa. Hijo! This recipe was inspired by the salsa at GDL Taqueria in Glens Falls, NY, which served the best tacos I’ve ever experienced. Sadly, that place is closed but you can still make this prep at home. For maximum pleasure, do take the trouble to pickle the onions and grill the corn. The niblets make it rolly-poly so it’s not ideal for dipping a chip, but it goes almost anywhere else you want a frisson of fresh taste and heat.
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Aji Roja (Mild Red Chile Sauce Peruvian-Style). Another surprise! I came up with this tangy mixture, along with a green companion, to serve with the Peruvian grilled heart specialty called anticuchos. But neither the meat nor the verde sauce has gained any traction, while clicks for aji roja are through the roof. I suspect the key is its resemblance to “Tacolicious” sauce, a Bay Area favorite.
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Pickled Tripe. The continued success of this offal dish proves its listing last year was no fluke. I can only imagine the reception we will get when we finally figure out the secret of Pennsylvania Dutch tripe in gelée. (I’m working on it; I now have some cleaned but not bleached tripe in the freezer, plus a pig’s foot as a backup source of collagen.)
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Fried Calamari Chinese-Style. This ended up in almost exactly the same spot as last year. It’s our home-grown version of General Tso’s Shrimp, only better thanks to a few refinements like making a stock from the shells. And it’s delicious. Try some tonight!
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Pita for Jerusalem. Another surprise! We developed this bake to go with the wonderful dishes in Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem Cookbook, which oddly contains no pita recipe. And preps for this simple pocket bread seem pretty hard to find in general. I guess everybody assumes you’ll buy your pita, but it’s so easy you might as well make your own.
That’s it! Wonder who will be on top next year?
