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Salsa, Grilling - And Lizards

Photo by LYNN KESSEL

Black-eyed pea salsa can be a cool treat on a hot summer afternoon. Add jalapeno, if you'd like some heat.

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By LYNN KESSEL

Tribune Correspondent

Published: June 17, 2008

Happiness is in the small details of summer: early morning gardening, air conditioning; floating in the pool, air conditioning; mid-afternoon iced coffee; air conditioning; salsa and chips for dinner, ice-cold air conditioning. For me, enduring a Florida summer day is no problem.

We were invited to a neighbor's 20-member-plus family gathering on a recent Saturday afternoon. And as with any office, church or other potluck social, I felt my usual angst about what to bring.

Even when, "You don't need to bring anything," I always have that moral sense of wanting to contribute to the feast. It just doesn't seem right to show up empty-handed.

This time was no exception.

I often find myself losing my culinary mojo this time of year, turning to small splashes of creativity versus time-consuming recipes. And I wasn't sure if my take-along dish would be sitting outdoors for several hours or being served in the comfort of cold air. So I figured the safe bet was a fresh salsa and chips.

A bowl of easy-eating salsa is a snap to make - and homemade is so much better than the stuff in the jar. I also had a couple of just-picked tomatoes I'd bought the day before at a roadside produce stand. When I make-and-take salsa, I keep it on the chunkier side so that it can be dipped or eaten as a chopped salad.

Truth be told, on my day off there is nothing more appealing than a casual weekend afternoon cookout. To me, it's the perfect meal and perfect setting for great conversation.

The setup for this soiree was ideal, too. There was plenty of room to sprawl.

In the standalone screened-in building, dueling grills were fired up - one for burgers, bratwurst and dogs, the other for oysters. The majority of the two bushels of raw oysters were shucked out on the grass and eaten raw. The others were tossed on the grill and roasted and were much tastier than those commonly steamed. They were delectable with cocktail sauce, hot sauce and Saltine crackers.

Nibbles back in the house included creamy potato and crab salads, cold boiled shrimp, a spicy taco-cream cheese dip, sweet tea and my Texas caviar, aka black-eyed pea salsa.

There was also an assortment of desserts.

There are as many different kinds of salsas as there are lizards living in my backyard - literally thousands; well, maybe hundreds. I chose one with black-eyed peas, tomatoes and onion.

Hand me a cold beer, please; and pass the salsa.

BLACK-EYED PEA SALSA

2 16-ounce cans black-eyed peas

1 large tomato, chopped

1 cup sweet onion, chopped

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Place peas in a colander, then rinse with cold water and drain. Use a mortar and pestle to grind together the red pepper flakes and coriander seeds.

Combine all ingredients in a medium-size bowl and stir. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Serve with tortilla chips or as a spicy side-kick salad.

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 913, Ruskin FL 33575-0286.

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