Make Your own or Order-In: The Flavors of Summer
Catching up with Arizona Food Producers
Mouth of the South Calabacitas
The Salsa Don - Antonio and his perfect calabacitas
We caught up with our friends Andrea and Antonio at Mouth of the South Salsa Company to see what they are cooking with Farmers Market bounty right now: summer squash, corn, spring onions, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes.
Andrea said, “In honor of the summer season and the squash harvest, we made some Calabacitas ourselves today and we can say with 100% certainty that our XXTREME Chil Tepin salsa is the best fit for that delicious dish! It really is the perfect flavor and consistency needed to heat up this traditional meal because its smooth, yet fiery taste blends nicely with the crisp summer squash and corn mixture.”
Recipe: Super Easy Calabacitas
Sauté onions and garlic in a pan over medium high heat with a bit of oil until the onions turn translucent. Add your favorite summer squash, corn kernels cut from the cob, and sweet peppers. Let it set for a minute and think about what it’s done.
When the squash turns lightly golden brown on one side, toss and let sit over the heat for another minute or two. Pull from heat and dress with Mouth of the South XXTREME Chil Tepin salsa and enjoy!
Double T Catering Services
Authentic Nigerian Food For Pick-Up
Chef Adetoun Oluwole of Double T Catering is passionate about bright, flavorful food. She says that food should never be bland or boring. Those who have seen Adetoun in action describe her as the hardest working person in a kitchen, with a drive and patience to create a deep and soulful jollof rice.
Jollof rice is a staple of Nigerian cuisine and she makes hers in a well-seasoned cast iron cauldron, “like Macbeth.” Starting with a bit of oil, she toasts West African curry powder and thyme until they become fragrant, then adds a long-grain rice like basmati, browning it ever so slightly before adding chicken stock. The rice “boils and bubbles, toils and troubles” until finished to a smokey tenderness with just a hint of curry.
Most of Adetoun’s business has come from catering weddings and events, but not right now. Now, once-a-month she posts an availability list on Instagram folks can order from for home. Her signature jollof rice, beef stew, and ofada stew (aka designer stew) are just a few of the dishes to look forward to. The Saturday after orders, they set-up at Tempe Marketplace for order pick-up. Hopefully in the near future, we will find Double T Catering serving delicious, flavorful food from her food truck.
Strawberry Pie Recipe
Strawberries from Blue Sky Organic Farms
It is toward the tail end of central Arizona’s strawberry season and these super ripe strawberries are begging to be enjoyed. Making strawberry pie is really easy and a traditional part of Juneteenth.
Crust
Start with your favorite pie crust recipe using Arizona-milled flour and butter or a pre-made crust. Bake in your oven at 375 until lightly browned and cooked about 20 minutes.
Filling
• 3 pounds of strawberries, stems removed and cut in half or bite-size pieces
• 1/4 cup or so of orange blossom honey depending on how sweet the strawberries are
• Juice of one lemon
• Dash of salt
• 2 TBSP of cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of water
Add all the ingredients into a heavy-bottom saucepan and heat on medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes until the mixture is thick and bubbly. Pour into the pre-baked pie crust. Pop this pie into your fridge for a few hours until it is set. Enjoyed with honeyed whipped cream!
Strawberries can be found at Blue Sky Organic Farms and Mortimer Farms.