Cilantro. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Few foods seem to have such a range of opinions. Some of it might be based in the fact that a certain percentage of the population can't taste the ingredient that turns off some people. 

As Lynda Baslev wrote in this NPR story about cilantro:

Like politics and religion, cilantro elicits strong opinions. People love it or hate it. For some, it's an acquired taste, thus attracting its share of proselytizing converts, such as myself. 

I, too, have had a love/hate relationship with cilantro. I can pick it up as I taste Mexican dishes where it adds an aromatic nuance. I've also had it overpower a dish with soapy flavor that I find objectionable. 

Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, give this a try. There are elements that you will have to adjust for your kitchen and taste preferences, but this one recipe where, for me, cilantro totally rocks
it. The original recipe called for 1 jalapeno but I like more spice.

I've made this a number of times. For two people, it's more rice than you need for one night so it has become a perfect side dish to heat up mid-week. 

Cilantro Rice

Ingredients:

• Cilantro - 1 large bunch, stems and leaves, coarsely chopped
• Rice - 1 1/2 cups (I used Thai Jasmine rice)
• Kosher salt
• Scallions - 3-5 depending on thickness, cleaned and roughly chopped
• Jalapenos - 2 stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
• Garlic - 4 cloves peeled
• Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
• Lime juice - 2 teaspoons
• Salt

Instructions:

• In a medium saucepan heat 2 cups of water over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and rice. Stir to mix. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then cover and turn heat to low. Leave the cover on for 10-12 minutes.
  
• In a food processor or blender, add the cilantro, scallions, jalapeno, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup water, olive oil. Puree the mix until smooth. 
• When rice is done, remove the saucepan from the heat and turn off heat. Drape a kitchen towel over the saucepan and place the cover back on. Let sit for 5 minutes.
• Gently fluff the rice with a fork. Add the cilantro puree and lime juice to the rice and gently mix the rice and puree together with a wooden spoon. 
• Serve with lime wedges.
  

Spicy Pickled Corn

I'm just starting to get into pickling. I've been drawn to a number of recipes that involve pickling recently. I'm fascinated by the process of preserving fresh produce in this method.

At this time of year it's all about preserving the good produce. Recently, our supermarket had Brentwood corn 6 for $1. Incredible. We picked up six ears and had two for dinner. I dog-eared this recipe in a recent Bon App magazine and gave it a try as way to use up the other four ears of corn. The photo in the magazine was gorgeous and it captured my curiosity.

I made 3 jars. I put up two and one was not filled enough to store so I stuck it in the fridge and figured out how to use it up. I have added the spicy corn to salads, omelettes, and stir fries with good success. It packs a spicy punch so be aware of the heat as you work with it.

I doubled this recipe:

Spicy Pickled Corn

In a large bowl, combine:

• 2 small red dried chilies
• 1 seeded thinly sliced jalapeno pepper
• 1/4 thinly sliced medium red onion
• 2 ears corn kernels cut off of cooked corn cobs (a few minutes in boiling salted water)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Brine

• 1/2 cup white wine or apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 cup water

Bring brine to a boil. Pack sterile jars with corn mixture. Pour brine over the corn mixture to fill the jar (I ended up doubling the already doubled brine mixture). Put the lids on the jars and put them in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. Or else stick jars in the fridge and use up the contents within a few weeks.

Breakfast from the Box

Something cool occurred to me as I was making our Sunday breakfast: I knew the source of just about every ingredient. Most of it came from our weekly CSA box but for those that didn't I knew where it came from. Here's how it went.

I began by cutting up a couple of fingerling potatoes and sweet potatoes (leftover from last week's box). I got them started in the skillet with some butter, black pepper, and a dash of salt.

Then I decided to go for a Southwestern egg scramble given the ingredients in this week's box. I started by dicing half of a yellow onion (from the box) and got it started in a skillet with some EVOO. While the onion cooked down, I diced half of a green bell pepper (from the latest delivery) and added it to the skillet. Four eggs (from a friend's backyard chickens) were whisked together along with some of Penzey's Southwest seasoning and into the skillet they went. I chopped up some cilantro leaves (from the box) and added them into the eggs. A diced avocado (finally ripened from last week's box) got added and then some grated cheddar cheese (OK, this was from Trader Joe's).

Oranges and tangerines (from this week and last) were juiced.

After plating, I sprinkled some dried parsley (from the backyard) over the potatoes and served.

All in all, an enjoyable locavore breakfast.

Cilantro Chutney

I have to admit that there's a hint of disappointment whenever cilantro arrives in the box. While I enjoy the flavor, it too often sits in the fridge until it's a shriveled, withered lump of future compost. I like cilantro in small amounts. It's great in salsas but I don't make salsa all that often. I've made cilantro pesto and cilantro-arugula pesto but they are second fiddle to a good basil pesto. I was almost getting to the point of getting it banned from the delivery box. But then I found this chutney.

One evening I was wondering how to prepare a piece of swordfish that we picked up that day. I saw a recipe for a cilantro-mint chimichurri in Bobby Flay's Mesa Cookbook that looked quite tasty. I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand so I just kind of winged it using what I had on hand. It was pretty spicy but tasty.

Ironically, the next morning's newspaper had this article and recipe and it is pretty darned close to what I had made the night before. The chutney can be used in a variety of ways as you'll see in the article.

Cilantro Chutney
Makes 1 cup

This Indian condiment is often made with both mint and cilantro, so feel free to substitute mint leaves for some of the cilantro.

• 2 bunches of cilantro - I just do one bunch
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced - I used 3
• 1 Serrano chili, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup of water - I skipped this step
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice (about 2 lemons) - I used limes instead
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of finely grated ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt - I just did one teaspoon

Instructions: Rinse cilantro well and let it dry completely. Pick of the leaves and discard the stems. Place garlic and chili in a food processor and puree until finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until a chunky salsa forms, scraping down the sides a few times to integrate all of the ingredients. Can be stored in the fridge for several days.

Mango Salsa

Mangoes are plentiful right now and relatively cheap. A mango salsa is a great way to use mangoes for a refreshing spring or summer dish. In the late afternoon I made the following recipe and let the flavors "marry" in the refrigerator for a few hours.

• 1 ripe mango - peeled and diced
• 1/2 medium red onion - peeled and finely diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper - seeded and finely diced
• handful of cilantro leaves - coarsely chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 avocado - diced (optional - add at the last minute)
  

Last night I cooked halibut following this recipe:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
  
• Sprinkle halibut with salt and pepper
  
• Heat olive oil in a skillet
  
• Sear one side of the halibut in the skillet. Cook until browned
  
• Carefully turn the fish over and sear the other side
  
• Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 5 minutes
  
• Add mango salsa and serve

A side of roasted baby (tiny!) Nantes carrots and a salad from the CSA box completed the meal.

Arugula & Cilantro Pesto

There were lots of greens in our latest box (every other week delivery). In addition to the pea shoots, we got a large bunch of arugula and a bunch of cilantro. Not to mention the bag of spinach.

So I decided to make a pesto out of the arugula and cilantro. I looked at a few different recipes and came up with the following. It's not a finalized recipe. Just using what was on-hand at the time.

To make the pesto I made up the following recipe:

• 2+ cups of arugula, washed and dried
• 1 bunch of cilantro leaves, washed and dried
• 4 cloves of garlic chopped
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• roasted pine nuts
  
• shredded Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil, to desired consistency
  

Many recipes have you brown the garlic in its skin in a skillet. Let it cool and then peel. Since I began this project after dinner I didn't have time to do that.

I always keep roasted pine nuts in the freezer. Their high fat content means they freeze well and thaw quickly. Get a large amount of pine nuts, roast them, and keep them in your freezer in an airtight container. That way you can add them to salads or make pesto at any time.

I let this pesto recipe sit for a few nights until tonight when I used it on a homemade pizza with mushrooms, carmelized onions, garlic, sauteed pea shoots, and cheese. There's plenty more for future dinners.