S is for SUMMER and SALSA.

Nessa and I are kicking off BK right. All the Mexican groceries nearby make me feel right at home; you know your spices are great when they come in those little plastic baggies. People who have normal prices for tomatillos and peppers have no idea how good they have it (F. U. UWS.) -- A HUGE PACKAGE OF SERRANOS FOR LESS THAN TWO DOLLARS??? Unheard of in Manhattan.

Speaking of groceries, this morning (afternoon? i can't keep track of time) we went to the Fort Greene Farmers Market, which is only a couple of blocks away from our summer apartment, and picked up some tomatoes for our pico de gallo.

Unfortunately, our apartment doesn't get a lot of light and all the pictures I take of our food are rather hard to see. On the plate:

• refried beans
• quesadilla with monterey jack and cheddar
• pico de gallo
• tomatillo salsa
• unsalted tortilla chips

How I make tomatillo salsa

Ingredients

• 6 medium sized tomatillos with their little balloon thing still shut because it means that they're still fresh
• 1-3 serranos - the question is how hot you like it
• 1-2 jalapeños
• 2 onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• a bunch of cilantro
• salt and oregano - play it by ear

1. Preheat the oven to 450℉. Dump the tomatillos still in their pods into a bowl of cold water. This will get rid of the stickiness and make them easier to handle. Cut one onion to sauté with salt and oregano.
2. Remove the tomatillos from their husk and and quarter. Cut up one jalapeño and the serranos ( I usually a couple of peppers to add to the salsa later to intensify the heat). Place the tomatillos, peppers, garlic and sauteed onions into an oven dish and then sprinkle salt and a moderate amount of olive oil. Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the tomatillos get juicy - then switch to broil for another 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it's just roasted enough and not burnt.
3. While stuff is in the oven, cut up the cilantro, last jalapeño and onion. When the roasted vegetables are done, blend them together (hopefully you have a hand blender !! it makes life easier) AND THEN add the raw ingredients and blend again. Be careful, the salsa will probably be pretty hot from the oven. I don't mind eating it warm, but if this isn't for you, let it sit for an hour and then stick it in the fridge. The consistency becomes a lot thicker after it is refrigerated. We also think it might become less spicy, but we're a bit unsure if that's from being refrigerated or our tolerance.

Add a lime to the corona and shake it all up - serve the salsa with chips and you're GOLDEN. Peace, bitches.