The challenge to cook all 115 recipes from the Thug Kitchen cookbook within a year is coming along well. With only 34 days left, my arm in a sling, and still 23 recipes to go, we need to get boogeying.

Today we’re looking at two recipes- Midsummer salsa and Fireroasted salsa.  Both amazing in their own right, they need no further introduction.

Midsummer Salsa

I made it chunky. That was one day pre-arm-in-a-sling. Chop, chop, chop, mix, and done. The fresh ingredients smelled amazing. Something about the lime combining with the fresh garlic was intense and zesty as hell. I let it chill the fridge a couple of hours until it was snack time.

The chill time is when the magic happens. It’s when the flavours really fuse together.

It tasted so fresh and zingy it was like cilantro-crack. Instant perk-me-up, and absolutely addictive. It was gone in literally minutes.

Fireroasted Salsa

This one was trickier since I couldn’t get my hands on any fireroasted tomatoes in a can from ANY of the stores over here. I searched high and low. Denmark may be the country of Lego and pastries, but she’s not the country of tinned fireroasted tomatoes. In the end I thought fuck it, if the druggie won’t go to the crackpipe, the crackpipe must come to the druggie. So I decided to make my own  fireroasted tomatoes. I figured grilled tomatoes would be the same. Plus fresher, and I got to roast some garlic in foil on the grill at the same time, so it was a win-win.

This was made post-arm-in-a-sling so I took the easy route and just threw everything in the food processor to blend for a bit. Then I popped that bad boy in a plastic container and flung it in the fridge using my good arm. I kicked the door shut and didn’t go back in there till it was snack time.

The result was amazing.

Subtle, smoky flavours are the trademark of this salsa, but don’t be deceived by this sneaky little fucker. Its colours may at first seem tame, and yes, the flavours are more mellow in comparison to the midsummer salsa, but it packs a heat punch that creeps up on you like a deadly assassin. It will have you reaching for your beer (or whatever your beverage of choice may be).

If these two salsas were guests at your party they’d be V.I.P.s. You’d be lucky to get any alone time with them, as the other guests crowd round them like groupie-vultures. You might catch a quick glimpse of them at the buffet table, but then, like the elusive Lock Ness Monster, they’d be gone as suddenly as they’d appeared, and you’d find yourself wondering if you’d seen them at all.

Might be better to make a batch for a solo movie night in your pajamas so you don’t have to share with anyone else.