Hey there Florida Foodie friends,
It’s an eldritch horror made flesh by the Old Ones, Thomas Mates.
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I am feeling slightly, uncharacteristically optimistic.
I had to tear apart part of my bathroom over the weekend, which was less than pleasant and a much bigger project than I anticipated. Oh, the joys of homeownership.
That being said, I felt pretty good when I was done.
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“But Thomas, that has nothing to do with food,” I hear you thinking.
First of all, yes, I can hear you thinking, so mind your Ps and Qs. Second, I’m getting there.
Like I said last week, I’ve felt a bit like I was in a rut with my cooking. Well, after knocking out that bathroom debacle, I felt a bit inspired.
I made some pretty fantastic tacos with a really great salsa verde I put together off the cuff. I’ll share the recipe for that a bit later, but the point is that it felt good just to improvise something and have it turn out as well as it did.
I’d still love to get some new recipes to try out. Share some in the Florida Foodie Forum. If you don’t have a recipe to share, that’s OK. You can also ask questions or leave restaurant recommendations. Whatever floats your boat.
Just click here to join the fun!
OK, let’s get into it.
Shine on🌞
Moonshine has a long history and tradition. While many people associate with Appalachia and other parts of the U.S., the tradition has its roots in the Caribbean.
Mike Webber and Steve Nichols wanted to keep an eye to that history when they opened their distillery, Caribbean Moonshine.
The pair has already seen a lot of success with their new endeavor, which has set up shop in Orlando Vineland Premium Outlet Mall. The booze is all made in Florida, but it offers a variety of Caribbean flavors including banana, coconut, marmalade, and peanut butter and chocolate, which is their No. 1 seller.
The pair had a great conversation with Candace Campos on the latest episode of Florida Foodie.
>You can check out the whole episode here<
Don’t forget you can also find every episode of Florida Foodie on YouTube.
Small bites 🧂
Saying goodbye👋: After 25 years, Buca di Beppo has closed its Maitland location. Two more Central Florida locations remain open. Click here to read more about the reason for the closure.
7th time is the charm 🌭: The Chicago-based chain Portillo’s is getting ready to open up its seventh Central Florida location. You can find all the details here.
Backyard at the beach🏖️: The Yardery plans to open a third outpost, offering up drinks and food for people in New Smyrna Beach. The timeline for the opening can be found here.
Something to try at home 🍽️
As promised, here is a salsa verde recipe. Again, this was just kind of improvised on my part. I thought it was pretty good. It is pretty simple, so you can feel free to customize it to your heart’s content.
Ingredients:
- 2 jalapenos with stems removed
- 1 red onion, cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- salt & pepper
Step 1: On a baking sheet, coat your jalapenos and onion with a tablespoon of olive oil. Place them under a broiler set to high. Let them blister and turn them over about halfway through. They are done when the jalapeno is completely blackened.
Step 2: Remove the onion and jalapeno from the oven. Place the jalapeno in a covered bowl and allow them to steam for about five minutes. Then, using a paper towel, remove the skins from the jalapenos.
Step 3: If you have a low spice tolerance, remove the seeds and ribs from your jalapenos now. Place your jalapenos and onion in a food processor and pulse until chunky. Then place all of your other ingredients, except the salt and pepper, into the food processor and blitz it until smooth.
Step 4: Give it a taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
This sauce has a kick, but it’s not too bad. I think it is a great compliment to pork or chicken, but you could totally just dip some tortilla chips in it. Like I said, this is a simple recipe, so you could totally plus it up with some fresh herbs or a sprinkle of cotija cheese, maybe even some fresh, diced tomatoes over the top.
That’s it for today.
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Send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.
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