Wait for it…

It’s not hard to figure out from my posts that I’m a fast mover. When I want something, I usually go after it, and I usually go after it quickly. I think a lot of Americans tend to be that way – or if they don’t go after it, they at least want their desires fulfilled quickly.

Naturally, there has to be an opposition to this, and we see it in forms of organizations like the Slow Food Movement and people who are advocating simplicity and living on as little as possible. But it’s a hard sell in this country, I think. It all sounds good in theory, but people still want to know what they will get out of it before they commit.

So with food, why wait? Why spend half an hour diligently stirring risotto when I can pick up pretty tasty fried rice for $8 at a local Thai restaurant? Why wait for it to get sunny and warm enough in Seattle (that would be late July, by the way!) for local summer crops to start showing up when I can get mangos and hot house peppers at the grocery store at any time of year?

Admittedly, I give into the instant gratification temptations often enough. But one of the lessons I’ve learned through the CSA programs I’ve done over the last few years is that there’s an added element of enjoyment in waiting for something. Things taste better when they are grown when and where they grow naturally. Delayed gratification forces a period of anticipation, which makes the satisfaction at end result even greater. And when the anticipation of something occurs each year, there's the opportunity for great traditions to form.

For me, one of these traditions started when one of my CSA boxes contained tomatillos. I'd never seen tomatillos before, so I had no idea what to do with them. I ended up doing what everyone else does - salsa verde! I liked it so much that I made it the next time I saw tomatillos. And I can only eat so much salsa on my own, so I ended up bringing a batch to work. That ended up being popular enough that the next year when I saw tomatillos at the farmers market, I made salsa and brought it to work. Now it's a tradition! Tomatillos appeared for the first time this season in last week's box, so salsa appeared at work on Wednesday. It's also a good excuse to catch up with my friends while munching on chips and salsa.

Tomatillo Salsa
Each batch ends up being different because I never measure things, and the strength of the garlic and jalepenos seems to vary widely.

~1 lb tomatillos, husks removed
small onion, chopped
2-4 jalepeno peppers, chopped (seeds removed for a milder salsa)
handful of cilantro
2-4 cloves garlic
lime juice
salt & pepper (to taste)

1. Boil the tomatillos for 10 minutes.
2. Dump everything in a food processor and blend until it looks like salsa.

Variations: My preference is for this salsa to be mild and sweet. I've added apple to the recipe before, and this year I put in a little sugar.

There are other minor "traditions" I have when certain vegetables are in season... grilling corn, zucchini bread, and starting this year, fava bean risotto. What are yours?

~N