Wish me luck!!
I'm competing in a contest tomorrow!!
The California Strawberry Festival in Oxnard has a recipe contest (the Berry Blast-Off) wherein contestants submit their recipes and five semi-finalists are chosen to compete prior to the festival. Two finalists are then chosen to compete again at the festival itself, and the winner gets a four-night cruise.
I have officially made it to the five semi-finalist group (although this year it's six, there's apparently a tie between two main courses and the judges want them both to compete)!! The competition that will narrow us down to two is tomorrow at noon, so please send lots of happy cooking thoughts!
And in case you're curious, here is what I'll be making:
Tilapia Fillets with Strawberry Blood Orange Salsa
1 serrano pepper
3 blood oranges
1 red onion, chopped
1 basket strawberries, chopped
1 small bunch of cilantro, leaves finely chopped
salt to taste
1 Tbsp oil
6 (5-6oz) tilapia fillets
Over direct flame or in a non-coated frying pan, roast pepper till skin has turned mostly black. Cover in a bowl with plastic wrap and allow to cool.
Cut away pith and pulp from blood oranges and slice segments into a few small pieces.
Combine chopped berries, onion and blood oranges with cilantro and salt.
When Serrano pepper is cool, remove skin, stem and seeds and chop very finely. Add to salsa.
Set salsa aside, covered for at least an hour to marinate, stirring occasionally.
Lightly salt tilapia fillets. In a saute pan, heat oil over medium high heat, till just smoking. Cook fillets about 2 minutes per side, till browned and just flaking apart.
Top with salsa and enjoy!
The California Strawberry Festival in Oxnard has a recipe contest (the Berry Blast-Off) wherein contestants submit their recipes and five semi-finalists are chosen to compete prior to the festival. Two finalists are then chosen to compete again at the festival itself, and the winner gets a four-night cruise.
I have officially made it to the five semi-finalist group (although this year it's six, there's apparently a tie between two main courses and the judges want them both to compete)!! The competition that will narrow us down to two is tomorrow at noon, so please send lots of happy cooking thoughts!
And in case you're curious, here is what I'll be making:
Tilapia Fillets with Strawberry Blood Orange Salsa
1 serrano pepper
3 blood oranges
1 red onion, chopped
1 basket strawberries, chopped
1 small bunch of cilantro, leaves finely chopped
salt to taste
1 Tbsp oil
6 (5-6oz) tilapia fillets
Over direct flame or in a non-coated frying pan, roast pepper till skin has turned mostly black. Cover in a bowl with plastic wrap and allow to cool.
Cut away pith and pulp from blood oranges and slice segments into a few small pieces.
Combine chopped berries, onion and blood oranges with cilantro and salt.
When Serrano pepper is cool, remove skin, stem and seeds and chop very finely. Add to salsa.
Set salsa aside, covered for at least an hour to marinate, stirring occasionally.
Lightly salt tilapia fillets. In a saute pan, heat oil over medium high heat, till just smoking. Cook fillets about 2 minutes per side, till browned and just flaking apart.
Top with salsa and enjoy!