Better Home Cooking Basics: #24 Strawberries Don’t Ripen After They’re Picked, so Buy the Ripest Ones You Can.

Strawberries are in season (yay!) & more than likely will be on sale (double yay!).  When you're shopping for strawberries be sure to buy the ripest ones you can find because they will not ripen on your counter like other fruits (e.g., avocados, peaches, pineapples).

When perusing the farmers market or your local grocery store make sure your strawberries are

• the brightest
• the reddest (avoid the white or greenish ones - they're not going to get any riper!)
• dry
• firm
• shiny
• not soft or shriveled
• not fuzzy (strawberries always seem to get moldy super fast - even before you take them home!)

Beside looks, give your berries a whiff to make sure they smell like strawberries. When you check off all these you have found your berries! Now you can eat them as they are (after you wash them) or in a yummy salsa or salad or for dessert.

Check out more better home cooking basic tips here.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Salad with Mint, Walnuts & Arugula

Last week we were in Charleston, SC (ahhhh I love that place & I will share some pictures soon). Truth be told the majority of the food we ate was either fried or seafood - leaving little room left for anything green (unless you count fried green tomatoes).  Now that we’re back into the swing of a full week I’m doing my best to eat fresh - plus it’s spring (finally) so I always find myself wanting to eat more green things & just lighter in general.

I was flipping through the pages of Bon Appetite magazine & came across a recipe for strawberry-rhubarb salad. Being a forever fan of the pie version (my mom still makes the best strawberry rhubarb pie!). Coincidentally, my sister-in-law, Dulcie, asked me how else she could prepare rhubarb.  Clearly the universe was telling me that I needed to try out the salad.  It did not disappoint. It was every bit tangy & sweet that the pie is but in a healthy salady-bite. I did change it up a bit from the original recipe swapping out hazelnuts for walnuts & adding some arugla because it’s what I had on hand - & I just love arugula. (Check out this unexpected way to use arugula in your Cinco de Mayo cocktail that I stumbled upon at work & had to try out.)

PS: This recipe calls for mint. I could only find a small potted plant of the mint - wish me luck keeping her alive & green because my thumb is not.

PPS: Bon Appetit suggests not making this salad the night before in fear that the rhubarb will breakdown too much & become too soft. Make it as close to serving time as possible.

UPDATE: I ate all of the arugula out of the salad for dinner & had a lot of the strawberry-rhubarb mixture left so I refrigerated it overnight. I packed some arugula on top & some avocado & am currently enjoying it for lunch - maybe I didn't cut my rhubarb super thin but I have to say it's just as delicious on day 2.

Strawberry-Basil-Lime Vinaigrette

I usually try to make my own salad dressing because if you've looked at the ingredients on a bottle of dressing lately you'll probably see words that don't even look like they would be food, most likely because they're chemicals (yuck!).  So I opt to keep it fresh with homemade dressings that will dress up even just simple mixed greens.

Ingredients

• 4 strawberries, roughly chopped with stems removed
• 1 small shallot, roughly chopped
• 5 basil leaves, roughly chopped or torn
• 1 lime, juice & zest
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Make it!

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
2. Store in an air tight bottle like this one I found at Fish's Eddy.

Strawberry Salsa

Happy Memorial Day! Hope you're having a fabulous extended weekend.  What are you making for your bbq? Maybe this salsa?

I love fresh salsas made with fruit (like this mango one I made way back when).  Strawberries are everywhere so I used them for the base of this fresh, quick salsa. 

A new tip I picked up about strawberries is that they will only be as sweet & as red as they are the day you bought them. Most other fruits you can stick in a brown paper bag on your counter for a few days for the fruit ripening fairies to take a visit. Not these guys. If your strawberries are greenish - they'll most likely stay greenish, so opt for the bright red ones instead.