I’m on my way back from Phoenix as I write this and with all the great southwestern fare, it still would have been nice to have had some of this salsa. It’s simple to make and the flavor is amazing.

Prep Time: 15 minutes, cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 to 2 pound fresh tomatillo with husks removed
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
4-8 dried chipotle peppers depending on how much heat you want
Sea salt

Procedure

1. Make a small incision in each tomatillo and spread on a large baking sheet. Broil in 375 degree oven until collapsed and slightly charred – about 15 min. Allow tomatillos to cool for about 15 minutes.

2. Meamwhile, heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium high flame. Put unpeeled garlic cloves and dried peppers on the hot, dry surface and allow them to char slightly and smoke a little before turning. Turn and continue to cook like this until all sides are a little black.

3. Remove garlic and peppers from pan and place cooked peppers in a bowl of hot water and soak for at least 15 minutes. Remove from water and drain excess. Allow garlic to cool before peeling.

4. Place cooled tomatillo, peeled garlic, and softened chipotle in a blender or food processor and pulse until almost smooth. Add sea salt to taste.

You can substitute 1-2 pounds of tomatoes for the tomatillos, and the result will still be very good. I like the tartness of the tomatillos with the smoky heat of the chipotles myself. If you use tomatoes, feel free to add a small bit of cilantro and lime juice to liven it up a bit.

And as always, enjoy!

The recipes in question – including Ahi Tuna with Napa Cabbage Slaw, Passion Fruit Mousse, and Farfalle Pasta with Turkey Sausage, Peas and Mushrooms — were all credited on the website to McCain’s wife Cindy. Another recipe also appears to be very similar to a recipe of TV personality and chef Rachael Ray.

Not wanting to offend anyone, the McCain campaign decided not to pursue legal action against The Food Network for it’s blatant theft of the cherished McCain family recipes, but instead chose a course of honor, and fired one of its own gifted young interns, 62 year-old Brendon McSwipy of Scottsdale.

The Food Network, home of several famously popular cooking shows including Ciao America with Mario Batali, and Good Eats with Alton Brown, has once again been caught wielding its near monopoly power in the TV-Food world for evil. Rather than hire their own chefs and create original recipes, their operatives we able to break into the McCain family kitchen compound in Phoenix, and abscond with a treasure-trove of McCain cooking history.

My mother-in-law has been making biscuits for about 60 years, and I decided to film her one morning as she was preparing to do her thing. As a retired school cook from Boone County WV, she’s probably made in excess of eleventy twelve bazillion biscuits, so she’s something of an expert on the subject. If you can forgive the telephone call in the middle of the episode, you may pick up a thing or two. The recipe that she uses is below.

Boone County Biscuits

Ingredients :

2 C Self-Rising flour (preferably Hudson Cream brand)
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
About 1 C Buttermilk

Supplies:

10-inch Cast Iron Skillet
Large mixing bowl
Wooden Spoon
Biscuit cutter

Method: In the video

Makes 6-8 biscuits, depending on the size of the cutter.

For Dinner:

• Pork Loin Roast with blackened rub
• Sweet potato ravioli with sage-butter sauce
• Fresh green beans sauteed in sesame oil
• Cranberry and pear chutney
• Fresh Dinner Rolls

For Dessert:

• Pecan pie with vanilla ice cream
• Home made glazed cinnamon rolls

There’s still one piece of pie left, but not for long.