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Restaurant-Style Salsa with Tortilla Chips
Jalapeño-Lime Marinated Beef Sirloin • Warm Tortillas
Chopped Salad with Creamy Chili Dressing
Spring came a little early to Connecticut this year – all the flowering things busting out weeks ahead of schedule, our first 80-degree day – but then cruelly turned its back on us and gave us snow the third week of April. Sort of typical for this pandemic year I guess: we’re used to getting our hopes up and then hearing “not yet”.
The day after John and I got our first shot of the vaccine, it was too windy and chilly to cook out on the grill, but I was tired of heavy, wintery dishes and wanted something with fresh, festive flavors. I decided on this Southwestern-themed menu centered around a buttery-soft sirloin roast, briefly marinated in a juicy rub full of chili spices, jalapeño pepper and lime.
To start, I served homemade restaurant-style salsa, which is worlds away from the jarred stuff with its chunks of watery tomatoes. This saucy, pureed salsa uses canned tomatoes and green chiles, but explodes with the fresh flavors of onion and jalapeño, cumin and oregano. It’s terrific with tortilla chips for an appetizer, and makes a great sauce to serve alongside the sirloin.
For a side I made a side-dish version of my Chili Chicken Chopped Salad. I just omitted the chicken and the tortilla chip “croutons”, but kept the creamy chili dressing, crunchy romaine, juicy tomatoes and cucumbers and creamy avocado.
Rice or beans would have been a nice accompaniment to the beef, but since I was serving both an appetizer and dessert I didn’t want the extra bulk (or effort) of a starchy side. I just warmed a couple of flour tortillas, sprinkled them with a little shredded cheese, and tucked one into the corner of each plate.
For dessert, a cool and creamy, dark and dreamy Chocolate Cream Tart, made with homemade Double Chocolate Pudding in a bittersweet chocolate cookie crumb crust.
My April playlist is called “These Days”, named for the first track but also for these days we’ve all been enduring that might finally be coming to an end. These days that have been so indescribably strange – but not all bad. The playlist is just what I want to listen to these days, another collection in my favorite mellow blend of folk, indie, country and soft rock. Listen on Spotify.
The Game Plan
- Make the salsa and the salad dressing the day before, or several days in advance.
- Make the cookie crumb crust and the pudding layer of the Chocolate Cream Tart the day before and chill overnight.
- A few hours before serving, marinate the beef, and finish assembling the tart.
- Start cooking the beef about 45 minutes before serving, and while it roasts, make the salad.
- For a complete game plan with details on timing for all the steps in this menu, click on the image below.
