Sunday Dinner: Seasonal Salsa--for Pasta, or Whatever Pleases you!

The Vegetarian Version 

As you know, Sunday is my day to cook dinner for my parents, kids, father-in-law, siblings, friends, neighbors--basically anyone who's nearby! What comes as a welcome challenge to me is making a dinner work for all--and for me, too. What I mean by that is that I have to be aware--as we all do--of my guests' allergies and any other dietary restrictions.  In fact these kinds of restrictions are so prevalent, that these days I always ask about allergies/restrictions--even before creating a menu!

(Ah--this reminds me! If you are in NYC and can join me in East Harlem at the lovely La Casa Azul Bookstore, on July 26th at 6 pm, I will be talking precisely about this: entertaining friends/family and making it less stressful as host...and oh, selling some books, too!)

Back to the recipe--so this one was created after a luscious day at the beach, during my one day off from school, and with limited time to shop, plan, wash, etc. We had 12 guests, and one vegetarian (that would be my son, Wes!). The others--mostly--are carnivores. I checked my garden (basil, woo hoo!) fridge, freezer, and pantry. These two salsas were the result. (By the way, served them both atop campanelle pasta, which such a great shape--but any hearty pasta will do! And made a baby arugula salad, and tomatoes, basil and mozzarella to go with, and toasted-pecan brownies for dessert.)

The Carnivore Version 

I know I usually do my cookbook-style of amount listing and directions, but this time I'm keeping it a bit loose. Here are the ingredients. And please do send me pictures of your versions!

Vegetarian version:

Toasted corn kernels (fresh is best--but I used fresh-frozen)
Sautéed coarsely chopped red onions
Black beans
Fresh tomatoes
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh cilantro


Meat version:

Sautéed Colombian chorizo

Toasted corn kernels (fresh is best--but I used fresh-frozen)

Sautéed coarsely chopped red onions
White beans
Fresh tomatoes
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh basil