Peach-Tomato Salsa

So I have been absent from this site for a while. I was out of town for a bit, then took a conscious break to build up the creative juices so to speak. But this week I have been cooking a bit, I made a red mole sauce for grilled Chicken two nights ago that was very good and I may share it with you one day. Also tonight I prepared a peach tomato salsa for some grilled halibut, and because that particular recipe is fresher in my mind and fresher for the season. If you were unaware we are now at the peak of the few but glorious weeks of peach season. There is no fruit more succulent or flavor as divine as a perfectly ripe peach. Whether you like to eat them refrigerated or at room temperature a word to the unwise you best bring a paper towel during this season, the wise already knew this. Luckily for us the bounty of juice and supple flesh provides the perfect foundation for a salsa of the decidedly sweeter, but equally as savory variety. This salsa is perfect on any chicken, fish, or even the dark charry flavor of grilled mushrooms. This is a good recipe to practice knife skills because there is a lot of dicing involved.

2 peaches finely diced

2 plum tomatoes finely diced

1 small red onion finely chopped

chopped mint or basil

1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper (seeded, or not if you are VERY adventurous, or partially seeded as I plan to do next time)

juice of 1 lime

salt

pepper

sugar

Just combine the above ingredients in a bowl and let sit for a bit so the flavors combine.

P.S. Congrats to my longtime favorite chef, Rick Bayless on his recent triumph on Top Chef Masters!! I can't wait to see what the am's will be doing this season.

OMFG...

I thought I would share this awesome blog with you. With this post the summer of soul has perhaps reached its precipice. Now if there is anyone who reads sound out loud and says they don't listen to much soul music you will be dutifully flaggellated by the almighty god of funk (who if you are not in the know goes by the name of Afro-Buddha).

This site is whole soul discographys of the biggest soul names out there from James Brown, to Al Green, to the Ohio Players, to Grant Green... OMFG.

Here is also a really really good world, jazz, and roots blog with whole albums that linked me to this amazing site.

Shuggie Otis = The Man

So this is another addition to keep your summer of soul rolling, and this is a big one. Shuggie Otis' (who is still alive by the way) classic 1975 album Inspiration Information is one of my favorites. Ebbing between dreamy atmospherics, heroic guitar, and hard funk this album is one of those rare recordings that capture in still frame many musics synthesizing, progressing, and ultimately capturing our imagination (as well as our hearts). From the sprawling triumphant scape of Strawberry Letter 23 to the laid laid back cool of Sparkle City this album goes from track to track through moody overtones and heartfelt melodies in that way that we have come to expect good albums to be (I mean this in the Sgt.Pepper's sense in that there is an effable and subtle connection between tracks , cause anyone can say that any album has more "good songs" or is "better" ). Here are some of my favorite tracks, though I suggest you find a copy of the real thing. Island Letter, I think is my personal favorite. Not because it is catchy or particularly emotive, but perhaps the opposite. It kind of provides this soulfully pensive zone (see if you can find it) but really builds into this short lived but oh so tasteful guitar part that is oh so divine.

Inspiration Information - Shuggie Otis

Strawberry Letter 23- Shuggie Otis

Island Letter - Shuggie Otis

Sparkle City - Shuggie Otis

Extra! Extra! Summer of Soul Update:

This is a response to the very apt suggestion from good friend and renowned funk saxophonist DJ Jose "Big Denmark" Houlihan. Consider it officially part of your boogaloo summer...

Download the Song

Also, the other night I witnessed history as Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings took the main stage for the final show of Chicago's blues fest. Though it was a short set-list (city workers don't really enjoy working overtime, so an encore was out of the question) and the sound system could have been turned up a bit the show made apparent her soulful prowess on stage and for that I was happy.

The important part though is that along with her typical dance repertoire (the funky chicken, among many others) she did.... thats right you guessed it, the boogaloo.

Now it may not have been the electric boogaloo, but considering Sharon was one of the first posts I made on this blog, I think we may have wittnessed a professy on the part of DJ Newmatic... I know, crazy.