Sunday, May 24, 2009

Blueberry Salsa and Blueberry Barbecue Sauce


This is an unplanned post, but yesterday's barbecue produced some nice surprises. I was experimenting with a mop sauce and salsa to go with grilled lamb. I wanted something a little out of the ordinary and I had blueberries that were rapidly aging and would soon be fit only for the compost pile. The prime directive of old cooks is use it or lose it, so it was only natural to work with the berries. Thirty minutes later I had another variation of sauce and salsa for summer barbecues. Not only did they work, they worked well. So, I have a couple of more recipes for you. I hope you'll try these afterthoughts. They're PDG.

Blueberry Salsa
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups blueberries, stemmed and washed
1 large Bartlet pear, peeled, cored and cut in 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup finely minced red onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 Jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely mined
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Coarsely chop 1 cup blueberries ( food processor may be used). Combine chopped blueberries, 1/2 cup whole blueberries, pear, onion, bell pepper, Jalapeno, lime juice, honey, oregano, garlic salt and cilantro in a small bowl. Serve shilled or at room temperatur. Yield: 1-1/2 cups.


Blueberry Barbecue Sauce


Ingredients:
1/2 cup tomato catsup
1/4 cup blueberry sauce or melted blueberry jelly
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon sriracha
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Combine catsup, sauce, vinegar, worcestershire, sriracha, liquid smoke and mustard in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yield: 3/4 cup sauce.

22 comments :

chow and chatter said...

wow blueberry salsa what a fab idea, I love blueberries since living in the states they are harder to get and expensive back home. great recipe Rebecca

theUngourmet said...

Both of these look terrific! What a creative use for blueberries. I can imagine the sauce was great with the lamb.

I made a blueberry coffee cake this morning that turned out quite nicely.

Willow said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. One of my best friends has umptillion acres of blueberries (commercial) and I have access to all the blueberries I can consume! I'll share your two blueberry recipes with her!

NKP said...

So summery and fresh! I am a use it up type of home chef too, no wasting! Lovely.

Katy ~ said...

Your salsa sounds very good! Yummmmm.

Good on ya for creativity!! I don't have that gift particularly so I am an ardent fan of those who do.

I haven't see a fresh blueberry in our stores for a while, and when I did it was $2.99 a half pint. I have to leave them there until they come into season here. sniff.

Heather S-G said...

I love fruit salsas...never tried it with blueberries- it looks superb!! And that sauce...oh my! It's gorgeous.

Karen said...

The sauce looks gorgeous and I bet it tasted it, too! Some of my best stuff is made when it's about to go bad. LOL I somehow manage to create something out of it!

Anonymous said...

Wow, what an interesting combo of flavors in that mop sauce!

Anonymous said...

a double blueberry recipe! oh my god, that blueberry BBQ sauce has me with my eyes popping out. ahow amazing is that?!!

Kat said...

This salsa sounds great! Just read the recipe to DH and he wants me to make it pronto. The mop sauce sounds really good too, especially with lamb. Thanks for sharing. Kathy

Mary Bergfeld said...

Kat, it's so good to see you found us. I hope you come often.

Cathy said...

Wonderful recipes, Mary. I've printed them out and will save them for blueberry season. Can't wait to try the BBQ sauce.

Marie said...

Blueberries never linger around me too long, but how inventive! I love peach salsa, but never thought of using blueberries before. Beautifully summery!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Marie, welcome to One Perfect Bite. I'm delighted you found us and hop you'll visit often.

SILVER said...

ooooh... blueberries are one of my favourites too.

Where i am.. yup, expensive !

But we give ourselves a treat now and then..;)

~Silver
One Day at a Time with Silver

Mary Bergfeld said...

Silver, welcome to One Perfect Bite. I'm so glad you found us. Come often if you can.

Barbara said...

Mary, what a beautiful mop sauce. I can just taste it.

The Cooking Photographer said...

I love all of this Mary. It's beautiful and interesting. Everything food should be.

Laura

SmilingSally said...

Oh, yum. I cannot stop the packing at this point, or I'll never finish. I'm pacing myself, but must do some each day.

annies home said...

looks delicious oh my how my grandmother loved blueberries

Lisa said...

Cool! I really like creative salsas and this sound like a great new addition to this summer's repertoire. Thanks for sharing your discovery.

oneordinaryday said...

Love the salsa idea. I just picked up some mangoes to make a mango salsa. Now I want to try yours instead. : )

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