California Barbecue

The Northwest has been experiencing a record breaking heat wave the last few days (107 degrees today!) With no a/c in the house, not even I am crazy enough to cook in this weather, so I thought I would post a recipe from my trip back to California last weekend. As always, we barbecued! Californians love to barbecue, especially my family, and especially tri-tip. On a 4 day trip we had tri-tip 3 different days, cooked by 3 different relatives, and served 3 different ways: My grandma barbecued hers beforehand and then warmed it back up in the oven for a wonderful pool party lunch, my sister cooked hers in the oven to very well done, cutting holes in the meat and filling the holes with Worcestershire sauce, and my dad barbecued his rare, pouring apple cider vinegar on top (he is on a apple cider vinegar kick these days!) After all that tri-tip we still weren’t tired of it, or of barbecuing. I mean, what’s not to like about sitting outside enjoying great food with friends and family? California barbecue is meant to be fast and quick, allowing you to cook with drink in hand and then sit down and enjoy a meal with your guests. There is no special process or method, just a few required ingredients: fresh food, a nice cut of meat, good wine, and some friends!

My step mom Diane made this salad with the seasons first zucchini, this is an adapted version of a recipe she got from the health section of the New York Times. The salad is creamy and delicious, you would never know it was actually good for you ! The salad made an excellent side dish to the barbecued chicken and fresh grilled corn. If you wanted, you could leave out the lettuce and then the dish would be more like a salsa that you could serve with chips!

Zucchini-Avocado Salad

Makes 8 side-dish servings

1 Head Romaine lettuce, chopped for a salad
1 Medium zucchini, finely diced
5 Medium tomatoes, chopped
2 Jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 Cup chopped cilantro
1 Large avocado, finely diced
3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt

Croutons (optional)

Sprinkle the zucchini with salt, and drain in a colander for 15 minutes. If the zucchini tastes too salty, give it a rinse. Combine the tomatoes, peppers and cilantro in a serving bowl. Mix the zucchini, avocado and lemon or lime juice in another smaller bowl. Season to taste with salt. Add zucchini/avocado mixture to tomato/cilantro mixture and toss gently. Toss in lettuce leaves and season to taste. Garnish with Croutons and serve!