Every now and then, I donate Matt as a Take Home Chef for different fundraisers. We have been pretty consistent with the American Cancer Society and St Mary’s, but have also donated a couple to friends in need. Anyway, the bonus of these donations…for me…is that I sometimes get to go along or at least get to enjoy some leftovers.

Sunday was no exception. Matt had a few items left from his dinner Friday night, so we invited our parents over for a dinner in the back yard.

The first plate to hit the table was crostini made with toasted bread, homemade ricotta, orange segments, and a little arugula from the garden. Crisp crunch from the bread, creaminess from the cheese, slight tang from the orange, and a spicy finish from the arugula….yum.

Next to hit the table were some simple potatoes tossed in fresh herbs and some chorizo stuffed bacon-wrapped dates. Those little devils were like candy and I could have eaten them all evening!

And then came the calamari. I’m a huge fan of calamari, so to have it at home in my own back yard is a treat. Matt served the simply sautéed squid with some fresh, quickly wilted spinach. Really nice. Really, really nice.

Last to arrive (and the one I had a hand in) was the steak and radish salsa. We served it on a couple of our romaine leaves for a salad, but it actually worked really well as lettuce wraps. The radish salsa is a dish on it’s own. Can be used as a dip, but I just found myself eating it like a cold salad.

Radish Salsa

• 5 bunches radishes, chopped
• 1 English cucumber, chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• juice from 1 lime
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• handful chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Put all of this into a bowl and toss. It can be prepared up to 1 day in advance, but we found it was best and most crunchy within half hour of making.

We had a very nice evening with our folks and hope to do it again soon.

On a side note, the next night we were at the farm weeding and my mom made another radish salsa. She found it online and here’s the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/grilled-shrimp-with-mango-lime-and-radish-salsa-recipe/index.html. She served it with pork chops, but I imagine it would be fantastic with the shrimp as listed. I also think it’s great on it’s own. Heck, I’d toss it on a cheeseburger with some crispy bacon. It’s really, really good.