tailgate prep: salsa verde

With the college football season exactly one week away, it's time to start in early on your tailgate prep. Cooking usually compels your friends to believe you were really into drama in high school, but this is the one time of the year when it may actually work to your advantage. No one wants to go to the tailgate with the guy who bought that weird cheese jar they sell next to the Tostitos (I was going to write "unless you're from Pullman" in this parenthetical, but they can't read anyway).

Get excited. It's college football time. Houston Nutt's excited. Just think. Soon you'll be watching Lane Kiffin pace around the sideline, shoving his players out of excitement and yelling at some 19 year old team manager to get him another Sugar-Free Red Bull from his Sugar-Free Red Bull mini-fridge. Maybe Monte will coach them to victory.

What would you rather eat than a little salsa verde when pulling for Hawaii? So maybe it's more likely you'll see Jake Locker in the NFL in five years than a Hawaii upset. But you know you'll be rooting anyway, along with the entire state of Tennessee.

Salsa verde is simple, fresh, and easy to make. Perfect for a little tailgating. You can even run out of tortilla chips and make the switch to those KC Masterpiece Lay's without blinking an eye. It's that good.

SALSA VERDE

9-10 medium sized tomatillos halved

2 jalapenos seeded

1 lime (juice)

1 clove garlic

1/2 onion

1/2 cup cilantro

1/2 t sugar

1 t salt

Remove the husks from the tomatillos. Rinse off the sticky film it leaves behind. Cut them in half, and place them skin side up on a baking sheet, along with the jalapenos, halved and seeded. Roast that under the broiler for about 5 minutes, until you see the skins of some of the tomatillos start to brown.

Let the tomatillos and jalapenos cool down a bit, then toss them in the blender. Add everything else. Blend. Salsa. Go Ducks!

SHAME - 3/10

You aren't grilling, so actually try to read an article from ESPN The Magazine (not from that "body issue" with all the shirtless dudes, that won't do you any favors).