This was the unexpected winner of the night. I kind of went out on a limb with this but it worked out.

First, roast some peppers and let them cool.

Next, sautée two catfish fillets in butter, lime juice and peppermint, and let them cool.

I used canned pineapple for this, but you could certainly cut up some fresh pineapple. Your call.

Cut the peppers and catfish into bite-sized pieces. Stack a bite of catfish on top of a bite of pepper, and top it with a piece of pineapple. A toothpick goes a long way toward holding it all together.

Refrigerate and serve cold.

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First, you should roast some peppers and let them cool.

Next, get out your blender. This recipe is scalable, so I'll just give you the ratios I used based on one can of garbanzo beans (also called chick peas).

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• water (just have your sink nearby)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 roasted pepper

Purée the beans, adding water as you go to help. Add oil and garlic; blend. Add pepper last.

Note: If you wind up adding too much water, you can boil some of the liquid off.

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The theme of the night wound up being roasted peppers. It turns out that roasting six of them gives you more than you need to work with. If you've never roasted your own peppers, you're missing out. As you know – because you've bought the jarred ones – roasting brings out the sweetness. But jarred roasted peppers tend to be salty and briny.

Roasted bell peppers

I used orange, yellow and red peppers (they're all sweeter than green). Seed and wash the peppers and cut them in quarters. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. I added rosemary and basil; I've been known to use clove on occasion, as well.

Place the peppers in the pan, drizzle lightly with more olive oil. After about 8 minutes, flip the peppers, roast for another 5-6 minutes.

Line a plate with paper towels, then put the peppers on the plate to cool, but don't let them dry completely. These will last in the refrigerator for a few days.

Salsa

Now for the salsa. Ingredients:

• 1 roasted pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4 large beefsteak tomatoes, cut into eighths
• 6 cloves garlic
• 3 jalapeño peppers, sliced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup water

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion and jalapeño pepper. Add tomato and water, turn heat down to medium and cover. Bring to a boil.

Add remaining ingredients. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Drain some liquid if desired (I prefer my salsa on the thick/chunky side).

Makes about 3 quarts, and would qualify as a mass-market medium salsa. A tablespoon of cayenne pepper or another three jalapeños would kick up the heat a bit.

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