Space Monkeys and Salsa

At least half of the fun of cooking club is the conversations that take place while we are sampling the delicious dishes our friends have prepared. Last night, I mentioned the space monkeys who will climb the carbon nano-tube space elevators to place satellites in outer space in the future and was quite surprised to discover that none of the people in my vicinity knew anything about the space elevator development projects or the 'space monkeys' as we like to call them. Since the theme was the Harvest Moon festival, I think discussing space was quite theme- appropriate. I have no idea how this topic even came up, but the popularity of developing carbon nano-tube space elevators has certainly surpassed that of jet packs, so they are definitely something to take note of.
I'll let the nova video in this link explain it to you since I am certainly no legitimate scientist.
lets just say I always imagined the 'climber' as a space monkey...its only natural.

Here's a summary of how last night's roasted corn and tomato salsa came together - its another one of my last-ditch efforts when my elaborate plan that actually fit the theme fell through:

Space Monkey Salsa:
4 cobs of corn
4-6 Heirloom Tomatoes
1 jalapeno
2 cloves of garlic
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 white onion, diced
salt

• Quarter the tomatoes, roast them along with the jalapeno and garlic in one pan for at least 45 min. at 400 deg.

• While these are roasting, boil the corn for 10 min. on the stove top, remove and allow to cool for a few minutes.

• Slice the kernels off of the cobs and then saute the corn along with a few slices of one of the tomatoes, a small bit of onion, and an additional clove of garlic in a small amount of olive oil.

• Remove the tomatoes from the oven, discard the skins, and throw into the food processor for a quick spin.

• Combine all ingredients, add salt, and serve with chipotle cheddar quesadillas made from fresh tortillas and a bag of chips which is sitting on your counter.

--Cindy