What would you do if you came home one day to a nice bunch of squash blossoms waiting for you by the front door? No note. No message. No hint as from where they came.

Now let's say you live in the heart of the big city where people of questionable sanity pass you on the sidewalks every day.

Let's also say that you are going out of town that very afternoon. You know those blossoms will have bloomed and faded by the time you return from yet another glamorous weekend in Palm Springs.

Suddenly you are faced with a choice. What would that choice be? Now don't look at the photo or read the title of this post– 'cuz that would be cheating.

Do You:

• A) Drop them in the compost bin, after all you live in Hollywood. Freaks abound.
• B) Assume they are from a nice neighbor with a vegetable patch, and call to investigate.
• C) Make quesadillas immediately before whomever dropped those blossoms figures out what happened.

And just so you know there is only one correct answer.

Default recipes. We all have them. I often feature a default pasta night here on Sippity Sup. It’s different every time and that is sorta the idea behind default recipes.

Default recipes are great when you just feel like opening up the fridge and making something from whatever is on hand at the moment. As I said pasta is a great candidate, as are frittatas, quesadillas and even crostini. I swear I could make an interesting tapenade from the leftovers of your fast food lunch, don’t laugh I bet I could.

Another topping closely related in spirit to a tapenade is salsa.

My default salsa is typically made with chopped tomatillos, white onion, salt, pepper, and a little heat. I also like the addition of limejuice and cilantro. When I want to get fancy I add roasted peppers. Sometimes mild one like Anaheim or poblano. Other times something with some fire– like serrano. When I decide to add peppers to my default salsa I prefer to roast the peppers first, and if I am already roasting the peppers it’s no bother to roast the tomatillos too. See how default dishes work?

This may sound like I am tooting my own horn (toot-toot) but there are times when I have made a particularly good batch of tomatillo salsa and I think: “Man this is so good I could eat it as soup”.

Escabeche (es-kah-BECH-ay) is usually associated with Mediterranean cuisine. It is not a recipe as much as it is a preparation. At its most basic it is fish marinated overnight or longer in something acidic before serving.

It is traditionally served cold or at room temperature on a hot day. The acid in the marinade is usually vinegar but can also include citrus juice or wine. Essentially it is pickling, but I hesitate to admit that because I don't want any preconceived notions about pickled fish turning you away from this perfectly delicious recipe.

That said, there are versions of escabeche in many, many cultures. It is not always made with fish either. In Spain chicken, rabbit or pork versions are common.

There are examples in Pacific-Asian cuisine also. But the origin of the word escabeche is Persian. The idea was brought to Spain by the Arabs during the Moorish conquests. The word derives from al-sikbaj, the name of a popular meat dish that was cooked in a sweet and sour sauce, usually vinegar and honey or date molasses.