“How do you ladies feel about doing communal dinners a couple times a week?” Bethany asked as she put her dishes in the sink. Esther exchanged a glance with Dani, who shrugged, and turned back to Bethany.

“I think we’re game,” Esther said. “At least for nights when our schedules line up – I’m gonna be working at least three nights a week for the foreseeable future.”

“Are you free tomorrow?” Bethany asked. “Because – I know it’s kind of cringe, but I put up some lacto-fermented corn salsa a couple weeks ago and I’m dying to try it, so tacos are like, right there, so – taco Tuesday?” 

Esther laughed. “Are you sure you can handle my tacos?” she challenged teasingly. “This won’t be a white people taco night. I’ve got adobo seasoning and I’m not afraid to use it!”

“… Maybe a few different fillings?” Bethany tried, earning another laugh out of both Dani and Esther this time. 

“I’m just teasing,” Esther said. “I have some steak we can put in a marinade tonight, plus we can make some quick ground beef. I’m definitely excited about that salsa – it sounds really interesting!”

“Can you handle cotija?” Dani asked. “Or crema, even? I know that dairy on tacos isn’t the most authentic, but why deny yourself cheese when it’s an option?”

“I can make some dairy-free sort-of-crema with lime juice and coconut yogurt,” Bethany said. “And I might try a little cotija – cow’s milk dairy is hard on the system, but I should be able to counteract it with lactase.”

“Yogurt crema? Can’t you just use sour cream?” Dani asked, curious.

“Dairy-free sour cream is weirdly hard to find, and a lot of the brands are … not great,” Bethany explained. “Yogurt’s a little less rich, but it gives that sour creamy aspect, so it works really well as a substitute.”

“Huh!” said Dani. “Well, as long as Sura’s on board, it sounds like you have everything figured out. Let’s do it!”

Fermented corn salsa

Ingredients

• 5 ears of sweet corn
• 1 red onion
• 1-2 fresh sweet peppers
• 1 fresh hot pepper
• 1 bell pepper (any color)
• Bunch cilantro
• Water (distilled or boiled and cooled)
• Kosher salt

Instructions

1. Shuck corn and cut the kernels off the ears.
2. Chop onions, peppers, and cilantro in a dice about the size of a corn kernel. 
3. Mix together and weigh all ingredients except for water and kosher salt.
4. Measure out 4 g salt for every 100 g vegetables (4%). Mix salt thoroughly with the chopped vegetables, then pack into a jar and cover with water until all vegetables are submerged.
5. If desired, use a fermentation weight to keep vegetables below the brine. Ferment for several days, until the salsa is tart. Keep in the fridge once desired fermentation level is reached.