Salsa Makes Special
A jar of delicious salsa can give even the most basic of
meals some zing. My brother-in-law, who grew up in McAllen, is the family’s
resident salsa-maker, and his recipe (if you can call it that) involves a large
can of tomatoes, a few jalapenos, a handful of cilantro, salt, pepper, garlic
powder, and lime juice (in varying amounts, according to his mood). All go into
the blender for a few moments, and then it’s ready to eat.
However, until you get familiar with proportions, it’s sometimes
easier to follow a recipe. Here are my adaptations of recipes found in Cooking
with Texas Highways, available from UT Press, at online vendors such as Amazon,
and at your local bookseller.
Remember that peppers–especially jalapeños— vary wildly in
heat. It’s wise to start with one or two, then blend in additional chiles if
you like more fire. —Lori Moffatt
Roasted Red Sauce
This recipe is adapted from a smoked-salsa given to us by
Matt Martinez, owner of Matt’s El Rancho in Austin. Since I don’t have a
smoker, I roast the vegetables in my trusty kettle barbecue. And instead of the
red wine vinegar called for in the original recipe, I like to use lime juice.
Here’s my take.
- 3 whole medium tomatoes
- 1/2 medium white onion
- 3 whole jalapeños
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. lime juice
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- ½ cup water
Place all ingredients (except for water) in a tinfoil
“platter” and cook on the barbecue until soft.
Mash with water (salsa should be chunky) and serve. Will
keep for about two weeks in the fridge, but it probably won’t last that long!
Easy Green Sauce
Tomatillo-based salsas, such as this one, are economical,
easy, and taste great with chicken, fish and egg dishes.
- 7 medium tomatillos, husks and stems removed
- ½ white onion, quartered
- 2 serranos or jalapeños
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 large bunch cilantro, stems removed
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 T. lime juice
Place tomatillos in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring
to boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Allow tomatillos to cool in the water.
Puree the whole mess in a blender or food processor, and
serve. Will keep about a week in the fridge; it’ll thicken up a bit, so feel
free to add water to thin it out again.
See the full article in the August 2011 issue. Subscribe Order back issues |
