A New Salsa Verde Recipe!

We are here in San Diego eating like kings and queens!  Every night is a full on Mexican feast.  It never ceases to amaze me how many different salsas mi suegra makes.  I always learn something new with her in the kitchen.  The other night she introduced us to a new salsa verde.

 

This salsa is not only easy and delicious, it is beautiful!! 

It's very heavy on the cilantro, hence the vibrant green color.

Give it a try.  It will not disappoint.

Salsa Verde Fresca

6-8 tomatillos

5 serrano or jalepeño chiles (less if you don't want too spicy)

1 clove garlic

2 bunches cilantro

Add all ingredients (raw) into blender and blend until smooth.

Serve with chips or on tacos.

 Que Rica!

Pollo Asado y Pico de Gallo

Ernesto and I have been in San Diego for the last month staying with mis suegros.  The summer weather here has been strange.  It's not sunny and warm everyday like it usually is, but I am happy to be out of the GA humidity.  We have been hiking, biking, kayaking, lobster eating in Mexico, watching horse races, and of course cooking lots of Mexican food. 

Although I haven't posted since last month, do not fear!  I have several great recipes to share with you on VLC.   When mi suegra is cooking, I have to be right there with a pen and paper to capture everything.  She cooks from memory so I am constantly asking questions, "What did you just add there? How much of that?"  I really appreciate her taking the time to pass these recipes on to me [and you]. 

On some nights we cook dinner and give everyone else the night off.  Back in Atlanta, Ernesto got addicted to grilling whole chickens.  

It's so simple too.  You will just need a whole chicken, five cloves of garlic (chopped), olive oil and salt and pepper.  Rub oil on outside of chicken and under skin.  Rub garlic under skin.

Place chicken on hot grill for 45 minutes, flipping it over several times.  

Every time this chicken comes out flavorful and so juicy. 

One chicken does not a meal make? Agreed.

My favorite way to serve this, is to make a quick pico de gallo to go on top and refried beans on the side.

Pico de Gallo

5 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

4 serrano peppers, chopped (less if you don't like it spicy)

handful of cilantro, chopped

1 squeeze of lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

Pico de gallo

Avocado y Tomatillo Salsa

We are constantly trying new salsas. Last month Ernesto made a recipe on a recommendation from his co-worker Victor. You may remember this picture.

We posted that tomatillo salsa recipe here. Only later did we find out that his recipe called for blending the ingredients (not cubing). Ha! We made a variation of Victor's [blended] salsa a couple weeks ago and 3 times since. It is a refreshing, healthy salsa. Great for tacos or eating with chips. You can adjust number of chiles to your tolerance. Avocado y Tomatillo Salsa

To a blender add:

3 avocados

3-4 serrano or jalapeno chiles

8 tomatillos cubed

1 clove garlic

handful cilantro

salt

Blend until creamy.

Habanero Salsita..Muy Picante

Habaneros are one of the hottest peppers around. According to the scollville chile heat chart, there is only one pepper that is hotter. With that being said, you need to take care when handling these bad boys, they can literally burn your skin.

We never cooked with habaneros too much, but lately we have started to appreciate its unique flavor. The palomitas (popcorn) that we make every other day come out perfectly spicy with habaneros. Sometimes we add one to a big batch of pico de gallo to give it an extra kick.

The other night we were flipping through The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking cookbook, which I can't even find online. The cover pic is to the right. I bought it for Ernesto years ago at TJMaxx.

This salsa is HOT! We dipped some chips, and although the flavor was superb, it was too spicy [even for Ernesto] to eat straight. The finely chopped spring onions add a wonderful crunch.

Try adding this to a beef stew, or on tacos.

Habanero Salsa

Ingredients:

5 dried roasted habanero chiles

4 dried chile de arbol peppers

3 spring onions, finely chopped

juice of 1 orange

grated zest and juice of one lime

small bunch of cilantro, chopped

salt to taste

*Soak the habanero and chile de arbols in hot water for about 10 minutes, until softened. *Drain, reserving the soaking water.

*Remove the stems from all chiles and chop roughly

*Put chiles in food processor and add some of the soaking liquid. Puree into a fine paste.

*Scrape mixture into a bowl.

*Stir in scallions, fruit juice, lime zest and cilantro. Mix thoroughly. Add salt to taste.

CHILAQUILES WITH ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

If my TV is on, that means one of two things is playing: HGTV or Food Network. Last Saturday morning E and I were lounging and drinking coffee when a new show came on FN. Our ears perked because we heard "real Mexican food". I had seen the promo for this new show before and Saturday was the premier dia. Chef Marcela Valladolid is from Tijuana, just like E. Her show Mexican Made Easy is on Saturday mornings at 930am. She made three recipes, and within a couple days we made 2 of them. I was happy to see Chilaquiles on her menu Chilaquiles (pronounced chee-la-key-les) are a traditional Mexican food. There are many variations, but typically tortillas are cut in quarters, fried and then red or green salsa is poured over top and softens the crisp tortillas. Usually this dish is served for breakfast or brunch and uses leftover tortillas and salsa. We made this 2 times in one week. Once with red salsa and once with green. Serve with beans. Both are muy rico!

{chilaquiles with red salsa}

{chilaquiles with green salsa}

Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde)

1 pound fresh tomatillos

3 fresh serrano chiles

3 garlic cloves

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

Olive oil, as needed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 cup chicken broth or more as needed

Preheat the broiler or oven to 550 degrees. Remove husks from the tomatillos and rinse under warm water to remove the stickiness. Put the chiles, garlic, onion and tomatillos on a baking sheet. Season with a little olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Put on a rack about 1 or 2 inches from the heat, and cook, turning the vegetables once, until softened and slightly charred, about 5 to 7 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and pull off the tops of the chiles. Add all the broiled ingredients to a blender along with the fresh cilantro and puree. Pour in 1/4 cup of chicken broth and blend to combine. Add more broth, if needed, for desired consistency.

Chilaquiles
1/3 cup vegetable oil

10 corn tortillas, cut into eighths, preferably stale (spread out to dry overnight)

3 cups roasted Tomatillo

Salsa Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco

2 thin slices onion, separated into rings

1/2 cup Mexican crema, creme fraiche or sour cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Pour about 1/3 cup vegetable oil into a large saute pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tortillas, working in 2 or 3 batches, and cook until lightly browned and nearly crisp. Drain the tortillas on paper towels and discard the remaining oil. Wipe the pan with a paper towel. In the same pan, add the tomatillo salsa and bring to simmer over low heat. Add the tortillas and cook until soft but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide the mixture among 4 individual casserole dishes. Top with the cheese crumbles and onion rings. Drizzle with Mexican crema, sprinkle with some chopped fresh cilantro and serve immediately.

A Serendipitous Green Salsa

This winter, a guy from Mexico named Victor has been working with Ernesto on the xmas lights. Sometimes when he comes to our house in the mornings he brings us food that his wife has made: Tortas, tamales, strawberries and cream desert. We also have been to their house for pozole and let me tell you, she knows how to cook. So when Ernesto came home from work one day and said Victor told him about a tomatillo salsa we should try, I got to chopping right away!
This recipe is different than the salsa verde we usually make. It is raw and the crunch of the tomatillo is so good. Its tart and tangy, and mixed with the smoothness of avocados and the other ingredients make an interesting texture. The flavor is muy rica tambien! It is hard to stop eating it!

Fresh Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa

2 firm avocados, cubed

1 small white onion, chopped

4-5 tomatillos, chopped

3-4 serrano peppers, diced

handful of cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

squirt of fresh lime

This is a really quick treat to make and healthy too!

Remembering Guadalajara with Tortas Ahogadas

If you have been to the awesome city of Gudalajara Mexico, you know what a diverse city it is. Art, shopping and of course food are some of the best in the country. When we visited Guadalajara this past September, the city showed us that all of the hype I had read before the trip was in fact, all true. Actually it was E's cousin Mario, who has lived in the city for the last 7 years, who showed us around. He was a great tour guide and I think he has eaten at every restaurant in the city. When I asked him the best place to "taste Guadalajara" he took me to Tortas Toño (Dirección: Av. Tepeyac # 605) for a Torta Ahogada.

Ahogada means "drowned", and it is an appropriate word to describe these sandwiches on a bread [said only to be made in Guadalajara], filled with meat and bathed with tomato and hot sauce. While some restaurants and food stalls automatically top the tortas with both salsas, most people prefer to indicate how much chile sauce they want, since it is quite hot. When serving them at home, you may want pass the chile sauce separately.

This recipe is adapted from a Mexican cookbook called 101 Recetas Mexicanas. And I must say this recipe is quite authentic, coming very close if not on par with the torta I ate not too long ago in Guadalajara.

Tortas Ahogadas

Ingredients:

For the tomato sauce:

3 pounds roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ cup water
salt to taste

For the chile sauce:

¼ pound arbol chiles
1 cup water
½ cup white vinegar
salt to taste
For the tortas:

8 bolillos (French rolls) split in half lengthwise
1 ½ pounds boneless pork loin or shoulder
1 onion, cut in half3 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 sprig oregano
salt to taste
Preparation:

Place all tomato sauce ingredients in a saucepan and cook until the tomatoes and onions are soft. Allow to cool, place in blender and puree. Strain the puree and set aside.
Lightly roast the arbol chiles on a comal or dry griddle, just to the point of fragrance. Do not allow them to char, as this results in a bitter flavor. Remove the stem and seeds from the chiles. Place the chiles and remaining chile sauce ingredients in a saucepan, cook until the chiles have softened, remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer sauce ingredients to a blender, puree and strain. Set aside.

Cook the meat in water to cover with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, oregano and salt to taste. When cooked through, remove from cooking liquid and allow to cool. Shred the meat with two forks, or slice thinly if preferred.Remove the soft center (called the miga) from the rolls, place the rolls on plates, and divide the meat among the rolls by placing some on the bottom half of each roll. Bathe each one with tomato sauce. The tortas are easier to eat if the top half is left "dry." Each diner can add chile sauce to taste. If possible, do as they do in Jalisco and use a plate with a lip to serve these tortas, to prevent messy dripping. Serves 8.

Salsa Verde - Viva Los Tomatillos!

Salsa verde is an everyday salsa that you will see sitting on the table in almost any restaurant in Mexico.    The main ingredient is the tomatillo, or tomate verde in Spanish.  Literally translated, it means green tomato, but is different.  The round fruit is covered in a paper-like husk and has a very tangy and tart flavor.   If you are buying them in the grocery, make sure the fruit is firm and bright green with a slightly brown husk.  Although mostly cultivated in Guatemala  and Mexico, the tomatillo can be grown easily in many parts of the United States.  This was the reason/ inspiration for making salsa verde last night.  My aunt grew them in Ohio this year, and my mom brought us a bag.  Thanks Aunt Margie!

SALSA VERDE

3 cups water

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 cloves garlic

4 serrano chiles

1 pound tomatillos, husks removed

1/2 cup cilantro

1/4 cup chopped onion

Bring water and salt to a boil, add tomatillos, chiles and garlic and simmer for 10 minutes.  Drain water reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid.  Transfer to a blender, add cilantro, 1 tsp salt and puree briefly.  Pour to bowl and stir in onion.   Serve warm or refrigerate [for up to 3 days].

Salsa Navarro

Yes, another salsa! I told you we are salsa fanatics in our house. Besides being delicious, this salsa is really special. It is from the kitchen of Neto's Abuela Navarro. It is mostly used with flautas or tostadas, but I can devour a bowl of it with some chips. What makes this so different is one key ingredient: oregano.

Salsa Navarro

6 roma tomatoes

3-4 chiles gueritos  (hot yellow chiles)  Use green if you can't find yellow

1 clove garlic

Pinch of oregano

salt to taste

The process is the same of the salsa roja. Roast the tomatoes and peppers until charred all around.
Throw all into blender, add pinch of oregano and salt to taste, serve warm.

Serve with flautas or tostadas.

Salsa Roja

I thought it appropriate that my first post be with a roasted red salsa. This salsa is a staple in our house. We make it at least 2 times per week -either for a snack, or to go with a meal. We hardly ever have leftovers, I guess you could say it is addicting.

The heat in this recipe can be adjusted to your taste. We usually add one less pepper than there are tomatoes. You may want to start with one or two. Deseeding the peppers will majorly decrease the amount of heat, and keep the chiles' flavor.

A suggestion: We use Roma tomatoes as they are not as juicy as the bigger varieties, so it doesn't yield a runny salsa. Also they are quicker to roast.

Roasted Red Salsa

6-7 roma tomatoes

5-6 jalepeños or 4 serrano peppers (stems cut off)

Handful of cilantro

Salt to taste

Place tomatoes and peppers in frying pan on high heat and turn tomatoes and peppers until sides are charred.

Three turns will do it. (I always put a sheet of aluminum foil down for less clean-up) Place in a blender with cilantro and salt to taste. Pulse until desired consistency.

Easiest. Recipe. Ever.

Although it will keep in the fridge for about about 4 days, I love to eat it immediately, it's the best when warm. I can devour a bowl it myself with chips. It is also great on tacos and burritos.

Funny enough, I have never bought jar salsa again. You probably won't either after you taste this.