"Argh," you say. "Enough with the damned salsas, already!"
Um, sorry, but there are still a few more to go. And I'm getting a lot out of them.
Among other things, these concoctions are great opportunities for working on various knife skills. For example, in this recipe, I needed to cut corn off the cob. This is really hard to do right, it seems. Most of the kernels get sliced in half, instead of removed at the base, because I'm too paranoid of getting cob into the mix. The wierd thing is, that's never happened. The cob must be very tough or something, but I've never cut too deep.
That aside, this effort really speaks to the need for fresh ingredients. I only got the peppers and corn a few days ago, but they were already getting a little bit dried out. I thought they were still usable, but the result is a bit tough.
As far as the actual recipe goes, I'm not a big fan. It's spicy as all get out and, again, possibly too much, relative to the flavor. The taste is really reminiscent of a dish I vaguely remember from the '70's. I think it was "Mexicorn." Anyway, it's a bit, um, cheesy in that annoying '70's way.
Also, it's another "salad" type salsa, not a sauce. I added some of the leftover lime juice (for flavor and, hopefully, some rehydration) and I think I'll try working with some salt or something after it has time to sit in the fridge for a day. That's the second big learning thing from these salsa. They lend themselves to experimentation with flavors and ingredients. Granted, this isn't the best example (salt and lime - not very adventuresome), but it works as a general principle.
Oh, and of course, Salsa! Salsa! Salsa!
Showing posts with label Salsas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Salsas. Show all posts
Friday, April 25, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Smoky Chipotle Salsa
Yet another recipe from Salsa! Salsa! Salsa!
This is definitely the most flavorful and best tasting one to date, but by far the hottest of the ones I've made. Honestly, probably too much so.
Here's one thing I think caused that: I used the adobo sauce from the can the chipotles were packed in. They do sell adobo sauce by itself and I bet I could make it, as well. So, I'm just guessing, but reasonably sure that using that would cut the heat. I would hope it doesn't cut the smoky chipotle flavor too much as well, though.
This is definitely the most flavorful and best tasting one to date, but by far the hottest of the ones I've made. Honestly, probably too much so.
Here's one thing I think caused that: I used the adobo sauce from the can the chipotles were packed in. They do sell adobo sauce by itself and I bet I could make it, as well. So, I'm just guessing, but reasonably sure that using that would cut the heat. I would hope it doesn't cut the smoky chipotle flavor too much as well, though.
(Chocolate) Toffee Fruit Salsa
I thought this was an interesting idea and a way to vary the desert fare just a bit. I'm surprised I haven't seen anything like this on a restaurant menu. It's still definitely a salsa, but has an elegance that can make for an impressive finish to a meal.
I substituted Amaretto for the Frangelico, as the only bottle of Frangelico that Jewel had was enormous and there's no way I could ever use or drink it. Using the other nut-based liquor worked just fine.
They say to serve it with gourmet vanilla wafers. I have no idea what those would be - I assume they mean something classier than Nabisco Nillas. I served it with Maria cookies, because they're about the same size as a tortilla chip and more substantial in texture, so they won't dissolve immediately when the sauce touches them.
However, I would really like to try it with desert tortilla chips. The usual version of those is fried four tortilla chips sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. I would like to try a corn tortilla version - I think that the corn would work well with sugar and be a bit different.
While it served up well, the consistency was better immediately after I mixed it. I think I should keep the sauce and fruit separate until right before serving in the future.
Oh, yeah, and it's from Salsa! Salsa! Salsa!
I substituted Amaretto for the Frangelico, as the only bottle of Frangelico that Jewel had was enormous and there's no way I could ever use or drink it. Using the other nut-based liquor worked just fine.
They say to serve it with gourmet vanilla wafers. I have no idea what those would be - I assume they mean something classier than Nabisco Nillas. I served it with Maria cookies, because they're about the same size as a tortilla chip and more substantial in texture, so they won't dissolve immediately when the sauce touches them.
However, I would really like to try it with desert tortilla chips. The usual version of those is fried four tortilla chips sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. I would like to try a corn tortilla version - I think that the corn would work well with sugar and be a bit different.
While it served up well, the consistency was better immediately after I mixed it. I think I should keep the sauce and fruit separate until right before serving in the future.
Oh, yeah, and it's from Salsa! Salsa! Salsa!
Roasted Poblano with Orange Salsa
I wanted to make something that was clearly not the traditional salsa, possibly with a little sweetness.
Roasting poblanos was the neat part of this recipe from Salsa! Salsa! Salsa!. I just laid them on the gas burner and turned them as the skin blackened. The support tines of the burners were a little wide, so I got the clever idea to lay a wire rack across the burner. Once I saw that it was glowing red hot, I figured that was, in fact, a bad idea, not a clever one. I did get it off in time before it melted.
I rinsed off the charred skin, though our neighbor Heather reminded me that the proper method is shaking them in a brown paper bag. I'm pretty sure that this would better keep some of the smoky flavor.
The end result was a little bitter to start and, honestly, not a huge success. It definitely had potential, so it was worth working with.
It got a little better after the first day (I think all of them need at least a day in the fridge, like a soup or other sauce). I then pureed it with the immersion blender and added about a tsp of salt (a pinch at a time). This helped quite a bit. When I served it last night, it got thumbs up from Mary upstairs, so I think I'm on the right track.
Finally, I'm sure some of the bitterness came from the orange zest. I need to exercise greater care that I don't go too deep on the grating and hit pith.
Roasting poblanos was the neat part of this recipe from Salsa! Salsa! Salsa!. I just laid them on the gas burner and turned them as the skin blackened. The support tines of the burners were a little wide, so I got the clever idea to lay a wire rack across the burner. Once I saw that it was glowing red hot, I figured that was, in fact, a bad idea, not a clever one. I did get it off in time before it melted.
I rinsed off the charred skin, though our neighbor Heather reminded me that the proper method is shaking them in a brown paper bag. I'm pretty sure that this would better keep some of the smoky flavor.
The end result was a little bitter to start and, honestly, not a huge success. It definitely had potential, so it was worth working with.
It got a little better after the first day (I think all of them need at least a day in the fridge, like a soup or other sauce). I then pureed it with the immersion blender and added about a tsp of salt (a pinch at a time). This helped quite a bit. When I served it last night, it got thumbs up from Mary upstairs, so I think I'm on the right track.
Finally, I'm sure some of the bitterness came from the orange zest. I need to exercise greater care that I don't go too deep on the grating and hit pith.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Fresh Herbed Tomato Salsa
Again, a perfect storm of circumstances drives me to try something out. Christmas before last, someone (I think Karin) gave me a great tiny little book, Salsa! Salsa! Salsa! I've been meaning to make stuff from it for some time now, but because it's literally so small, I often don't even notice it on the shelf.
A second factor coming into place was that I recently started a focused weight-loss effort. So, I need to find and make things which are healthy, but still have good flavor. Being generally fat-free and veggie-rific, salsas are just perfect.
Finally, there was an APB for auction items for my old rugby team's* fundraiser. I decided to donate an upscale Mexican dinner for four for some lucky winner. I was thinking through the menu, how I'm going to present, serve, etc. and, with Top Chef going right now, too, that put me in the thinking of everything fresh, so I committed myself to homemade quacamole and 2 (count 'em, 2) fresh salsas.
I've tackled the rest of the menu items several times, but I've never made salsas before, so I better get some hands on experience. Also, the book has at least 60 different varieties, so I definitely want to try some out.
I decided to lay down a foundation of experience by a traditional red sauce like you'd get at a restaurant. In reading through them, the closest seemed to be the Fresh Herbed Tomato Salsa. the first thing I learned was that these will definitely be good practice of knife skills, if nothing else.
The two changes I made were based on what I had in the house, so I skipped the oregeno and used a yellow onion instead of a red one. The result was pretty darned tasty, even better after a night in the fridge. It has a good balance of spice and depth.
In terms of texture, the result is more of what I'd call a Pico de Gallo than a salsa. I consider Pico to be more of a diced veggie salad in a light, thin liquid where a salsa is more of a sauce (the literal translation of the word).
I'd definitely like to get it more to the sauce end of the spectrum - which I guess I could get either form adding more tomato sauce or pureeing some of the mixture. Also, I'm curious about the oregeno flavor. Since the recipe made a healthy quantity (about a quart), I'm going to divide it up and try all three:
A second factor coming into place was that I recently started a focused weight-loss effort. So, I need to find and make things which are healthy, but still have good flavor. Being generally fat-free and veggie-rific, salsas are just perfect.
Finally, there was an APB for auction items for my old rugby team's* fundraiser. I decided to donate an upscale Mexican dinner for four for some lucky winner. I was thinking through the menu, how I'm going to present, serve, etc. and, with Top Chef going right now, too, that put me in the thinking of everything fresh, so I committed myself to homemade quacamole and 2 (count 'em, 2) fresh salsas.
I've tackled the rest of the menu items several times, but I've never made salsas before, so I better get some hands on experience. Also, the book has at least 60 different varieties, so I definitely want to try some out.
I decided to lay down a foundation of experience by a traditional red sauce like you'd get at a restaurant. In reading through them, the closest seemed to be the Fresh Herbed Tomato Salsa. the first thing I learned was that these will definitely be good practice of knife skills, if nothing else.
The two changes I made were based on what I had in the house, so I skipped the oregeno and used a yellow onion instead of a red one. The result was pretty darned tasty, even better after a night in the fridge. It has a good balance of spice and depth.
In terms of texture, the result is more of what I'd call a Pico de Gallo than a salsa. I consider Pico to be more of a diced veggie salad in a light, thin liquid where a salsa is more of a sauce (the literal translation of the word).
I'd definitely like to get it more to the sauce end of the spectrum - which I guess I could get either form adding more tomato sauce or pureeing some of the mixture. Also, I'm curious about the oregeno flavor. Since the recipe made a healthy quantity (about a quart), I'm going to divide it up and try all three:
- Adding tomato sauce
- Partially pureeing
- Adding fresh oregeno
- Adding tomato sauce - This did make it enough like a traditional that Mary noted that it was most like "store-bought." Hmmm. There's good and bad in that. Also, it felt a little like cheating, since tomato sauce is already seasoned.
- Partially pureeing - Not bad. It did make it a bit more like a sauce rather than pico de gallo, but that was the only change.
- Adding fresh oregeno - Very, very good. I highly recommend this. Also, after a few days in the fridge, the tomatoes break down a bit more, getting it right to the taste and consistency I wanted.
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