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.

Hablamos de Chiles

If you are a chile eater, you have probably seen or heard of the Scoville Chile Heat Chart. The Scoville scale measures the hotness of a chili pepper, as defined by the amount of capsaicin (a chemical compound that stimulates nerve endings in the skin) present. In other words the amount of burn you are going to feel. The scale is named after its an American chemist named Wilbur Scoville. He developed a test for rating the pungency of chiles.

(If you'd like to learn more about this test, click here)

I found this chart on a great website called Eat More Chilies. Apparently the site grew from one chile pepper writing assignment in Arizona to a huge chile handbook. There are recipes, event info and a lot of chile facts. Some of which I thought quite interesting:

Did you know...?

• Chiles are healthy! They are low in sodium and calories and are cholesterol free. Chilis are a good source of vitamins A, B, C, and E, folic acid, and potassium.

• Eating chiles can help with digestion. The capsaicin in chiles increases gastric secretions and the flow of saliva, combining to ease the digestion process.

• In 2007, salsa surpassed ketchup as the most widely used condiment in the United States.

• A Chile’s heat or intensity is commonly, but incorrectly, said to come from the seeds in the chili. The heat actually comes from capsaicinoids - the combination of capsaicin (the active component of a chile) and a few other related chemicals - that is found along placental tissue in the center of the chile where the seeds are found.

• The color of a chili pepper actually has nothing to do with its heat level. Rather, the color typically signifies the maturity of the fruit.

• Birds are not affected by the heat or pungency of capsaicin because they do not have a receptor to detect it. This allows capsicum plant seeds to be dispersed through avian travel.

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.