Salsa recipes offer myriad ways to spice things up

Cheater Salsa Verde is made by dressing up jarred salsa with fresh onion, cilantro, jalapeno and lime juice.

Cheater Salsa Verde is made by dressing up jarred salsa with fresh onion, cilantro, jalapeno and lime juice.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

From eggs to tacos, a dollop of salsa enlivens almost any food it touches.

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Food styling/KELLY BRANT

Mango-Jicama Salsa is sweet, tart, spicy and refreshing. It is delicious with roasted or grilled pork or beef or served with chips as a dip.

The simple mixture of tomatoes, onion and chile peppers is ubiquitous at Mexican restaurants and many of us probably have a jar in our fridge right now. But for truly outstanding flavor, skip the jarred stuff and make your own.

The ideal salsa -- in our opinion -- includes a variety of colors and textures and strikes a balance of tangy acidity, spicy heat and just a hint of sweetness. The sweetness can be natural and subtle such as that from the base fruit (ripe tomatoes, peaches, mango, pineapple) or from the addition of a pinch of sugar or drop of honey, or hit two notes with one ingredient and add a splash of citrus juice for sweetness and acidity.

SAUCY TERMS

Hot sauce: Can refer to any sauce made from chile peppers, but it is usually smooth and on the thin side and often with a vinegar base.

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Food styling/KELLY BRANT

Salvadoran Salsa Cruda

Picante sauce: Tex-Mex for tomato salsa.

Pico de gallo: Spanish for ''rooster's beak,'' this chunky mixture of tomatoes, onion and peppers is usually chopped by hand and each ingredient retains its own shape and characteristics. Some recipes add oregano, olive oil, vinegar or citrus juice.

Salsa: In Spanish salsa refers to any sauce; however as defined by the American palate, salsa is a dip or sauce most often composed of chopped tomatoes, onions and chile peppers.

Salsa cruda: Refers to uncooked tomato-based salsa.

Salsa verde: Salsa that is green in color from either a base of tomatillos or green chile peppers.

Sources: The Hot Sauce Cookbook by Robb Walsh and Gran Cocina Latina by Maricel E. Presilla

Purists will argue that the only proper way to make salsa is to cut or crush the ingredients by hand using a knife and a molcajete (a traditional Mexican mortar), but we're not purists.

This green salsa is similar to the salsa served in many Mexican restaurants.

Son of Suchilquitongo Salsa Verde

1 pound fresh tomatillos, husked and washed

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 fresh hot chiles such as serrano, stemmed, seeded and minced

1 cup minced sweet onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Sugar, to taste

1/4 cup lime juice

Salt, to taste

Place the clean tomatillos in a saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and let tomatillos soak for 5 minutes. Drain.

In a food processor, combined the drained tomatillos, cilantro, chile peppers, onion, garlic, sugar and lime juice. Pulse to combine. Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 1 week.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

Recipe adapted from The Hot Sauce Cookbook by Robb Walsh

This recipe is ideal for when you can't find fresh tomatillos.

Cheater Salsa Verde

1 large handful chopped fresh cilantro

2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 small sweet onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 (16-ounce) jar mild tomatillo salsa

Honey or agave syrup, to taste

Lime juice

Salt, to taste

In a food processor, pulse the cilantro, jalapeno, onion and garlic until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the jarred salsa. Season to taste with honey or agave, lime juice and salt.

Makes about 6 cups.

DIY Pace Picante Sauce

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can tomato puree

1 1/3 cups water

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh jalapenos, seeded if desired

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried onion flakes (see note)

1/4 teaspoon dried garlic flakes (see note)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Once cool, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight before serving. Sauce will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 2 cups.

Note: We used a small pinch of onion powder and garlic powder for the flakes.

Recipe adapted from The Hot Sauce Cookbook by Robb Walsh

One-Minute Salsa

1/2 small red onion

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons jarred jalapenos, drained (about 20 slices)

1 clove garlic, peeled

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained (see note)

In a food processor, combine the onion, cilantro, jalapenos, garlic and salt and pulse until thoroughly chopped, about 5 pulses. Add the tomatoes and pulse until chopped, about 2 pulses. Transfer mixture to a fine-mesh sieve and drain briefly. Season to taste with additional salt. Serve. Salsa will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1 cup.

Note: Fire-roasted tomatoes give this salsa a slightly smoky flavor.

Recipe adapted from The Complete Cook's Country TV Show Cookbook from America's Test Kitchen

This salsa is great with grilled meats, as a salad or with tortilla chips.

Black Bean and Mango Salsa

1 cup cooked or canned black beans, rinsed

2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, minced

3/4 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup lime juice (from about 4 limes)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon minced chile pepper

Salt and pepper

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix together well. This salsa will keep, covered and refrigerated, 4 to 5 days.

Makes about 5 cups.

Recipe adapted from Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys & Chowchows by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby (Morrow, 1995)

Mango-Jicama Salsa

1 medium to large jicama, peeled and finely diced

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 medium red onion, finely diced

2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon whole cumin seed

2 fresh chile peppers, seeded and minced

Juice of 2 limes

Salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Salsa will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Makes about 5 cups.

Not to be confused with guacamole, in this dip the avocado is pureed with tomatillos and chile peppers.

Avocado Salsa

3 large ripe avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, coarsely chopped

8 ounces fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed, coarsely chopped

2 serrano chiles, seeded, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped white onion

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Juice from 1/2 lime

Salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse to form a chunky puree, or to desired consistency. Transfer to medium bowl and season with salt to taste. Serve immediately or press plastic wrap directly onto surface to prevent browning and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 4 cups.

Mint and orange juice give this Salvadoran salsa a flavor that stands apart from other uncooked salsas.

Salvadoran Salsa Cruda

6 medium plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into small cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

1 small green bell pepper, cored, seeded, deveined and finely chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon finely chopped mint

1 lime, juiced

1 small orange, juiced

Salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Salsa is best served the day it is made.

Makes about 3 cups.

Recipe adapted from Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America by Maricel E. Presilla

Food on 07/30/2014