This past Tuesday was spent moving Richard out of his first college apartment and back home for the summer. During the move, it became quite clear that I should call the publisher and add an additional chapter to my cookbook entitled “How to Clean Your Kitchen on a Regular Basis." IT should be in LARGE PRINT. The day ended with all of us feeling tired and irritable with an unspoken fear that the distinctive smell of Fabuloso would never wash off completely.
Wednesday morning after the fourth or fifth load of laundry, Richard and I decided it was time to do something to cheer us up. It had to be about food and suddenly we knew what would work – a Cinco de Mayo pre- celebration, was just the ticket. Now that Richard is officially home and we are once again the Three Swor Amigos, our culinary decision was easy – three salsas to sample. What a plan! We debated about which salsas to create, and finally settled on Salsa Verde, because Richard thinks tomatillos are very cool, a Roasted Tomato Salsa in case Sammy figured out that Verde meant green and wouldn’t eat the one made with a type of produce he couldn’t identify, and Guacamole – not really a salsa and actually quite green, but avocados come from trees and we all love them them.
Richard and I made a grocery run with a list that looked like something from a Food Network show, came home and got to work. I have to say that work isn’t a fair word – cooking with Richard is one of my greatest pleasures and we did have a blast. There was lots of experimenting and tasting, a few runs to our garden for our own oregano and a bit of cilantro. There was a small argument about who had to taste the peppers we bought and see how hot they were - we did it together in the end.
But the final results were amazing. Here are the recipes for our Three Amigo Salsas. Whether you make one, or all three, it will definitely take your day up a notch!
Salsa Verde
Ingredients
8 tomatillos
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 arbol dried chiles or other mild dried red chiles (about 2 Tbsp)
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt (more to taste)
Directions
Husk and rinse tomatillos. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until tomatillos are softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from saucepan and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.
Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Add more salt if necessary. Chill for 2 hours before serving.
Roasted Red Salsa
Ingredients
8 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 jalapenos, seeded and cut in strips
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
1½ tsp salt (more to taste)
Directions
Preheat broiler. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place tomatoes, onion, jalapenos and garlic on prepared sheet and broil until charred, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool slightly, peel garlic and add all vegetables and any accumulated juice to the blender. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. Add more salt if necessary. Chill for 2 hours before serving.
Guacamole
Ingredients
2 avocados, peeled and seeded
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp salt (more to taste)
1/2 tsp hot sauce (more to taste)
Directions
Mash avocado (a potato masher works well here) with garlic, lime juice, salt and hot sauce. Taste for seasoning. Can be prepared 2 hours ahead of serving time.
We like this very basic guacamole, but add chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, and/ or cilantro if so desired.
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