Sizzling Salsa

What is America's favorite condiment?

Many would immediately assume it is ketchup, with all the hamburgers and fries and hot dogs that we eat.  The surprising answer is actually Salsa. 

For many years ketchup was king, fighting tooth and nail with mayonnaise, but we as a nation have fallen in love with salsa and her best friend the tortilla chip, and now she reins supreme!

The name salsa implies a vast world of raw and cooked salsas, containing an innumerable amount of ingredients. Thousands of types of chiles, vegetables, herbs, and seeds can be cut, blended, mashed roasted, mortared, and milled into these glorious sauces we call salsa.

Salsas can be used as a dip, condiment, salad, relish, garnish, ingredient, marinade, stew, broth and even used to "cook" proteins as in their use of the citrus in ceviche.
Salsa means more than red or green, it is used for more than a chip dip. So venture into the world of salsa that will open you mouths and your menu to endless possibilities.
Here are a couple of my favorites with the recipes;

Garza Family Salsa Mexicana

3-4 ripe tomatoes, diced small
1 white onion, diced small
3-4 roasted, peeled and seeded New Mexican chiles (hatch). You may also use Guero, serrano, or jalapeno
1 small bunch of cilantro (coriander leaf), chopped
1 tsp of cumin
2 tsp of garlic of garlic powder
3 tsp of salt (to taste)
1-2  key limes (juice only)
1  7.75oz can of EL PATO BRAND tomato sauce (yellow can-mexican hot style)
Mix all ingredients well-chill for 2 hours prior to serving

Salsa De Aguacate (tomatillo avocado salsa)

8-10 tomatillos husked and rinsed, quartered
1 small bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 white onion, finely diced (reserve half of diced onion)
2-3 serrano chiles, stemmed and chopped
2 ripe avacados, pitted and flesh scooped out and quartered
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt (to taste)
1/2 cup of water
Blend in food processor until course puree, add reserved finely diced onion.
Chill for 1 hour covered, and serve

Enjoy these recipes, and if you would like to lean more about how to incorporate new and different salsas into your cooking and entertaining, feel free to ask me anything.
Give your life and palate a little kick, and serve it with salsa.
Don't forget to KEEP IT REAL, KEEP IT FRESH, KEEP IT SUSTAINABLE
OLE!