1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and
minced (wear rubber gloves)
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Life With A
Little Salsa
Add zest to summer dzning with 10 toss-together sauces.
ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
IV
hen Latinos want to
add zest to anything,
food related or not,
they will say "add a lit-
tle salsa." This idiomatic phrase is
what started the music and dance
style of the same name. Yet, like
many so-called ethnic foods, salsa is
an American invention, a twist on a
Mexican staple.
Salsa is basic. Literally, salsa means
"sauce" in Spanish, so potentially
everything spooned over something
else is a salsa. In fact, what
Americans commonly term "salsa"
— chopped tomatoes, onions and
seasonings, is what Mexicans call
pico de gallo. But north of the bor-
der, it's all salsa, whether the ingre-
dients are simple or more exotic,
including all types of fruit, vegeta-
bles and any variety of additions or
modifications.
Walk down the aisle at any high-
end food emporium and you'll find
dozens of variations of the original
salsa, each with seemingly quirkier
ingredients than the next. Among
the more crowd-pleasing are those
containing beans, corn and plenty
of heat. What many of the jarred
varieties lack is the fresh, distinct
flavor of cilantro and freshness of
just-squeezed citrus.
The following recipes include no
instruction or direction, because the
beauty of salsa is its simplicity — if
not in ingredients, then in prepara-
tion.
While some of the recipes may
call for the occasional sauteed ingre-
dients, such as corn or onions, but
after minimal cooking, just toss and
serve. For more unique combina-
tions, add your own favorite ingre-
dients or seasonings.
You'll notice that most recipes
include tomatoes. Use any tomato
variety you wish, as long as the
tomatoes are ripe and flavorful.
Hot summer nights call for hot
and zesty salsa. It's the most popular
condiment in the nation and the
most prevalent starter. Try it with
crunchy triangle chips, gourmet
crackers and as an accompaniment
to everything from burgers to grilled
fish to scrambled eggs. So add some
salsa to your life — in every aspect.
Serve up the salsa like many
Americans serve ketchup ... on
everything.
Cook's note: While you can chop
ingredients by hand, using a food
processor will cut down the prepara-
tion time considerably. Don't chop
everything together, though. The
texture and color of your salsa will
be cloudy. Rather, pulse each ingre-
dient in the food processor separate-
ly and add it to a large bowl with
your other ingredients before mix-
ing by hand. Certain foods, such as
avocado and scallions, must be
chopped by hand.
APPLE, BLUEBERRY
AND CRANBERRY SALSA
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup finely chopped, unpeeled
tart apples (any variety)
1/2 cup chopped red or Bermuda
onion
1/2 cup chopped red or yellow
bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped scallions, white
and green parts
Juice of 1 lemon or more to taste
1 T. hot pepper sauce, such as
Tabasco
1 T. dried parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
AVOCADO SALSA
3 cups fresh chopped tomato
1 cup chopped seeded cucumber
1 cup chopped red or Bermuda
onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2-3 T. hot red pepper sauce, such
as Tabasco
Juice of 2 limes, or more to taste
2 T. olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 avocados, any kind, chopped
(cut and add just before serving)
GREEN SALSA
1 cup chopped raw tomatillos
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 'cup chopped green tomatoes
1 cup chopped scallions, white
and green parts
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
TOASTED CORN AND
BLACK BEAN SALSA
2 cups frozen corn, thawed and
sauteed in 2 T. olive oil until
lightly browned
1 can (about 15 ounces) diced
tomatoes in juice
1 cup chopped red or Bermuda
onions
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can (about 15 ounces) black
beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
1/2 t. ground cayenne pepper, or
to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
INSTANT SPICY TOMATO
SALSA
1 can (about 15 ounces) diced
tomatoes in juice
1 can (about 4 ounces) tomato
sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 t. granulated garlic
2 T. dried parsley flakes
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. hot pepper sauce, any kind,
or to taste
2 T. red wine vinegar or more to
taste
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
OLIVE AND FETA SALSA
1/2 cup chopped olives, Kalamata
or other good-quality variety
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped mild onion, such
as Vidalia
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
Grated peel of 1 lemon
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground cumin
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
FIVE FRUIT SALSA
1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/2 cup chopped fresh mango
1/2 cup fresh chopped papaya
1 cup drained mandarin oranges,
chopped
1 cup fresh chopped tomato
1 cup chopped red onion
ek\
7/12
2002
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