I wrote this blog while in Malaysia and saved it...
I recently took some polls to find out how everyone prefers their salsa. Most answers I received were typical. Hot and spicy; Extra Cilantro; Extra Garlic; Mild and Savory; Mild and Sweet. Watermelon Salsa and Peanut Salsa both threw me for a loop! I guess if there was a contest, those would be the winners...Peanut wins with a slight edge over Watermelon.
I have spent the last week or so playing with different flavors in salsa and I'm excited to say that I loved all of them! Some more than others but not one bowl saw the inside of the garbage bin. Good thing...I'm not crazy about wasting any ingredients. I think I managed to touch everyone's taste buds. Some of the recipes are very similar with just a few changes....enough to make a big difference in the final outcome. I had tons of ideas popping into my head..."Ooo, I need to try this!" or "Oh! I bet this would be great!". Alas, I am limited to the ingredients in this tiny little country. So the ideas are penned on a scratchy piece of paper that will remain attached to the inside of my one-and-only cookbook that I brought with me until I can get home to work out the details.
One of those details is which type of hot peppers to use. In this tropical location, jalapenos and chili peppers are the two staple peppers available. The chili peppers I used looked like these...
...in various sizes. The smaller the size, the hotter the pepper. Habeneros are not available and most Malaysians have never sampled an Habenero in their life. But the range of schofield units in their chili peppers could successfully compete with the U.S. habeneros.
Another factor was the cinnamon I added to the sweeter salsa's. The cinnamon I used was fresh ground from Indonesia when we took a trip to Bali. Most generic or even name brand cinnamon powders we use in the States have lost some of their potency. I added merely a pinch of cinnamon powder but you might need to add two. Add what the recipe calls for, taste it and add more if you feel it's what your tongue wants. It could also be the same with the other powdered spices as well. We can buy Mexican Chili Powder here but it's hotter than what we're used to in the U.S. Asian or Indian chili powder will scorch your tongue because it is used in their curry dishes and bumbu (sauces). So use the smallest amount listed in the recipe and give it a taste to see if you need more.
Can I say enough about Fresh Pineapple!? Pampered Chef makes this wonderful tool that cores and peels fresh pineapple, taking the task to a minimum. It takes some muscle but it yields perfect pineapple halves that are simple to cut since the core is removed as well. I did not used canned pineapple in any of the recipes. And the fresh pineapple was so sweet that there was no need to add sugar of any kind. If you substitute canned for fresh, you do so at your own risk of ruining the recipe...I'm sure it won't be the same. Most produce sections of grocery stores have pineapple already peeled and cored for you in clear plastic containers...I'm just unsure if these are available year around.
Hickory Smoked Salt is an ingredient that most people don't have in their spice racks but they should. It's delicious and can be used so many different ways...especially grilling! It just has this wonderful smokey flavor that can add so much to a dish! I buy mine from the Amish but I understand many people live nowhere near any Amish farms. Here are some websites if you are interested in ordering it.
OK, on to the Recipes!!
Salsa #1 (slightly sweet, not hot)
1 - 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
1/4 C Chopped Green Pepper
1/3 C Chopped Onion
1 tsp Brown Sugar
2 tsp Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
Pinch of Cinnamon
1 Whole Clove
1/16 tsp Cumin
1/8 tsp Paprika
Dump all ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Turn down to low and simmer for 1 hour. Allow to cool. Remove the clove. Serve at room temperature or cold if you prefer.
Salsa #2 (Much like #1 with slight variations)
1 - 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
2 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 C Chopped Green Pepper
1/3 C Chopped Onion
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp Honey
2 tsp Cider Vinegar
1 tsp fresh Lime Juice
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
Pinch of Cinnamon
1/16 tsp Cumin
1/8 tsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Snipped Fresh Cilantro
In a sauce pan, saute peppers, onions and garlic in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients - EXCEPT THE CILANTRO - and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour. Remove pan from burner and toss in cilantro. Stir. Allow to cool and serve at room temperature or cold if you prefer.
Salsa #3 (A little hotter and not sweet)
3/4 C Chopped Onion
1/3 C Chopped Green Bell Pepper
1 Tbsp Minced Hot Chili Pepper (seeds and membrane removed)
2 tsp Olive Oil
S&P to taste
1 Globe Roasted Garlic (recipe follows)
1/2 tsp Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 - 14.5 oz Can Diced Tomatoes
In a sauce pan, saute Onion, green pepper and chili pepper in the olive oil adding salt and pepper to taste. Saute 2 minutes. Squeeze in a whole globe of roasted garlic and mix in thoroughly on low heat. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well and turn up the heat to medium high in order to bring to a boil. Simmer on low for about 1 hour. Serve at room temp or cold if you prefer.
Please use caution when handling the hot peppers. Be careful not to touch your eyes while you cook.
Salsa #4 (like #3 only hotter and smokier)
3/4 C Chopped Onion
1/3 C Chopped Green Bell Pepper
2 Tbsp Minced Hot Chili Pepper (seeds optional. If you want the heat, put them in)
2 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Hickory Smoked Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper1 Globe Roasted Garlic (recipe follows)
1/2 tsp Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Paprika (I used hot Hungarian Paprika for this one but use what you have)
1 - 14.5 oz Can Diced Tomatoes
1/4 C Enchilada Sauce (recipe follows)
In a sauce pan, saute Onion, green pepper and chili pepper in the olive oil adding hickory smoked salt and pepper. Saute 2 minutes. Squeeze in a whole globe of roasted garlic and mix in thoroughly on low heat. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well and turn up the heat to medium high in order to bring to a boil. Simmer on low for about 1 hour. Serve at room temp or cold if you prefer. Please use caution when handling the hot peppers. Be careful not to touch your eyes while you cook.
Salsa #5 (fruit salsa - fresh with a zip!)
1 C Fresh Chopped Strawberries
1 C Fresh Chopped White Peaches (yellow is fine)
1/2 C Chopped Red Bell Pepper
1 Kiwi, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp snipped Fresh Cilantro
1 Jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 C Fresh chopped Pineapple
Zest and Juice from one lime2 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
Sea Salt to taste
Prep - chop all fruits and vegetables to approximately the same size. I like it this way because it looks like confetti and it's easier to eat than big chunky pieces of fruit. Mix all the fruit and veggies together and toss with cilantro, lime juice & zest, vinegar and salt (to taste). This salsa does not last long. After 1 day it became very watery...still tasted great but the strawberries were beginning to lose their color and get mushy. This is a salsa that you want to make the "day of" and add the liquid and salt at the last minute. Sweet with a bit of heat but not too much! Also great with chopped up bananas.
Salsa #6 (Pineapple Salsa, my favorite...sweet and hot)
This is my version of Paul Newman's Pineapple Salsa. Mine isn't as sweet, which I like!
3/4 C Chopped Onion
1/3 C Chopped Green Bell Pepper
1 Tbsp Minced Hot Chili Pepper
1 Clove Garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh Lime Juice
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/16 tsp Cinnamon
1 Whole Clove
1/2 C Crushed Fresh Pineapple
1 - 14.5 oz Can Diced Tomatoes (I strained the tomatoes and chopped them very small)
In a sauce pan, saute peppers, onion and garlic for about 2 minutes. I added just a pinch of sea salt to this. Dump in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and continue simmering for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove and discard the whole clove. Serve at room temp or cold if you prefer.
Roasted Garlic
Preheat oven to 350*. Cut the top off of a globe of garlic so that all the individual cloves have the tips cut off. Place on a large sheet of tin foil. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and spinkle with sea salt. Enclose the garlic in the foil, wrapping it loosely. Place in oven and cook for 1 hour to 90 minutes. Garlic globe should be mushy feeling. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Enchilada Sauce
(so much better than the sour store-bought canned version!)
1/8 C Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Self-Rising Flour
2 Tbsp Chili Powder (my CP is hot so I divide this in half with mild paprika or the Pampered Chef Sun-dried Tomato & Herb seasoning mix. The Pampered Chef mix is delicious in this whether your Chili Powder is hot or not)
1 - 14/5 oz Can Tomato Puree
1/4 tsp Cumin
1 Extra Finely Minced Garlic Clove
1 Tbsp Extra Finely Minced Sweet Onion
1/4 tsp Hickory Smoked Salt
Ahead of time, saute the onion and garlic in the hickory smoked salt with just a drizzle of olive oil for about 2 minutes. Set aside when finished. In a saute pan, heat olive oil and whisk in flour. Simmer for about 30 sec to one minute to remove the raw flour taste. Add the chili powder, cumin and onion/garlic mixture. Mix well. Add the tomato puree (or tomato sauce) last and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. I store mine in a condiment squirt bottle in the fridge. Great on fries, southwestern omelettes, roasts, nachos etc.
