Salsapalooza

To Dip... Or Not To Dip?

If you're anything like my fiancé and I, we love our chips and dip. I am forever making salsas to keep in our fridge, and just like chili, salsa is a versatile ingredient to use in other dishes. We'll touch on that more in a little bit.

Let's take a look at some of the ingredients and cooking techniques that can be used in making a plethora of different salsas. Depending on the flavor profiles that are being created, there is going to be the need of different bases and cooking techniques to be used to create each one. For the recipes that I am giving out today, we are going to be working with a tomato base for 3 recipes, and a yogurt base for 1. We will be using an easy roasting method to help enhance the flavors of some tomatoes, garlic, tomatillos, and pablano peppers. It's very easy to do, and oh man, is it delicious!

This first recipe is an all-time favorite of mine. This is one of those recipes that can be served as a dip, used as a filling for enchiladas, or fried in eggroll wrappers. Although versatile in application, it's a snap to prepare and adds a delicious southwestern flare to dishes.

Southwestern Salsa

Ingredients:

2 cups tomatoes, diced

1 cup white onion, diced

1 15oz can corn, drained and rinsed

1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 jalapeno, finely minced

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tbsp cumin

1/2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cane sugar

1 tbsp lime juice

Directions:

1. Add tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice to a food processor. Pulse 5-7 times to break down ingredients into smaller, but still chunky pieces. Transfer ingredients into a medium bowl.

2. In a small bowl, add the spices together and stir to mix them together. Add the beans and corn to pulsed ingredients, as well as the spices and fold gently to thoroughly incorporate.

3. Refrigerate for at least one hour to chill through. Serve. 

Keep unused salsa covered and refrigerated. Use salsa within 5 days.

Next on our list of salsas is the Roasted Tomato and Pablano Salsa. This recipe calls for a few more ingredients that may not be on hand normally in your kitchen, and it is slightly more labor intensive to make. But, the end result is definitely worth it! 

Roasted Tomato Pablano Salsa

Ingredients:

2 lbs tomatoes (about 3 large)

1 large pablano chili pepper

1 jalapeno

3/4 cup white onion, diced

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1 1/2 limes

1/2 tsp cane sugar

Sea salt, freshly ground pepper to taste

olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 500* F and lightly coat a large baking sheet with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.

2. Using a paring knife, hull the tomatoes and cut "X's" on the back of the skins. (Only cut enough to pierce the skin) Place the tomatoes flat side down on the baking sheet. Cut the jalapeno and pablano pepper in half and remove the seeds. Place them round side up on the baking sheet with the tomatoes. Finally, lightly coat the diced onions with olive oil and place them in a flat layer on the baking sheet as well. Bake in the 500* oven for about 15 minutes, or until the skin starts to pull away on the tomatoes and a char starts to set in on the other veggies.

3. Remove roasted veggies from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before handling. Slip the skins off each half of the tomatoes and peppers. Dice the skinned tomatoes and peppers. 

4. Add all ingredients to a medium mixing bowl with lime juice, cilantro, and seasonings and gently fold to incorporate. Add any bits on the baling sheet to the mixing bowl as well for added flavor.

5. Cover and refrigerate until chilled about 2 hours. Serve.

Tip: This salsa is incredible mixed in with scrambled eggs and for a salsa topping for nachos!

This next one is made with one of my favorite ingredients, TOMATILLOS! I remember the first time I saw one of these, I was so curious as to what it was. It looked and felt like an unripened, green tomato with a papery skin like an onion. It was strange. To top it off, when you take that papery skin off, it has a sticky feel to it. But, tomatillos are an awesome ingredient to use in salsas because of their mild, yet acidic, offerings.

Fire Roasted Tomatillo and Corn Salsa

Ingredients:

5-6 large tomatillos

2 ears of corn

2 medium heirloom tomatoes

2 jalapeno peppers

1 small bulb of garlic

juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Set the oven to broil.

2. Cut the top end of the bulb of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap loosely in foil and put in the oven on the middle rack.

3. Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and give them a rinse. Cut the stems off the jalapenos.

4. Put the whole uncut veggies under the broiler until they starts to blacken and release their juices. Watch carefully because this will not take long, about 10 minutes.

5. Carefully transfer the veggies, minus the corn, and any juices to the food processor. Check the garlic, when it is browned and soft, it's ready. Squeeze the garlic out of the peel and drop into the processor. Cut the corn kernels off the cob. (hint: turn a small bowl upside down in a larger bowl to create a perch for the corn stalk. Cut the kernels away from the cob and they will gather in the bottom of the larger bowl and reduce any mess).

6. Pulse the machine several times and then run briefly. You're looking for a uniform texture, but not a puree. 

7. Season with lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cilantro, and corn kernels and cover tightly,and refrigerate until chilled through before serving, about 2 hours. Taste before serving to check seasonings as more salt and pepper may be needed.

This recipe was adapted from The View From Great Island

So far we have touched up on savory southwestern salsas, but for the finale we are going to fly across the ocean to the Greek Isles. This is another one of my favorite dips because it, again, has versatile uses. My favorite being as a dressing for a greek salad or for gyro. I usually can't eat this dip without pairing it with a soft pita bread and crumbled feta cheese... or shaved lamb meat, tomatoes, and kalamata olives... Yeah, I usually just make a salad or gyro with this as the dressing!

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:

1 16 oz container greek yogurt

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Wrap grated cucumber in a few layers of paper towels. Squeeze to drain as much liquid from the cucumber as possible. 

2. in a medium mixing bowl, add the yogurt, fresh herbs, garlic, cucumber, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. 

3. Cover and let refrigerate 3-4 hours to let flavors meld together before serving. Excellent with pita bread or use as a dressing for greek salads and gyros.

...................................................................................................................................................................

Thanks for dropping in today and checking out my salsa recipes! If you like these and want more recipes, visit my website @ Brandee's Basics. Enjoy!