Salsas

There are many types of salsa (sauce) that are served with many dishes. I personally put salsa on just about everything I eat. I mean when you have a choice between ketchup and salsa there is no question. I will be adding to this section from time to time as I make stuff.

Table Salsa (the stuff you serve with chips, burros, tacos, whatever...)

Tomatoes: First you will need some good tomatoes, I've got some Cherokee Purples from the garden (if nothing looks that good in the veg. section, sometimes the ones in the can are better than what you find on the shelf).

Green chiles (usually mild, in Norway you find these in the immigrant shop in plastic bags, light green in bunches of 15-20), here I'm using Big Jim Heritage from my greenhouse.















Hot green chiles (here Espanola Improved), you can use Jalapenos or the hot green chiles from the immigrant shop (thin about 10cm long and dark green).

I get my seeds from the Chile Pepper Institute in New Mexico: http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/cart/seeds/nmsu_varieties/

Garlic cloves

Onion

Lime Juice

Coriander/Cilantro

Mexican Oregano (optional)

Salt and Pepper

On a grill (the best way), under the broiler or in a hot pan with oil, sear or roast, the tomatoes (medium/large) (unless they're from a can), chiles (4 large mild and some number of hot peppers to taste), half a small onion and garlic (3-4 cloves). Blacken the skin of the tomatoes and chiles, the onion should be charred and just hot through, the garlic should be roasted until soft. Peel the chiles under cold water, peel the tomatoes, pop the garlic out of the skin. Chop everything or you can blend it; add lime juice, cilantro/coriander leaves, Mexican Oregano, salt, pepper to taste.

the Chile Pepper (Yuma's most famous Mexican Fast Food) 

the Salsa

This one is almost too easy and too good. If you're from Yuma you can get your fix whenever you want, but for those of us who live elsewhere, it is like being addicted to crack and only getting a fix when we get back to town. Luckily the salsa is easy to replicate, given you can find Mexican Oregano. So here goes; into a blender or use a hand blender:

• One can of tomatoes (chopped, crushed or whole it doesn't matter)
• One can of water (you can choose to make it thicker by adding less water)
• One clove of garlic
• 1/4 of a yellow onion
• 6-12 arbol chiles (depending on how hot you want it) you can also use crushed red pepper or dried hot Chinese peppers 

Ok blend this until somewhat smooth... now add:

• salt and pepper to taste
• and whole Mexican Oregano 
• let sit for 10 minutes 

That's it! Enjoy! 

Habanero Hot Sauce

*During this process expect coughing, running noses, etc... kind of like a lighter version of getting pepper sprayed!* 

         Reckon that sometime you need something that has a little more bite than usual. This one is so good that even people who don't like spicy food start out with a drop and keep going back for more!


       First in a hot pan (make sure the fan is on, I've cleared out parties before) add a spoonful of cooking oil then five Habaneros (you can get these at Meny, ICA or any of the immigrant shops) and four cloves of garlic; fry these until black and brown then add dry red chiles (pictured below are arbols but there are some similar Chinese hot peppers you can pick up in the immigrant shops), mustard seed- one large spoonful, small spoonful of black pepper corns until the mustard seeds begin to pop. Scrape all this into a blender, add enough water to cover with five or six large spoonfuls of white wine vinegar and salt and Mexican Oregano (if you have it) to taste. Blend this, then add paprika (the powder) enough to thicken the sauce.

Voila! Put on everything: eggs, pizza, tacos... etc.!