Eat Well, Be Well, Have Fun

“I am my own muse, the subject I know best” – Frida Kahlo

We were fortunate enough to spend an entire month in Mexico this year.  My travels to Mexico span over 30 years, and I absolutely love the climate, the people, the culture and of course… the food!  Mexican food, or at least the flavors and ingredients, are one of the anchors of my culinary style and tastes.  Mexico is a muse for me and the way I cook.

We were on Playa Blanca, which is south of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, on the west coast fairly far south.  Gorgeous perfect weather for Minnesota snowbirds.  Being on the west coast, seafood and fish play a large role in food specialties along with the staples of local carnitas, roasted chicken, and the occasional BBQ goat.  Fresh handmade, stone ground corn tortillas could be the death of me if I lived there.

My take on a lot of the Mexican fare that we had is that its all about the sauces, flavors, and combinations of fresh ingredients along with a particular fish/meat protein.  I guess there’s no mystery there. But a flavor punch or salsa/sauce makes ALL the difference.

As an example, one of my favorite dishes I had all month was a Pasta Alfredo con Mariscos.  Basically seafood Alfredo pasta, right?  This was the perfect delicate light garlicky creamy Alfredo sauce, and an incredibly fresh mix of octopus, mahi mahi, shrimp, and small scallops with fettucine.  Being who I am, of course, I tasted the dish and adored it but immediately asked myself what it would be like with …. say, two  tablespoons of their house-made roasted tomato and roasted garlic salsa?  I lightly stirred in two spoons of their salsa and it was one of the top three dishes I had all month!  A bit of spice, a flair of smokey chipotle, and the creamy white sauce was transformed.  According to Tim. Of course.

This really got me thinking about the flavor profile of their salsa de casa, or house salsa and how it was made. How to make a super fresh, yet roasted salsa.  We had an absolutely fabulous Chicken Mole the day before in the small village of Barra de Potosi five miles south of our place. Their salsa de casa was a spicy tangy tart and roasted green salsa verde.  Even though I was on vacation, I was being called to the tiny kitchen in our rental to make my own salsa de casa!

Which leads me to one of my very favorite flavor profiles … roasted salsa verde, or green salsa. It’s so simple, so delicious, and easily made more mild or more spicy.  A fresh roasted salsa verde can be used as a taco salsa, ladled over scrambled eggs for huevos rancheros, or easily used as a  simmering sauce for roast pork or even poaching a slab of fish! Super versatile.

All of the following ingredients can be scaled up to make more salsa.  Add or subtract peppers to your liking for more or less heat.  A good rule of thumb and an easy place to start for your first Salsa Verde:

– 6 fresh tomatillos, quartered, washed and husks removed. (maybe hard to find in some of our small towns but essential to have)

– 2 serrano peppers, halved lengthwise and deseeded

– 2 jalapeno peppers, quartered lengthwise and deseeded

– 6 medium cloves of fresh garlic

– 1 ¼” slab of any color medium onion

– Juice from ½ fresh lime

– Chopped cilantro, maybe 2 Tbsp.

– Salt and pepper to taste

Basically everything (other than lime and cilantro) is going to get lightly charred and roasted and then put in a blender so it can be pan roasted or broiled. Either way, save the liquids that are released for flavor.  I have done both and maybe find broiling a little easier.  In a shallow foil pan, lay everything out evenly and broil on medium to medium/high, trying to get some char going on all surfaces. Flip or rotate to brown up all sides. Don’t be afraid to roast heavily. The char adds good roasted flavor.  You just don’t want to “burn” everything!

As parts get charred up nicely, take off the broiler and add to blender. Some may take longer than others. Once it is all done, puree in blender together with cilantro, lime, and salt and pepper and BAM you are ready to win friends and influence people!!

Use as a dip, a salsa on tacos, a sauce on eggs, warmed up over grilled chicken, a base for a pot of green chili, or pour over broiled or grilled fish.  It will soon be one of your favorite cooking accessories!