Monday, July 11, 2011

Mr. Hawthorne Makes Salsa Verde And Rosie Makes A Traditional Salsa.

Mr. Hawthorne and I both love Mexican cuisine and we do our best to recreate it at home. Today, Mr. Hawthorne is making a salsa verde with his home-grown tomatillos. We just started experimenting with tomatillos since our trip out west last fall. And we like tomatillos. Although they look like green tomatoes, they're not. Tomatillos are a member of the gooseberry family. I can't say that I've ever tried a gooseberry and that would be because I've never seen one. If you ever want a fresh green tart element to add to a dish, try the tomatillo. We bought tomatillos last January and saved the seeds. After drying the seeds, Mr. Hawthorne planted them in those clear plastic egg cartons we get at the Teeter which hold 2 1/2 dozen eggs. Best egg deal on the beach, usually. The cartons serve as mini-greenhouses.
Mr. Hawthorne peeled the tomatilloes ...
... and added 3 garlic cloves to the pan.
Pour water halfway up the tomatillas, and bring to boil. Boil until soft, about 10 minutes.
Half an onion.
Chop the onion.
Add tomatillos and the garlic to a processor ...
... and process.
Heat a little oil in a skillet and ...
... saute the onion.
Add the tomatillo puree to the skillet.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes. And there you have a Salsa Verde.
Next, Rosie is making a Salsa Roja.
4 tomatoes 1 scallion 1/2 onion 1 jalapeno
Peel and slice the tomatoes in half. Stick your fingers in the pockets and squeeze with the other hand to release the jell-sacs and seeds.
Nice and clean tomatoes.
Chop the tomatoes.
Mince the jalapeno.
Finely chop the onion.
Add freshly ground salt and pepper to taste.
A tablespoon of sugar.
A tablespoon of cider vinegar.
Minced scallion. Mix all together. Piquant Salsa Verde. Colorful Salsa Roja.

3 comments:

Dogmama13 said...

Yum! You guys inspire me. I need to try to make my own salsa. What brand is your processor? I saw one a while back and regret I did not buy it because now I cannot find it and cannot remember the brand. TIA, Barbara (aka Dogmama13)

Rosie Hawthorne said...

Dogmama, it's a Blue Ninja.

http://www.amazon.com/Euro-Pro-Ninja-Master-Blender-Processor/dp/B002JM2V9K

You can get it at Walmart. I really like it. If you check on the link and notice the picture, it has a double blade, so it blends better than a single blade processor.

Dogmama13 said...

Miss Rosie, that's it, I knew it had a catchy name! Thank you and my sister will thank you. Barbara