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.

Chiles Rellenos. Part 6 Of 6. Part Deux.

This is just another variation on the batter. With better pictures. I've eaten Chiles Rellenos in Tennessee, California, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Mississippi. Every one was different and doggone good. The stuffings varied from place to place. Some had diced squash and zucchini. Some had diced potatoes. Some rice. Some meat. The one chile relleno I had in Danville, Va., at a Mexican restaurant, was not good. I think it was filled with canned refried beans. I also had one at the beach here, which was less than stellar. The filling was just cheese. They were both soggy and oily. No light and crispy fried batter. So, upon returning home, I'm making a boat load of chiles rellenos.

I stuffed the peppers with my Magical Mixture and X'd 'em out with toothpicks. I was much more restrained with the tp's this time.

To prepare for battering, mix flour, salt and pepper, and cumin.

Then whup egg whites until soft peaks form. Soft peaks mean when you pull out the beaters, the tips bend over a bit.

Add in egg yolk. Mr. Hawthorne and I were watching the Food Network or Cooking Channel the other day. A Hispanic Chica was on and she was good. Can't remember her name but I liked her. She was making chiles rellenos, the way her mother did, and she added an egg yolk to the soft-beaten whites, "for color and flavor." I couldn't discern whether or not the yolk added anything. ETA: Just found the Chica: Marcella on Mexican Made Easy. And here are her Chiles Rellenos.

Roll your stuffed chiles in the flour mixture first then drop in egg batter.

Then, into the hot oil. Maybe two minutes each side.

Drain on paper towels.

Serve with avocado cream sauce on top right, the complex salsa roja as the handsome bed on the bottom and Mr. Hawthorne's warm salsa on top left.

I love this.

This is my new favorite food. I want to marry it.

Chile Relleno. Step 1 of ? Rosie Makes A Really Intense Salsa Roja For Her Chiles Rellenos.

Heads up, folks.

This salsa roja is da bomb.
 I'm making it for my chiles rellenos.
 It's intense.
It's complex.
It's complicated.
Deep, deep flavors.
It's wonderful.

Chile guajillo.
 Chile chipotle.
 Chile ancho.
 Oregano.
Whole coriander seeds.
Whole cumin seeds.

I picked out 2 of the guajillos, 1 chipotle, and 4 of the anchos.

Stem and seed the dried chiles.

Tear the chiles into pieces and toast them
 in a large dry skillet over medium heat
until they change color a bit, about 2 minutes.

Add in oregano.

Cumin.

And coriander.

Continue to toast for 2-3 minutes until your kitchen is quite fragrant.

Add in about 1 cup water to cover the chiles.
 Turn heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.
 Cool.

Into the blender and puree.

And you get this nice thick lovely salsa.

I sliced a few tomatoes, chopped an onion,
 garlic cloves, and cilantro.
 Drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Broil until everything is nicely charred.

And add to salsa mixture in blender.

Process.

This is a thick, concentrated,
layered, exquisitely intense sauce.
It's almost like chocolate.
 And it's a wonderful accompaniment
 to a lovely chile relleno.
 Once again, trust Rosie on this.
 Make this sauce.
 Use it with burritos, enchiladas, tacos or as a dip for tortilla chips.
 You'll be glad you did.
And a little bit goes a long way.
 It is decadent.