Will you Salsa with me?

The real treasure of Mexican cuisine lays without a doubt in the glory of a good salsa. You see a salsa can in many cases make or break the whole experience of a given dish. It can be mild, spicy, complex, raw, cooked, you name it. It can lighten up your day, really. If you buy the ready-made so called “Mexican Salsas” that come in a bottle or a carton box in your neighborhood supermarket you obviously do not know what I am talking about, but I dare you to find out. I did and it literary changed the way I look at this “condiment”.

Per recommendation of someone who certainly knows the world of the salsa, I have recently purchased a book with 100 Mexican salsa recipes, and I took on the challenge to try each and every one of them. The best way not to miss any is to go one by one from A to Z. So let’s get straight to the point and attack Guacamole Taquero.

 

Ingredients:

4 green tomatoes
1/2 garlic clove
2 avocados
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped majoran
2 serrano chilis
2 habanero chilis
1/2 chopped onion
Olive oil
Salt

The original recipe from the book is slightly different. These are my interpretations and it will apply to the rest of the salsas that I will present. I made two versions: raw and burned.

Preparation:

RAW: Put all ingredients into the mixer and mix till the consistency is smooth.

BURNED: Bring water to boil in a small pot and boil the tomatoes for about 5 minutes till the color becomes slightly darker green. On a flat pan, burn the chilis, garlic and onion till blackened on the sides (without oil). Add all ingredients into the mixer and mix till the consistency is smooth.

Review:

The raw version was slightly too strong. The acidic touch of the onion, raw garlic, and sticky tomatoes was a bit aggressive on the tongue when savored by itself. It could be a good option for a strong flavored meet such as game.

The burned version, my preference, was much smoother and softer on the palate. This one you can combine with virtually any dish, even fish.