Salsa Three Ways

by amvandenhurk | Dinner, Meatless Mondays, Plant-Based Eating, Sides, Vegan, Vegetarian

Three salsas to make with everyone happy

I cannot leave well enough alone. My tomato salsa is just plain addictive. It is. Really. Just ask anyone who has had it. Some will drink the leftover juices it is so good.

Recently I had a dinner party where it was Taco Tuesday on a Saturday night. Served was pork carnitas, chicken, and shrimp as fillings for the tacos. I decided I needed to expand my salsa offerings since I have only ever done a simple tomato salsa. Settled on making tomatillo red-chile salsa and green-chile tomatillo salsa (salsa verde). There was some fretting on my part regarding these salsas. While I have eaten them, I never actually thought I would ever make them having never used tomatillos nor New Mexican chiles before. Essentially I was making what my friends in Albuquerque would call “Christmas” having both green and red sauces.

My fretting was not needed. Making these salsas is fairly straight forward. Once I got over the ingredients such as the tomatillos and New Mexican chiles, which all were found in my local Food Lion with ease, I made both in 15-20 minutes.

Salsa Three Ways Recipes

Addictive Salsa Recipe

Ingredients

• 4-6 plum tomatoes, diced small
• 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped small
• 1 Jalapeño pepper, chopped small
• 1/2 white onion, chopped small
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Preparation

• Combine all ingredients. Serve at room temperature.

Green-Chile Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde)

Ingredients

• ½ pound tomatillos, husks removed
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 jalapeño
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• Kosher salt to taste

Directions

• Simmer tomatillos, tomato, jalapeño, and 2 cups water in a medium sauce pot until tomatillos have turned olive green and are almost bursting, 8–10 minutes.
• Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a food processor or blender with cilantro, lime juice, oregano, and cumin. Process until smooth, then season with salt.
• Cool completely and serve chilled.

Tomatillo Red-Chile Salsa

Ingredients

• 3 New Mexican chiles, stems removed
• 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon Tabasco hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• Kosher salt to taste

Preparation

• Using scissors, snip the dried chiles into 1-inch rings over a medium pot (to catch the seeds).
• Add tomatillos and 2 cups water and simmer ‘until tender and softened about 8–10 minutes.
• Remove chiles and tomatillos with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl of a food processor or blender and add garlic, lime juice, Tabasco, and cumin.
• Puree until smooth, adding a little of the tomatillo cooking liquid as needed to get a smooth salsa, then season with salt.