Cookbook Challenge #11: Salsa

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, this Cookbook Challenge takes us south of the border with Salsa by Reed Hearon.

An encyclopedia of salsa!

I bought this book nearly twenty years ago, and it has become my go-to book for salsa preparation.  Salsa contains a fantastic glossary featuring different chilies and other common ingredients, descriptions of the techniques used to make the salsas, and divides the chapters by fiery, mild, modern, and even dessert salsa.

Back in the day, it wasn't so easy to find things like guajillo and cascabel chiles (at least it wasn't in frigid Minnesota).  Occasionally I found myself mail ordering for the ingredients to make these recipes!  Thankfully, times have changed, and most ingredients are now easily found at better grocery stores.

Having made nearly everything in the book, I thought I would revisit an old favorite for this challenge.  The recipe I went with was the Chipotle Tomatillo Salsa (recipe found online here).

Tomatillos are a fruit that looks like a green tomato in a paper husk.  They are tart and have a bright, almost citrus flavor.  The recipe also calls for chipotle chilies, the dried, smoked jalapeno.  Chipotles can be found two ways - canned and reconstituted in a spicy adobo sauce, or just plain 'ol dried, as we are using here.

Fabulous dried chipotle chilies from Mariposa Farms

The key to the salsa is that you take a dry skillet and pan-roast the ingredients over medium heat.  This adds a complexity and depth of flavor that would be absent if this step is skipped.

The chipotles get toasted in the skillet for a minute or so, just to wake up the favor, before removing the seeds and soaking in hot water to soften.  Then the tomatillos, thickly sliced onion, and whole, unpeeled cloves of garlic are roasted until blackened, blistered, and slightly soft (the recipe in the link above doesn't mention pan-roasting the onion and garlic, but you should).  Then everything, including the chipotle soaking water, gets tossed in a blender and is processed until you have a slightly textured liquid.

Tangy and smoky

The salsa is tangy, tart, fiery, and smoky, with a really nice roasted flavor because we took the time to pan-roast the tomatillos, onion, and garlic.  Cilantro adds a nice freshness.  This is a pretty hot salsa, but it is oh, so good!  Hearon suggests that this is one of the most versatile salsas in his book.  Delicious with chips, and I've also used this as a condiment for breakfast burritos, tacos, and enchiladas. 
  
A fun book with many delicious recipes that I can personally recommend.  I reference this often, and will continue to do so.  If you like spicy food and can get your hands on a copy, Salsa makes a nice addition to any cookbook library.