Let's Salsa!

One-two-three-four! Everybody hit the floor and let’s salsa!

You can put away your dancing shoes and get out your favorite chopping blade, we won’t be cutting rugs today but we will be cutting up some fresh ingredients to create some great Salsa Mexicana, Pico de Gallo or Salsa Cruda…whatever you choose to call it; you will definitely want to dip into it.

The first step is to make sure your ingredients are as fresh as possible and the tomatoes, while ripe, are still firm without any soft spots.

Most people make their salsa with roma/plum tomatoes but any good firm tomato will work as long as it is fleshy and you remove the seeds and juice.
When I am catering a party or having guests over, I like to jazz up my salsa with a variety of tomatoes. I like to use quartered cherry tomatoes or halved grape tomatoes, or mix in halved yellow pear tomatoes. (WalMart carries all of these including hydroponic and cherry tomatoes on the vine.)

The second step is to make sure your knife is sharp so you do not bruise the tomato when you dice or cut them. If you do not have a knife sharpener, just listen for the sound of a pan flute… that is the “knife sharpener guy” and he will sharpen your knives for a very small price. If all else fails, a thin serrated knife will cut through a tomato skin better than a dull knife, so bust out a steak knife if need be.

Third step, wash/soak all of your ingredients, dry and get ready to salsa!

Basic Salsa Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 or 2 fresh chiles (jalepeño or Serrano) peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste

PREPARATION:
Combine ingredients in a glass or other non-reactive bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Makes about 2 cups.

This recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc. You may want to make extra and divide to make a variety of salsas.

VARIATIONS:
Add any of these to the Basic Salsa Recipe from above:
½ cup seeded and diced cucumber
1 cup black beans and 1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup fresh raspberries with 2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint
1/2 cup diced pineapple
½ cup diced green, red, yellow or orange bell pepper

Any of these salsas are great on totopos (tortilla chips) or you can top a baked potato, or served with fish, chicken or pork. Try them as a marinade (just pulse in a blender or food processor for a few seconds) and save some for the garnish.

Another great option is to spread a glass pie plate with an 8 ounce block of cream cheese, top with your favorite salsa, shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese and bake until bubbling and cheese is slightly browned. You can also add sour cream and black olives on top. Serve with chips.


Fiesta Corn Salsa

INGREDIENTS:
5 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/3 cup chopped purple onion
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped orange bell pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño or Serrano pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Makes about 4 1/2 cups of salsa.

Serve in margarita “fish bowl” glasses or Martini glasses


Mango Madness

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup diced fresh mango
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, drained & diced (you can buy these all over in either a can or a jar)
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients and chill in a glass bowl. Goes great with fish or chicken.
Makes 1 1/2 cups of mango salsa.


Tropical Down Under Salsa



3 kiwis, peeled and diced
1 mango, peeled and diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped fine
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced

Add the diced fruit and jalapeño to a mixing bowl. Add lime juice and toss with cilantro. Allow to chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes for flavors to blend.


Peachy Keen Salsa

2 ripe peaches, diced
1 small red pepper; chopped
1/2 red onion; chopped
1 small jalapeño pepper; minced
1/3 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint

Add the diced fruit, pepper, onion and jalapeño to a mixing bowl. Add pineapple juice and balsamic vinegar and toss with the mint. Allow to chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes for flavors to blend.



Buen provecho!

Mexican Key Lime Pie

If you have ever been to Florida chances are you have had at least one slice of Key Lime Pie.

What you may not know is the that little limes found all over Vallarta (and for dirt cheap) are of the same variety of Key Limes from Florida. Do not mistake the Key Limes for the Persian (Seedless limes) as they are not nearly as juicy or flavorful. You have to use the little ones for this recipe for it to have that limey-refreshing tang.

This recipe is super easy and will make you look like a super star in the kitchen. So easy that even someone who burns water can whip up this pie in no time.

Besides the key limes, get yourself a lime juicer, usually under 20 pesos and a must have great gadget. Most grocery stores carry them and Rizo's has them on the second floor in the kitchenware area.



Next tip: To get more juice out of your limes simply wash them well with soap and water and then pop them in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds on high. You will need about 20-25 limes for the pie.

Pie Shell
Simply purchase a pre-made graham cracker pie crust in the metal pan.
Most stores in Vallarta carry them.

i n g r e d i e n t s ( for the pie)
4 large or extra large egg yolks*
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh key lime juice (approximately 12 Key limes)
2 teaspoons grated lime peel, green portion only
Whipping cream for garnish (optional)

d i r e c t i o n s (pie)
Use an electric mixer and beat the egg yolks until they are thick and turn to a light yellow, don't over mix. Turn the mixer off and add the sweetened condensed milk. Turn speed to low and mix in half of the lime juice. Once the juice is incorporated add the other half of the juice and the zest, continue to mix until blended (just a few seconds). Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake at 350F for 12 minutes to set the yolks and kill any salmonella in the eggs.

I also like to grate the zest from one lime on top of the pie filling just before placing it in the oven.

s e r v i n g
If you are using the whipping cream garnish, prepare the cream. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Servings: 8


Be sure to keep the egg whites, if you like meringue you can whip the eggs into a meringue and make it a Key Lime Meringue pie. Or, simply keep the whites and whip up an egg white omelet later.

Enjoy!

Cookin' in the kitchen

Living and eating in Vallarta means you have to adapt if you want to stay sane.

Rule #1:
Not every grocery store will carry everything you need.
Rule #2:
The store that carried an item you love will probably not have it the next time you go there.
Rule #3:
If you see something you never see or rarely see in the store, buy it! as it will probably never be in stock again.
Rule #4:
When you can no longer find yellow lemons at the market, make limeade!

I love to cook.
I always have but I really enjoy cooking even more since I moved to Puerto Vallarta and I have a boyfriend to cook for.
My mom always told me the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and if he likes what he has eaten he will be like a cat and always stick around the place where he is well fed.
I guess Mom was right.
I cooked a dinner for Carlos when we first started dating and over three years later we are still going strong. Granted, he is a few kilos heavier but he now goes to the gym to work off my dinners and desserts.
I have to admit, I am a meanie. Carlos goes to the gym and I whip up his favorite dessert to greet him when he returns. The next day he is off to the gym and I am planning the next temptation. He complains but he doesn't really mean it as in the end, he wants his cake and to eat it too.

I am not a gourmet cook by any means. I am a real cook with a knack for creativity and being able to make something delish out of whatever I can get my hands on. I tend to cook without recipes and I pretty much eyeball everything unless I am baking which by chemical reaction tends to require precise measurements. Even then, I tend to adapt the recipe to my tastes or my diet. Since I am diabetic, I often try to cut the sugars and carbs in desserts and breads to make them better and I have had some great successes. On the other hand, when I am making desserts for others, I tend to go all out and a simple chocolate cake ends up a triple chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and homemade hot fudge sauce. Hey, if I have to be diabetic maybe I can convert some others to join me! ;)