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Spencer, Mate,
if you knew as much about physics as you do about salsa you would be aware that like magnetic poles repel each other, the fact that the North pole of a compass is attracted to your end of the planet may give you a hint where this is going. While I can still obtain and barbecue tiger prawns (shrimp to you) the size of a small crayfish and get Pacific oysters as big as a small steak I'll just have to suffer along in my end of the globe. Being surrounded by sea has the occasional advantage, and while I may miss out on dining with an irascible hippy with similarly iconoclastic ideas about French cuisine, I do my very best to compensate! Like Oscar Wilde said "the best revenge is to live well!"
Cheers mate
Ross

Funny that you should mention that. Particle physics and Quantum mechanics are a hobby of mine -especially as they relate to the reversal of time in a sub-atomic environment.
Spencer

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Spencer,
HELP... I LOST MY THE FILES ON MY COMPUTER OF THE OLD NEWSLETTERS AND YOUR LINK TO ARCHIVE IS DOWN. CAN YOU LET ME KNOW WHEN IT'S UP AGAIN SO I CAN DOWNLOAD THEM? TEACH ME NOT TO PRINT, HUH? BY THE WAY, I'M STILL ADDICTED TO THE COCONUT MANGO SHRIMP. I'VE FOUND IF I PUREE THE MANGO IN THE BLENDER I GET MORE RELIABLE RESULTS. (LUMPS AREN'T ANY BETTER IN SALSA THAN IN GRAVY) I'VE ALSO STARTED ADDING POBLANO'S ALONG WITH THE HOT PEPPERS. IT'S LIKE YOU SAID, COOKING SHOULD BE FUN, WHY NOT?
RINDIEE

Rindiee,
You got the right idea. Here's something for you to try with 'lumpy' mango. Chop an onion (not too fine) - and a couple or more hot chiles (pretty fine). Start them sauteing slowly in some butter - a lot of butter. Use a low heat because you want to cook them 'til they're real done but you don't want them brown. Add a bunch of chopped mango (fresh if you got it, but canned will do), some garlic and a handful of raisins. Give it a taste. It should be sweet and hot. If it tastes sweet enough add a whole bunch of lemon or lime juice to make it sour and then add some sugar to bring it back to the sweetness it was before. Now even though it's the same sweetness as before - the addition of the lemon/lime adds something really nice. Add some water or orange juice to make it pretty soupy then keep it simmering slowly for about an hour or so. You want to reduce the mix 'til it's something like the texture of thick catsup. If it starts to get to dry - add some more liquid. If it's still too soupy turn up the heat and cook it a while longer. When you're finished you should have some real tasty mango chutney. Goes great on a bunch of stuff, especially burgers and BBQed chicken and ribs.
Spencer

_______

Hi there,
Guess it's only fitting, since you already have the best breakfast stop in all of Cabo. I can't comment on Felix's ..... haven't done that yet .... but promise to next time down. So, do you have a recipe for Tortilla Chips to pass on?
Thanks,
Rod

Thank you, Rod. I took the liberty of adding your name to our salsa Newsletter.....and yes, I can tell you how to make tortilla chips. There is no recipe - making tortilla chips is just cutting a stack of tortillas into pizza shaped wedges and deep frying them at about 350 degrees. There are a couple of things you can do to make them especially good though. 1. Don't use any expensive strong tasting oil - corn or canola oil will work just fine. 2. Don't use real fresh tortillas - something to do with the water content - I think. So cut the tortillas separate them and leave them out for a couple of hours or more to get a little stale before frying. 3. Salt the chips heavily as soon as they are done - while still a little oily. 4. It's real easy to think they are done before they actually are and wind up with chewy rather than crispy chips - so pull out one chip and test it for crunchiness before you pull them all out. Hardly anybody knows that flour tortillas make incredible chips - really good, almost pastry like. They break easier than the corn, 'bout like potato chips - that's why we don't use them at the restaurant. Well, that and the fact that they cost a whole lot more than the corn, but they're my favorite. Be sure to check out the recipe section of the Felix' web site for lots and lots of great salsa recipes.
Spencer

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Hi Spencer!
Just got home last night and in cruising your web site, not finding our favorite salsa...the smoky jalapeno...tho did find many others that were just as delightful! We spent a lot of time at your restaurants and enjoyed our meals immensely. Looking forward to next year and Felix and Mama's. Can you feature our favorite salsa soon, please??
John and Pat

John and Pat,
Blame me, I can never remember what I call all these salsas. At the Restaurant we sometimes call the salsa "Smoky Jalapeno" sometimes "Salsa Asada." You can find it in the 'recipe section of the Felix' web site (www.felixcabosanlucas.com) listed as "Salsa Muy Asada Roja." Sorry about the confusion - guess I need an editor or something.
Spencer

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Spencer,
Regarding my reply..the smoky jalapeno salsa recipe that I wanted is made with some cream....possibly cream cheese or sour cream with fresh or roasted jalapenos??? I can't seem to find it anywhere. By the way...this is Rencruiser..we were down there for 2 weeks and just got home Friday PM. Missing CSL already, but have to work so we can return next year! Adios...till we hear from you!
Pat and John

Pat and John,
Oh, that 'smoky jalapeno' salsa. That one's made with the Charred Tomatillo and Jalapeno Salsa that's featured a little further on in this issue.

_______

Spencer Hi,
I just went to your site and wanted to compliment you on all of the great recipes that are posted there. I really want to use one of your salsa recipes, but I have a small problem. I absolutely hate the taste of onions, but I love salsa. Can you tell me if you have any onion-free salsa recipes or if you know of any onion substitutes that I could use in a recipe? Thanks very much for taking the time to reply.
Vanessa F.

Hey, Vanessa,
I really don't think there is any substitute for onions..... but it really doesn't matter very much. None of these recipes is carved in granite and lots of them will be just great with NO onions. For starters make some Salsa Mexicana - the most popular of all Mexican Salsas. Just chopped tomato, cilantro, garlic, some lime juice - as many Jalapeno or serrano chiles that feel comfortable with and a little salt. Bingo! You got salsa. You could probably leave the onions out of any of the recipes on the web site without doing much damage. The Pineapple salsa is great and doesn't really need any onion. Same for the Mango and the Roast Corn. Go ahead and give it a try and let me know how it turns out.
Spencer


	Salsa Newsletter for February, 2002 Issue 10 Today's Salsas Charred Jalapeno & Tomatillo Salsa Smoky Jalapeno Salsa I know you guys are thinking "Hey, he's finally getting his act together - here it is only March and he's already got the February Issue done." If I keep at it you can expect me to be completely caught up way before the new millennium. This issue I'm gonna give you a couple more Green Salsas and then maybe in the March Newsletter (expected out sometime in April) we can finally get to some real recipes. For those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Spencer Moore and I'm the chef owner of a couple of restaurants in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Mama's Royal Cafe is an upscale breakfast restaurant thought by many, myself included, to be the best breakfast place in the whole country. My other restaurant is Felix' - a dinner place specializing in original recipes and regional specialties not often found in restaurants. We also claim to have the world's largest salsa bar, with between 25 and 40 salsas on any given day. You can check out the menus at the web sites (www.mamascabosanlucas.com and www.felixcabosanlucas.com). I made my TV debut on the food network this last Monday (Feb. 25th as I'm writing) on Keith Famie's Adventures. If you missed it keep on the lookout for the reruns because I was really good. "Compelling"-"Exciting"-"Innovative" are just a few of the words I'm hearing from the fan mail. I'm thinkin' EMMY. As a matter of fact Keith (the host) referred to me as the 'SALSA KING', so you will henceforth address me in any email as 'Your Highness'. I am currently accepting applications for Court Jesters and Hand Maidens. I'm getting a little tired of picking on the 'Celebrity Chef's', after all they're just trying to make a buck, but what the heck, it's become a tradition. Any of you who watch the cooking shows have undoubtedly noticed that every single one of these self-proclaimed 'gurus' have a bowl of kosher salt at hand. Without fail, as they add the salt they say the exact same thing....."and I always use kosher salt." I don't want to bust anyone's bubble but I got some news for these jerks - salt is salt. I remember in the 70's they were all using sea salt and if you didn't use sea salt - you just weren't hip. If any one wanted to go to the trouble of cooking up three different versions of something - one with 'kosher', one with 'sea' and one with regular old table salt, they would find them identical in taste. As I said "salt is salt." And what's the deal with the open bowl of salt? I wanted to be real hip so I tried it. Within minutes my open bowl of salt had all sorts of stuff in it - some tarragon, a raisin or two, some dog hair, some bread crumbs and lots of unidentifiable black specks. I don't know, maybe I'm just not as neat as them, so I'm stickin' with my big old salt shaker and my container of plain old table salt with the 'pour spout'. So if the salt all tastes the same and the open bowl doesn't make any sense - why the hell do they insist on 'kosher' salt and the open bowl?? I'll tell you why! Because if they can make the process of cooking mysterious enough and complicated enough it validates their sorry existence. Pay the no mind! "Cooking is easy and cooking is fun, if it was difficult or took any brains at all - the human race would have died out a long time ago.......... .and I would have chosen a different field of endeavor" More on celebrity chefs next issue. In the meantime lets see what you all have to say



Return to top Spencer, Mate, if you knew as much about physics as you do about salsa you would be aware that like magnetic poles repel each other, the fact that the North pole of a compass is attracted to your end of the planet may give you a hint where this is going. While I can still obtain and barbecue tiger prawns (shrimp to you) the size of a small crayfish and get Pacific oysters as big as a small steak I'll just have to suffer along in my end of the globe. Being surrounded by sea has the occasional advantage, and while I may miss out on dining with an irascible hippy with similarly iconoclastic ideas about French cuisine, I do my very best to compensate! Like Oscar Wilde said "the best revenge is to live well!" Cheers mate Ross Funny that you should mention that. Particle physics and Quantum mechanics are a hobby of mine -especially as they relate to the reversal of time in a sub-atomic environment. Spencer _______ Spencer, HELP... I LOST MY THE FILES ON MY COMPUTER OF THE OLD NEWSLETTERS AND YOUR LINK TO ARCHIVE IS DOWN. CAN YOU LET ME KNOW WHEN IT'S UP AGAIN SO I CAN DOWNLOAD THEM? TEACH ME NOT TO PRINT, HUH? BY THE WAY, I'M STILL ADDICTED TO THE COCONUT MANGO SHRIMP. I'VE FOUND IF I PUREE THE MANGO IN THE BLENDER I GET MORE RELIABLE RESULTS. (LUMPS AREN'T ANY BETTER IN SALSA THAN IN GRAVY) I'VE ALSO STARTED ADDING POBLANO'S ALONG WITH THE HOT PEPPERS. IT'S LIKE YOU SAID, COOKING SHOULD BE FUN, WHY NOT? RINDIEE Rindiee, You got the right idea. Here's something for you to try with 'lumpy' mango. Chop an onion (not too fine) - and a couple or more hot chiles (pretty fine). Start them sauteing slowly in some butter - a lot of butter. Use a low heat because you want to cook them 'til they're real done but you don't want them brown. Add a bunch of chopped mango (fresh if you got it, but canned will do), some garlic and a handful of raisins. Give it a taste. It should be sweet and hot. If it tastes sweet enough add a whole bunch of lemon or lime juice to make it sour and then add some sugar to bring it back to the sweetness it was before. Now even though it's the same sweetness as before - the addition of the lemon/lime adds something really nice. Add some water or orange juice to make it pretty soupy then keep it simmering slowly for about an hour or so. You want to reduce the mix 'til it's something like the texture of thick catsup. If it starts to get to dry - add some more liquid. If it's still too soupy turn up the heat and cook it a while longer. When you're finished you should have some real tasty mango chutney. Goes great on a bunch of stuff, especially burgers and BBQed chicken and ribs. Spencer _______ Hi there, Guess it's only fitting, since you already have the best breakfast stop in all of Cabo. I can't comment on Felix's ..... haven't done that yet .... but promise to next time down. So, do you have a recipe for Tortilla Chips to pass on? Thanks, Rod Thank you, Rod. I took the liberty of adding your name to our salsa Newsletter.....and yes, I can tell you how to make tortilla chips. There is no recipe - making tortilla chips is just cutting a stack of tortillas into pizza shaped wedges and deep frying them at about 350 degrees. There are a couple of things you can do to make them especially good though. 1. Don't use any expensive strong tasting oil - corn or canola oil will work just fine. 2. Don't use real fresh tortillas - something to do with the water content - I think. So cut the tortillas separate them and leave them out for a couple of hours or more to get a little stale before frying. 3. Salt the chips heavily as soon as they are done - while still a little oily. 4. It's real easy to think they are done before they actually are and wind up with chewy rather than crispy chips - so pull out one chip and test it for crunchiness before you pull them all out. Hardly anybody knows that flour tortillas make incredible chips - really good, almost pastry like. They break easier than the corn, 'bout like potato chips - that's why we don't use them at the restaurant. Well, that and the fact that they cost a whole lot more than the corn, but they're my favorite. Be sure to check out the recipe section of the Felix' web site for lots and lots of great salsa recipes. Spencer _______ Hi Spencer! Just got home last night and in cruising your web site, not finding our favorite salsa...the smoky jalapeno...tho did find many others that were just as delightful! We spent a lot of time at your restaurants and enjoyed our meals immensely. Looking forward to next year and Felix and Mama's. Can you feature our favorite salsa soon, please?? John and Pat John and Pat, Blame me, I can never remember what I call all these salsas. At the Restaurant we sometimes call the salsa "Smoky Jalapeno" sometimes "Salsa Asada." You can find it in the 'recipe section of the Felix' web site (www.felixcabosanlucas.com) listed as "Salsa Muy Asada Roja." Sorry about the confusion - guess I need an editor or something. Spencer _______ Spencer, Regarding my reply..the smoky jalapeno salsa recipe that I wanted is made with some cream....possibly cream cheese or sour cream with fresh or roasted jalapenos??? I can't seem to find it anywhere. By the way...this is Rencruiser..we were down there for 2 weeks and just got home Friday PM. Missing CSL already, but have to work so we can return next year! Adios...till we hear from you! Pat and John Pat and John, Oh, that 'smoky jalapeno' salsa. That one's made with the Charred Tomatillo and Jalapeno Salsa that's featured a little further on in this issue. _______ Spencer Hi, I just went to your site and wanted to compliment you on all of the great recipes that are posted there. I really want to use one of your salsa recipes, but I have a small problem. I absolutely hate the taste of onions, but I love salsa. Can you tell me if you have any onion-free salsa recipes or if you know of any onion substitutes that I could use in a recipe? Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. Vanessa F. Hey, Vanessa, I really don't think there is any substitute for onions..... but it really doesn't matter very much. None of these recipes is carved in granite and lots of them will be just great with NO onions. For starters make some Salsa Mexicana - the most popular of all Mexican Salsas. Just chopped tomato, cilantro, garlic, some lime juice - as many Jalapeno or serrano chiles that feel comfortable with and a little salt. Bingo! You got salsa. You could probably leave the onions out of any of the recipes on the web site without doing much damage. The Pineapple salsa is great and doesn't really need any onion. Same for the Mango and the Roast Corn. Go ahead and give it a try and let me know how it turns out. Spencer
*Return to Top* This is a pretty common salsa in homes all over Mexico, but you don't often see it in tourist oriented restaurants. We always have it available at Felix' and even use it in a couple of our menu items. It's a great salsa for summertime grilling 'cause it goes really well with grilled Chicken or Carnitas (see the Carnitas recipe on the Felix' web site - click on recipes then on Carnitas). It also makes a great dip for chips and we use it as the base for our Smoky Jalapeno Salsa. Okay, here we go. 12 or so tomatillos rinsed with the husks removed. If you pay any attention at all to the food gurus you will become hopelessly confused. Some will tell you to use only the most yellow of the Tomatillos others say use only the greenest. It really doesn't make much difference - if any. I use the darkest, greenest ones I can find because I think it gives a more lemony taste to the salsa. However, when I can't find the dark green ones I use the yellow ones and to be honest I can't taste the difference. Either way you're gonna have a great salsa. 1 onion peeled and quartered. 2 cloves of garlic or 1 or 17 or none - it don't matter. Hell, you know how much Garlic you like. fresh jalapeno chiles rinsed with the stems removed. How many chiles is a matter for you to decide. The jalapeno chiles we've been seeing in the markets just aren't very hot - although every once in a while you get a real surprise - so I'd suggest you use at least 4, more if you want it real spicy. cilantro chopped You may have noticed that this is the exact same ingredient list that I used for the 'Salsa Verde' in the last Newsletter. If not - pay better attention. Anyway this salsa, even though the ingredients are the same, tastes and looks a whole lot different. Now we're gonna do some of what the Yuppie Food Experts refer to as 'pan roasting' - I call it 'burning'. This is so popular here in Mexico that we actually have a tool for the purpose. It's a flat pan with a slotted rack that sits over a gas burner, but I've never seen them for sale in the States and I don't even know what you call it. So the best thing for you to use is a cast iron frying pan or griddle. Don't use your good Teflon, and your stainless-steel - if you use it - won't be stainless anymore. The pan should be big enough so all the stuff is just one layer thick. Put everything into the pan over medium heat and go have a beer or a cup of ovaltine or write a letter to your mom or something. Check it in about ten minutes or so..... if everything is good and blackened and sticking to the pan and it doesn't even look like food, then turn them onto an un-blackened side and do it again. When the mixture is thoroughly disgusting looking pour a glass of water into the pan and deglaze the pan (that's fancy celebrity chef talk for 'use some water to scrape up all the burnt bits'). Get all the burnt stuff loose and turn the gas off and let it cool. When it's cooled down run it through a blender. It's probably gonna be way too thick so you'll most likely have to add some water to get it to the consistency you like. Oh, the Jalapenos have a tendency to emit a tear gas like substance as they burn so if you have a stove fan turn it on..... or at least open a window. Be careful not to put the stuff in the blender while it's real hot because hot stuff and blenders are a dangerous combo. Just before you get ready to serve this delightful home-made Salsa Asada Verde throw in some chopped cilantro..... if you hate cilantro through in some chopped green onions. There -- you've made another salsa. Return to Top This one is way too easy. Just take some of the Charred Tomatillo & Jalapeno Salsa and add sour cream, mixing until you have the color green that you like. When you add the sour cream it's gonna reduce the chile bite a lot, so if you like it hot use more chiles when you make the salsa. This is great on tacos and Quesadillas and a as a dip or on almost anything you would put sour cream on. You could use mayonnaise instead of sour cream and tell all your yuppie friends that you have some home-made 'Charred Jalapeno Mayonnaise' for them to enjoy on their chicken sandwiches. This salsa is great as a sauce for pasta or pasta with shrimp, but it will separate if you get it too hot. So use it at room temperature and stir it into the hot pasta. Remember if you have any questions about salsas or Mexican food in general or just want some info about Cabo - drop me an e-line. I know I shouldn't be delving into politics here - but I just can't help it, what with this Enron deal and all. One question: Does it seem to any of you that the whole kit and kaboodle of the executive branch is indictable under the RICO statutes??