Salsa Newsletter for July, 2001
Volume 1 - Issue 4Today's Salsas
Guacamole
Hot Smoky Guacamole
Guacamole salsa
Carnitas
Mango Salsa
Mango Salsa #2
Coconut Mango Shrimp
I was getting so many requests for salsa recipes from customers at the restaurant that I started this newsletter as a way to make my life a little easier. Instead of giving out the same recipes hundreds of times to individuals - I figured I could do a newsletter once a month and post recipes on the web - and at the same time keep in touch with my customers. Well..... nice idea, but it's gotten away from me. Instead of a few hundred customers I now have thousands of sign-ups from all over the world. I've gotten requests for the newsletter from Germany, Ireland, Norway, Australia, Maine, Texas, Wisconsin - even Alaska has chimed in. I'm not complaining, I'm actually having fun with it. Your letters and requests for recipes are well written and interesting. There seems to be a big demand for uncomplicated, no food guru bullshit, recipes -- and I'm more than happy to do my best. The problem is that I have enough recipes for salsas and great regional Mexican dishes and original recipes to send out 2 or 3 a month for about 700 years. That's some scary stuff! I mean I'm gonna need a vacation somewhere in the next few centuries. So..... I'm putting way more information into each newsletter than you can possibly absorb. I'd suggest you don't even bother to try to read it all at one sitting. As a matter of fact it won't bother me at all if you just file it away and check for interesting ideas once in a while.
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. If you want to know more you can check it out at www.mamascabosanlucas.com. 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 menu at www.felixcabosanlucas.com.
My philosophy about cooking is simple - "Cooking is easy and cooking is fun! If it took any brains at all the human race would have died off centuries ago..... and I'd be in a different line of work." I want to stress to those of you who have been put off by the food gurus and their complicated instructions and their space age choppers and dicers and slicers and ricers and processors and convection this and that and triple beam balance gram scales and $200 dollar a bottle Balsamic vinegar and grinders and fryers and mail order herbs and arugulla and imported truffle oil and shitakis and 7 kinds of olive oil and on and on and on..... it's all BULLSHIT!!! It's all designed to complicate and mystify the process. To make themselves out to be something special. Trust me..... if you have a flat spot in your kitchen and a knife - you can make some beautiful, tasty world class dishes. It would be better if your knife was sharp and you had a stove of some sort but it's not mandatory. I do cheat a little - I have a blender - and I find that it does save me a lot of time, but you can do it like people all over the world do it..... with a knife and a molcajete (mortar and pestle). I also want to remind you that exact amounts don't matter. If a recipe calls for a teaspoon - that is just an approximation - all it really means is more than a pinch and less than a cup. I'll give you a couple of examples. I was doing some research for a new menu item recently and found some recipes calling for exactly 6 - no more no less - whole cloves. Another recipe called for 1 and a half grams of cinnamon. Uh, give me a break here. Some cloves are bigger than others, some cloves are fresher than others, some people love cloves and others hate them and every batch of cinnamon is different. I did an experiment at Felix' with a very popular menu item. It's a Huastecan Indian dish that calls for - among other things - pork and pineapple. On the menu I simply call it Puerco con Pina (pork with pineapple) it has no mystery ingredients and the only people who order it are people who like pork and pineapple. So I know for sure that unless we burn it or make some egregious error in the kitchen the customer is going to like the dish..... or else they wouldn't have ordered it. For a week or so, after the customer had finished eating their Pork with Pineapple I would ask them how they enjoyed their meal. Every single person said that it was great. I already knew they liked it or they wouldn't have ordered it. I would tell them that I was trying to perfect the recipe and asked them if they thought the balance between the pork and pineapple was right or should there be more or less pineapple. Amazing, about 1/3 said just right, 1/3 said more pineapple and 1/3 said less pineapple. I then changed the question to 'Is the pineapple the right size or should it be larger or smaller?' Same result 1/3 larger, 1/3 just right, and 1/3 smaller. Amounts don't matter.
just about all of my recipes call for chopped chiles..... and I think chopping chiles is a big pain in the butt. So what I do is grate the chiles - it's a whole lot easier and it doesn't mush them all up like a blender does.
Hey Spencer,
We really enjoyed your excellent cuisine and salsas this last week. We ate there three different times and will eat there many more times. We asked you about the potato cakes and you told us they were a no brainer now my wife will make some of those plus some of the salsas. We are anxious for more of the recipes. Thanks for the great food and description of your menu choices. Loved that coconut mango shrimp and pozole soup.
Jerry and Linda from WyomingThank you very much. I'm including the recipe for the Coconut Mango Shrimp in this issue. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out.
Spencer___________
Hi Spencer,
I made a batch of your "Very Charred Red Salsa" tonight. I agree, it is a VERY BITCHIN little salsa! It came out just like you described. I blackened everything on all sides Then deglazed the pan with spring water imported from high in the Swiss Alps. (just kidding) It might be just a touch too hot for most Gringos (I like it that way) Another tomato, and a little more onion and garlic with the two chilis, might work out a little better. Anyway it turned out great, I'm going to try it on huevo rancheros tomorrow.
Hasta luego, Marty Joy MartyThank you Marty. I'm glad you liked it. It's probably my favorite salsa - although I do say that about them all. Give the pineapple salsa a try. I hadn't made any in a long time and I had forgotten how good it was. For an easy to prepare and inexpensive meal try the pineapple salsa in quesadillas with the meat and skin plucked from a store bought roast chicken and a little cheese. It's also wonderful with almost anything from the backyard grill. Keep me posted.
Spencer___________
Spencer,
Just got back from Cabo last night. Your restaurant was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. I loved the coconut shrimp so much, we came back the next night so I could have it again. I only wish we had discovered you earlier in the week so we could have come again and tried some of the other menu items. Please put me on the mailing list for recipes. I'd be in absolute heaven if you ever revealed the coconut shrimp recipe in one of your newsletters. But then again, I'd probably gain 10 pounds from eating it every night of the week!!! I CAN ONLY DREAM! Thanks again! We really enjoyed you, and your restaurant.
RindieeRindiee,
The coconut mango shrimp seems to be a hot item this issue. Read on.
Spencer___________
Please add me to your e mail newsletter list. I have a Yahoo Club site and have your link listed. I am interested in your "stolen" Carnitas recipe, I admire your method you are using to cook by and will consider it to be my next featured site in my club in July,2001.
Respectfully,
Gilbert gilmontY2K@Yahoo.com Co-Founder http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/SpanishFoodsGilbert,
You got it. The Carnitas recipe is a little further along in this issue.
Spencer___________
Spencer,
Remember that KFAT classic "The Sheep Song"? With that in mind, I'm sending you the ingredients (at least the ones I remember) for an original creation I made for a 4th of July Lebanese Picnic. - 3#s cubed Lamb, couple chopped onions, one head roasted garlic, a fistful of chile powder (I used pasilla), a can of beer, a pound of tomatoes, cumin, jalapenos, and FRESH MINT ( Lebanese love mint!). Stuffed into tortillas with a yogurt sauce this became Beirut Burritos. Thought you might enjoy taking a gander.
aloha,
KittKitt,
This sounds great Ð I'll pass it along to the readers.
SpencerKitt is a Santa Cruzian (KFAT country) chef who some how wound up cooking great food in New England.
___________
Spencer,
Did you ever get my email thanking you for the recipe for the Shrimp in Chipotle sauce? We did cook it for our friends (actually all four us, both couples are pretty accomplished cooks). We reread both versions of your recipe (the shorter, quicker version you sent first and then the "real thing"). The four of us unanimously voted to do the "real thing" and it turned out great! Thanks very much. Although I did have the dried Chipotle's in the pantry, we used the canned ones to save prep time. Next time I'll try the dry ones to see what difference it makes. Our friends (Diane & Ed Finnegan) have also joined your email list for the newsletter and occasionally visit Cabo. Felix's is now on their "to visit" list next time around.
Once again, thanks!
Dianne Hanlon in Oregon
PS. We are scheduled to go on a cruise in November. The ship stops in Cabo for a day - I think we are to be there by 8 a.m. If we go we've already decided to hit Mama's for breakfast. I'll keep you posted.
Dianne,
Yes, I got your email - sorry for not answering. I'm pretty spacey at times. See you in November.
Spencer
This wonderful salad predates the European presence in the western hemisphere. It's beginnings are lost in pre-history. The word guacamole comes to us directly from the Aztecs. Guacamole is a combination of the Nahuatl (the Aztec language) words ahuacatl (avocado) and molli (mixture). I think it's safe to assume that Aztec Kings were eating this wonderful dish when my European ancestors were still painting their faces blue and throwing rocks at each other. Guacamole is great as a dip with tortilla chips or as a salad or as a filling for hot corn or flour tortillas. It's super as a garnish with grilled beef or chicken or a try a dollop on your enchiladas or chimi-changas or as a spread on your burgers or chicken sandwich. I can't think of anything that guacamole does not go with. If you've been reading these poor efforts of mine you know that I think there are no rules in cooking. If you like it and it's pretty and it tastes good..... yeah! So, what follows are not rules --- they are merely suggestions, but if you want real good authentic guacamole you'd better pay attention. In Mexico the most common, and I think the best, Guacamole is just avocado mashed coarsely - you want lumps - don't blend it or even whisk it - add some finely chopped onion and tomato and you have just made yourself some really good guacamole. No one in the world can make it any better. Different? Sure. But not better. But, you ask, "where are the chiles?" "and the garlic?" "and the salt?" "and the lemon juice and cilantro"? You can add any of these or all of these or none of these and still have great Guacamole. Experiment! At the restaurant I make the guacamole by adding Salsa Mexicana (from the 1st newsletter) to mashed avocado and it's really good. If you're making some Mexican food you are probably going to have some salsas on the table and the food is generally spicy. I like to have a non-hot guacamole at the table so those who don't like it hot can still enjoy the ritual. The Mexicans think that if you put the avocado pits in the guacamole it keeps it from turning color - I don't believe it but it looks really cool. Others think that lemon or lime juice keeps it from turning - I don't believe that either but I like the taste. I think that whatever you do it's gonna start turning dark almost immediately so make it right before you use it.
PARTS LIST
2 ripe avocados ---- I think that in the USA, Haas avocados are the first choice. Those bright green, Florida avocados are really too watery to make good guacamole, but if that's all that's available - what the hey.
a half a small onion - chopped finely
1 small ripe tomato (I don't care what the food gurus say - you do not have to peel and seed the tomato.)
Mash the avocado coarsely, you want lumps - a fork works well or if you're making lots, a potato masher. Mix in the tomato and onion. There! You've made authentic guacamole.
SOME OTHER OPTIONS
Some finely chopped fresh jalapeno or serrano chiles Some chopped cilantro A little salt Some lime or lemon juice You could char the tomato in a dry pan - gives a nice smoky taste
A REALLY SLEAZY LITTLE TRICK
I have a Mexican friend La Paz who owns a little neighborhood restaurant. His prices are ridiculously low and yet he gives out enormous amounts of guacamole on virtually every plate. When I asked how he could afford to do that with his prices, he showed me how to make pretty good guacamole out of mashed potatoes. So - for those times when avocados are really expensive and a bunch of people that you don't really like that much are coming over to watch football or something..... here you go. You didn't hear this from me though..... I'll deny everything. Get a bunch of mashed potatoes - really well mashed or the white lumps will give you away. Better yet, use instant. Add green food coloring a little at a time to the potatoes, stirring until you have about the right color. Add one mashed avocado with lots of real authentic green avocado lumps and lots of tomato, chiles, onion, cilantro, garlic and lime/lemon juice. Even Emeril won't know.
PARTS LIST
a couple of avocados
some smoky hot oil - from the last newsletter. If you didn't make any, you should it's really good.
Just mash the avocado with a little hot oil and some of the chile flakes from the bottom of the oil. Add a little salt and as far as I'm concerned you can claim it as an old family original.
I think that this salsa is served at almost every taqueria (taco stand) in Mexico, north, south, east and west. It gives you the great taste of guacamole but it is really inexpensive to make..... easy too. As a matter of fact it is probably the easiest to make of all salsas and goes well with virtually everything. This should be a thin, pourable salsa - about as thick as a good, hearty split pea soup. Mild, medium or hot, you decide.
MILD
This one is so easy you don't need an ingredient list. Just take a ripe avocado and put it in a blender (after you peel it and take the pit out) and add water slowly 'til you have the right consistancy. Taste it and maybe add a little salt.MEDIUM
Just the same as above but add a jalapeno or serrano chile to the blender.HOT
The same as above but add more chiles.A LITTLE FANCIER
1. Add a half an onion, a clove or two of garlic and some cilantro to the blender.
2. Add the above plus a couple of raw tomatillos (husked and washed).MY FAVORITE
Take a half dozen tomatillos, a couple of whole jalapenos, half an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic --- put them in a small lidded pan with a little water. Let them cook slowly until the chiles and tomatillos have turned from a bright green to an olive drab. Let them cool and put them in the blender (save the liquid) with a ripe avocado or two. You want this salsa to be pourable so if it's too thick - thin it with the water you cooked the chiles in. This salsa is great on enchiladas - as a matter of fact it is always served over Enchiladas Suizas and the enchiladas that are served with 'Carne Asada ala Tampiqueno'
Carnitas (literally translated as 'little meats') are also found in every part of Mexico. Even the smallest villages will usually have someone that makes Carnitas- at least on the weekends. As a main dish with a fresh Salsa Mexicana or Salsa Verde topped with come chopped cilantro, or chopped or shredded as a filling for Tacos or Quesadillas, Carnitas are wonderfull. You can find lots of recipes for Carnitas in cookbooks but if you have ever eaten really good Carnitas all of these recipes will be a disappointment. "Why?", you ask. Well, I'm gonna tell you why. Carnitas are simply deep fried pork - crispy on the outside and fallin' off the bone tender and juicy on the inside. I love them and tried for years to make Carnitas for my restaurant that were as good as they served in the big Carnitas restaurants..... not possible. The reason is that all the big Carnitas places have huge cauldrons, big enough to fry pieces of pork the size of a turkey. The result is that by the time the outside is beautifully browned and crispy the inside is cooked just right. When you try to cook small amounts to order by the time the outside is brown and crispy the inside is overcooked and dry. Hey, it's still good and if you've never had the real thing you'll probably like it a lot. I think I've finally got it. It's not original, though. I stole this recipe from an old guy in Rosarita Beach - and while it's not exactly the same as the big guys, it's really good... and you don't have to deep fry a whole pig. It's not exactly health food ... but what the hey! This version is wonderful for summertime cookouts, way easier than ribs or chicken and most of the work is done in advance.
PARTS LIST
A big chunk of pork (I'd say 6 or 7 pounds minimum). Bone in or boneless? - doesn't matter, get whatever is cheapest. Lean or fatty? - fatty is probably better. Cheap or expensive? - the cheaper the better (the more expensive cuts such as loin is probably too lean and will tend to dry out).
1 or 2 onions Cut in quarters. You don't even have to peel them/it.
1 bunch of cilantro You don't even have to chop it.
a handful of fresh chiles Jalapeno or serranos will be just fine.
Coke or Pepsi - No diet stuff please.
water
LET'S DO IT !
Put everything into a large covered pan and cover it with a 50/50 mix of water and cola -- I know, I know, but trust me. The cola has something in it that does something really nice to the meat. Bring it to a boil then turn it down to a simmer - put the cover on and simmer slowly 'til the meat is really, really tender. Probably a minimum of an hour and a half maybe more... check it. If the liquid boils away add more coke/water. Take the pork out and let it cool. If you wrap it and keep it in the fridge it lasts for a long time. So now that you have this big chunk of tender pork, how do you turn it into Carnitas? There's a couple of ways. My favorite way is to just throw it on the BBQ - when it's all crispy and brown on one side turn it over and brown the other. Since it's already cooked it takes very little time. You want it real crispy on the outside. Chop it up and serve it with some hot corn and flour tortillas and some fresh Salsas and Guacamole and maybe some beans (recipe coming up next issue) some green onions that you've thrown on the barby and some radishes and ---- hey, baby you've got a real Mexican cookout going. The other way is to cut the pork into billiard ball size pieces and deep fry them 'til they're real crispy on the outside --- chop them into bite size pieces and serve them.
This is a cooked Salsa and we use it at the restaurant as a table salsa and in our Coconut-Mango Shrimp. We started serving this as a special and finally had to add it to the menu. It has been our most popular dish ever since. It's a sauce that seems really exotic but it's another no brainer... really easy to make. And since most of your friends are used to bottled salsas and think that even simple Salsa Mexicana is a gourmet item you will get lots and lots of accolades and requests for this recipe. Especially good with poultry and fish. Just about the only way you can screw this one up is by making it too sweeeeet. So be real careful if you decide to use sugar.
PARTS LIST
A couple of large ripe mangos (peeled and pitted and chopped) This is a cooked Salsa, so if there are no fresh mangos around go ahead and used canned - even Wolfgang Puck won't be able to tell the difference.
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
some butter
a couple of jalapeno chiles (finely chopped)
a couple of cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
a little lime/lemon juice
maybe some sugar - but please be careful we're not makin' a dessert here.
a green onion or scallion (finely chopped) optional
HERE WE GO
Cook the chiles, onion and garlic in butter. You want them well cooked but not brown - so cook them at a low temperature for a long time... stirring occasionally. When they're done add the mango and cook some more. Taste the salsa - this is the taste you want but I would add some lemon/lime juice to make it a little too sour - then add some sugar to bring it back to what it tasted like before you added the lemon. This sounds silly but I think the lemon/sugar combo adds something to the mix. You want this to be a relatively thin Salsa (about like thick ketchup - catsup?) so you will probably have to add liquid - a little lime/lemon juice and maybe some water. If you use canned mangos I would not use the liquid from the can - it's too sweet and it gives a canned taste. If the liquid boils away add more. Taste it. If it's too sweet - add more lime/lemon. If it's too sour - add more sugar (but go easy). If it's too thick - add more liquid. Let it cool and you've just made some really good Salsa. If you're gonna use it as a table salsa you can sprinkle the chopped green onion over the top for garnish. This Salsa lasts at least a few days in the fridge.
This is a fresh salsa - so you probably don't want to use canned mangos. On the other hand, a canned mango is way better than a fresh carrot and most of your friends probably don't even know what a mango tastes like anyway. This salsa is beautiful to look at - the golden mango the red of the peppers and the green of the cilantro - and even better to taste. It's absolutely wonderful with charcoal grilled chicken and fish..... hell, it's good with everything. I never met a mango I didn't like.
PARTS LIST
1 large ripe mango (peeled, pitted and diced - diced is a little bigger than chopped - about the size of a pencil eraser)
about 1 thick slice of onion (red, white or yellow - doesn't matter) finely chopped - chopped is way smaller than diced
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 or 2 serrano chiles finely chopped/grated
red bell pepper or pimento - about the same amount as the onion - diced
some chopped cilantro
lime/lemon juice
READY, SET, GO
Put everything but the lime/lemon juice in a bowl and mix. There you go! Taste it and add a little lime/lemon ..... taste it again. Too hot? More mango. Not hot enough? More chile. Too sour? a little sugar. Hey, wasn't that easy?
VARIATIONS
1. Try pan roasting the onion, chile and tomato (until they're well blackened) before you chop them.
2. Pan blacken the red pepper before you dice it.
About 4 or 5 years ago I made this dish up as a special - it turned out to be so popular that I had to add it to my menu. Since then it has been the most popular dish in the place and the one that I get the most requests for the recipe. So, here it is.
PARTS LIST
shrimp - about 1/2 pound per person
mango salsa #1
some grated coconut
a little garlic - chopped fine
butter - or margarine
some chopped green onions
LET'S DO IT!
The only way you can screw up shrimp is by over-cooking them so I'd suggest that you use a medium size shrimp (about 25-30 per pound) peeled with the tails on, butterflied and deveined. I leave the tails on because I think it's more attractive, but you can do whatever you want. Real small shrimp don't taste as good and real big shrimp are real easy to over-cook on the outside while leaving raw on the inside. If you are having a lot of side dishes I'd definitely do the shrimp last. They'll only take 4 or 5 minutes max, if you have everything prepped to go. Toss the shrimp into a hot pan with butter - if you're worried about the butter burning you can add just a touch of oil (no expensive tasty oil - corn or safflower is great) and toss them around until they've changed color from grey to pinkish white. That's all -- stop. Remove the pan from the heat - they're done. With the shrimp off the heat add a couple of table spoons of the salsa and a tablespoon of grated coconut for each half pound of shrimp. Throw in a handful of chopped green onion for color and put it back on the heat just until the salsa is hot. Bingo! Let's eat. Now sometimes the coconut you find in the super markets has a lot of sugar added - try to find unsweetened. If you can't you might want to rinse the coconut in water and pat it dry. If it's still too sweet you might want to add some lime/lemon juice in at the end. If you are a cilantro lover you could use cilantro for color instead of the green onion. If you're a garlic fancier this is also real good if you throw in a bunch of garlic when the shrimp are about half cooked. Let me know how it turns out.
