Salsa, a combination of tomatoes, chiles and other vegetables or fruit and spices, can be traced all the way back to the ancient Mayans, Aztecs and Incas. It was used as a condiment commonly on top of meats such as fish, lobster, venison and/or turkey. In the Spanish language, salsa means sauce. Salsa can be cooked or not, cold or hot, and smooth or chunky. There are various ways to create salsa but usually has a basis of tomatoes, peppers, and onions.
One my favorite salsa recipes comes from my Aunt Rachel and Uncle Jerry, where they use roasted poblano peppers. The roasting creates a smoky, rich taste, which enhances the flavor of the salsa. They just add what feels right at the time when making the salsa, so there is no exact recipe. Here are the basics.
Ingredients:
4 Tomatoes
2 Poblano peppers
1-2 seeded jalapeño
½ of an onion
4 cloves of garlic
Dash of hot sauce
Squeeze of lime
A bit of cilantro
Dash of salt
Preparations:
1. Roast the poblano peppers on top of the stove and keep at a somewhat constant rotation until fully charred.
2. When fully charred, remove from stove top and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
3. Dice the tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Deseed and chop the jalapenos.
4. Peel the skin of the poblano peppers and chop them up.
5. Place all the chopped ingredients, including the roasted poblano peppers, into a blender or food processor and blend together.
6. Add in desired amount of lime, cilantro, salt and hot sauce until a preferred taste is reached.
7. Blend until desired texture is reached.
When finished the salsa can be eaten right away or chilled for a few hours.
Salsa can be used as a condiment with chips, meat, burritos, tacos, pizza, eggs, salad, cornbread, soup, grains, and/or potatoes. Salsa can even be mixed into batters like a bread batter or mixed with cream cheese to create an interesting topping.
Salsa can be made and used in various ways but doesn’t necessarily have to be eaten with anything else. It can be consumed by itself or as a side dish.
