Adventures in Salsa

This will be my last post. The semester is winding down and so is this blog. I hope that everyone has learned a little bit about salsa and heard about some cool things.

For one last bit of salsa news I'm going to share a story from my trip home. I was home for the long weekend this weekend. On Friday I was looking for a something to eat and thought I'd have some chips and salsa. In the fridge I found giant bottle of salsa turned upside down, a telltale sign that it's almost empty. I poured it into the bowl and got about a tablespoon of salsa out... gee, I'm so glad we saved that... My dad came into the kitchen and saw me rinsing out the jar. "You finally finished the salsa," he says, "we've been working on that for about two months now." I proceeded to correct him because I remember being home for spring break (about three weeks ago) and him opening that jar. So his two month exaggerating was a little off... He wasn't very willing to admit to this since without me in the house he's the only one who really eats salsa. That means he'd eaten the whole thing by himself in that short amount of time. I guess salsa loving runs in the family. Good news though, we went to the grocery store yesterday and got some more. We're having fajitas for dinner tonight and I'm going to celebrate this blog by having some salsa!

Salsa DNA

As I was looking for something to post about I found this interesting website claiming to have the secrets to the perfect salsa. In San Diego there is a restaurant called Papalote. This Mexican restaurant is held as having the best salsa around. All the locals are very passionate this salsa. The author of this article is trying to discover the secret recipe of this salsa. When the owners of the restaurant refused to disclose the family secrets then she tried other methods. Trying to create the salsa backwards was their best option. The salsa was pureed so in order to try to decipher the ingredients they strained it. When they still couldn't quite tell what all was in it they resorted to the next thing, DNA analysis. Come on now. Is this really necessary? If I ever find a salsa that I like that much, I think I'll just buy it. Going through all that trouble to break down each and every ingredient to recreate a salsa? These people need more things in their lives. http://www.chow.com/stories/10111

Trader Joe's

So I'm not that much of a Trader Joe's loyalist but I know that some people truly are. I found this... I think it might be a blog but I'm not really sure.... online and it's all about tracking Trader Joe's products. A product that came up was a Habanero and Lime salsa. According to the author this salsa is only a medium on the heat level. I'm always a little wary when testing out new salsas. I tend to be a bit of a wimp when it comes to spicy foods. I enjoy some spice, I always go for a medium when I'm buying salsa, but whenever I'm trying out a new brand I'm cautious to go to far. According to the post there is a fruity, sweet taste to the salsa too, most likely from the lime. Apparently it's very good to add into quick chilis and mixed with eggs. I still don't understand the whole salsa/ketchup on eggs thing. One interesting thing he mentioned though was basting chicken with the salsa, now that sounds like it could be yummy.

History 101

So, I might be a little behind the eight ball on this one but I thought I'd give you a little bit of a history that I found on the salsa. This information comes from everyone's favorite, Wikipedia, so take it as you will.

The term "salsa" simply means sauce in Spanish and is used to refer to many different varieties of product.
The first is pico de gallo, which is a cold salsa that is made up of coarsely chopped vegetables. These can contain chilies, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. This variety does not use any vinegar or tomato paste product, unlike it's more common relative. Just a little fun fact for you, "pico de gallo" means rooster's beak.
The more common salsa, as we know it, is a mixture of uncooked vegetables, blended with tomato paste, and finally vinegar. The tomato paste and vinegar add to the sauciness of the salsa.
There is also a green chili version of salsa called "salsa verde". This one uses tomatillos instead of tomatoes and sometimes excludes both.
Finally there is a "salsa picante" which is a very thin vinegary substance. This is made up of pureed red peppers and tomatoes blended with spices. This is very common to be used to top off a dish to add extra heat.

The Salsa Queen

Did you know that Americans consume more salsa than ketchup? That is something I would have never guessed. I see ketchup as the ultimate condiment as far as Americans are concerned, apparently I am wrong. Pretty cool huh?
So back to the Salsa Queen, Annie DuBois. Annie runs an Internet company called "TexMexToGo" was given this title from a ship full of sailors. She had been getting multiple orders from a military address for bags and bags of her Tortilla chips. With one of the orders she threw in a jar of salsa. The sailors returned the favor by sending Annie a photo diary of their "salsa party" that was held on deck of their ship. Along with the photos was the announcement of her new title, The Salsa Queen. http://www.click2houston.com/food/1963013/detail.html TexMexToGo makes all kinds of yummy things; chips, salsas, rice mixes mmm good. It doesn't sell just food either there are all kinds of fun Mexican-style gifts and cookware. They also put together gift baskets for you. The website is www.texmextogo.com if you want to check it out for yourself.

A good laugh

Want to watch some kids being idiots and whining about salsa that's too hot? Why not? It's pretty amusing, and of course they're boys. Why is it that boys find it so fascinating to compete with food. This goes back to the disgusting concoctions that were created within the walls of the middle school cafeteria. It's fun to torture ourselves!... not. I can't figure out how to save the video to my computer in order to upload it, so just use the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6tanxNavPU

Here's another one I found (same kids) except this one freaks out more, which of course makes it better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMOfwXzw4LI

Here's them making the salsa, so you can try it at home. Next time you're home on a Friday night with nothing to do give this a try. It's always a good time to watch your friends suffer.... I guess.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Da0SKmk4bk&feature=related

Salsa Tasting Event

If anyone is going to be in Henderson, NV on October 11, 2008 you might want to stop by the Henderson Salsa Challenge! This seems like a pretty cool event. For $5 you purchase a ticket that gets you all of the gourmet tortilla chips you want and as many salsas as you can taste. Both professional and amateur chefs can enter in salsa recipes for the event. The three categories are mild, hot, and sweet/fruity...there we go with those fruity salsas again... There is also a jalapeno eating contest as well as Mariachi bands!

This isn't a first time event either. There was a successful event in 2006 as well. I wish that I lived a little closer. It seems like it could be a lot of fun, and perhaps something that I would see on the Food Network. If anyone makes it out to Henderson in October let me know how it goes!
http://www.hendersonsalsachallenge.com/tasting.html

All American Salsa

Who knew that eating salsa could make you unamerican? Well according to one company that's exactly what it means. This new salsa company called "Minuteman Salsa" is committing themselves to making American salsa in an effort to stop the purchase of "illegal salsa". Here's a quote from the article that pretty much sums it up:

“We’re sick and tired of foreign-grown produce and foreign-made salsa entering our country. Few Americans support illegal immigration, but they spend hard-earned dollars on what we see as illegal salsa,” explained Founder & CEO Ryan Lambert. “Foreign salsa takes American jobs, disrespects Americans sovereignty, and this Fourth of July, we’re encouraging Americans to re-declare our independence and deport foreign salsa.”

Who knew that people took salsa so seriously? Here's the link if you want to read more about this crazy story. http://www.minutemansalsa.com/news/

Eggs and Salsa?

Combining eggs and salsa seems a little strange to me. I would never think to combine the two. Eggs seem like such a breakfast food and then salsa is dinner dishes or snacks. So this recipe from Food Network.com caught my eye. It seems pretty interesting.


Baked Eggs with Salsa Verde
From Food Network Kitchens

Game plan: If pressed for time, use a mild store-bought salsa, either red or green.
Vegetable oil, as needed
1/3 cup Salsa Verde, recipe follows
4 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese (about 1/2 ounce)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Lightly oil a medium nonstick skillet with an ovenproof handle. Spoon a heaping 1/3 cup of salsa into the pan. Lightly press down the salsa to make 4 evenly spaced shallow nests and break an egg into each. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until the egg whites are cooked and the yolks are still runny, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese over the eggs and continue baking until just melted, about 1 minute more. Top with the cilantro. Serve immediately.

Salsa Verde: 1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed 1 clove garlic 1/4 medium onion 1/4 jalapeno chile, with seeds 1 teaspoon kosher salt 4 sprigs fresh cilantro

Put the tomatillos in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain.
Puree the garlic, onion, jalapeno, and salt in a blender until smooth. Add the tomatillos and cilantro sprigs and puree until smooth.

Yield: About 3 cups
Nutrient Value Per Tablespoon: 5 calories, 1 g carbohydrate, 0.3 g fiber 0.2 g fat (0 g saturated)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_26852,00.html?rsrc=like

What are they feeding us?

The other day I was eating a taco salad at Tilly and had some salsa on top. I came up with a question while I was eating it. Why does the school's salsa taste so strange? I'm not sure how to describe it but there is a distinct taste to the salsa in the dining halls. It's the same taste that I remember from my high school's salsa too. I wonder, is there a brand of salsa that all schools are required to use? Perhaps it's the cheapest brand out there. But really, it isn't very good in my opinion. You would think they could spring for something a little nicer. I'm not even sure what makes it not taste good. I think it may taste a little over processed or something, but it doesn't taste very fresh. It seems that you can tell that it's been stored in an industrial size bottle for years and they finally let it out to serve to cheap college kids and small children. I wonder what the name on that industrial sized bottle is? I wonder if there is a way that I can find that out... hmmm perhaps I can overthrow Sodexo and get a company who will get some new tasty salsa instead!