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Editor’s Note: For the past few months, we have been bringing you recipes from the offices of Made in Oklahoma, which promotes local food producers. But as winter rolled into spring, and gardeners across the state got out their seeds, we decided to focus on local foods of a different flavor. For the next few months our guest chef will be Kamala Gamble, who owns Kam’s Kookery and Guilford Gardens in Oklahoma City.
These recipes are adapted from my experience at Frontera Grill in Chicago which is owned by Rick Bayless. Fresh ingredients make these salsas a fabulous addition to almost any meal. Eat them with chips, over fish, chicken, pork and steak. They are also great with fajitas, enchiladas and soft tacos. Use the tomatoes from your garden or go down to your local Farmer’s Market. You won’t regret it. Chiles are hot to taste and touch, so be careful while you are handling them. Wear gloves if you need to. Remember to add the chile slowly, so you can adjust for heat preferences and taste as often as you can. Enjoy!
Pico de Gallo – Salsa Fresco – 4 cups
2 lbs. Tomatoes, diced
1 lb Onions, diced
15 Serrano Peppers, minced
1 bunch Cilantro, minced
2 Tbl Fresh Lime Juice
Combine all ingredients together. Add chile last, sparingly & taste often. Season with salt to taste.
Guacamole – 1 cup
2 Avocados
½ cup Pico de Gallo
Peel and pit avocados & mash. Add Pico de Gallo, mix and season with salt if needed.
New Mexico Red Chile Salsa – 2.5 cups
4 Dried New Mexico red chiles
1 lb Tomatoes
Half a small white onion, sliced
6 Cloves Garlic
½ tsp Oregano
1½ Tbl Cider Vinegar
Toast and re-hydrate the chiles (See section below). Roast the tomatoes till brown (see section below). Roast the onions and garlic at 350 till browning for 15 to 20 minutes.
Blend and strain the rehydrated chiles. Place the chiles in the blender and ensure enough liquid so that it will blend easily. Blend until all the chiles are completely pulverized. Strain them and press against the sides of the strainer with a spatula to get all the chile pulp (this maximizes the amount of flavor you get from the chiles). You do not have to strain the chiles. Not straining will give you a more rustic sauce. Coarsely blend the tomatoes, onions and garlic. Mix all remaining ingredients together and season to your preference.
Tomatillo Sauce – Salsa Verde – 2 cups
4 lbs. Tomatillos – husked and rinsed.
4-6 Serrano chiles
1 tsp. Salt & Sugar (optional)
Roast Tomatillos and Serranos till there is some browning. See section on Roasting.
Blend ingredients coarsely in blender. Stir in salt and sugar (optional) to taste.
Squash Salsa
1 Zucchini
1 Squash
1 Carrot
2 Tomatillos
1 Tomato
3 Serrano, minced
Half of a Red Onion, diced
4 tsp. EVOO & rice vinegar
Finely dice all of above and mix well. Season to taste.
Roasting Tomatoes/Tomatillos
Roast tomatoes/tomatillos on a sheet pan under the broiler at 450-500. The idea is to have them brown or blackened. The roasting process caramelizes the tomatoes, which develops their natural sugars, lowering their acidity and adding flavor.
Rehydrating Dried Chiles
Toasting and Soaking: Toast and rehydrate the dried chiles. Take your dried chiles, open them and deseed. Have a skillet heating up (cast iron is great) and gently press the chiles on the skillet with spatula. When you see little wisps of smoke and smell the chile (you won’t mistake this) turn it over and do the same thing to the other side. Take your finished toasted chiles and submerge them in warm/hot water with a plate on top to keep them submerged for about 30 minutes.
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