Salsa Verde & Slow Cooked Spicy Onions & Peppers

So today felt for the first time like a fall day. The sun was shining bright but had that slanted not so direct feel to it. It was warm but there was a brisk breeze blowing the leaves off the trees. I love this time of year but it is always bittersweet because I know the local farmers will soon be packing up their goods and won’t be seen again until spring. That said, there was a bumper crop of summer’s end peppers at the market. All kinds of sweet and hot peppers, running the gamut from green bell peppers to habañero. I, being the spicy fiend that I am, scooped up a ton of hot chillies. I also happened to come across some tomatillos which put a batch of Salsa Verde into motion. There are several ways of preparing this delicious sauce, you can grill the jalapeños and tomatillos, you can roast the garlic or you can keep it simple like my recipe does. In my opinion, simple is preferred because that way the Salsa Verde can be used for multiple dishes. With chips? Check. As a topping for roasted chicken? Check. Mixed into eggs for chilaquiles? Check and yes please!

SALSA VERDE

2 pounds tomatillos, peeled and washed

1 C chopped cilantro

5 cloves of garlic, smashed

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

16oz can of green chilies

Salt to taste

Combine tomatillos, cilantro, and garlic in a small pot. Barely cover with water and bring to a simmer. Cook until tomatillos have split their sides and transfer to a high powered blender.

Add in lime juice and pulse until chunky. Do not over-blend! Transfer to a mixing bowl and add chilies. Mix well to incorporate.
Now, a couple of side notes on this recipe. As I stated, this is keeping it easy peasey. Feel free to use this as a base and go from there. You can use canned chilies, or grill/roast your own! Poblanos would work well. Hatch would be where it’s at. The key part is not over pureeing that final product. It shouldn’t be chunky like a regular salsa but shouldn’t be smooth like say a tomato sauce.

I also was tasked with trying to help my mother-in-law who is an avid gardener, but sometimes grows things that she won’t necessarily consume. In this case it was jalapeños and anaheim peppers. So racking my brain trying to figure out how to tame the heat of those guys led me to create a recipe for those of us that like spicy and those of us that can only handle a little. Which led me to this…

SLOW COOKED SPICY ONIONS AND PEPPERS
2 Large Sweet Onions, julienned
2 Large Yellow Bell Peppers, julienned
6 Cloves Garlic, sliced
8-10 Jalapenos, seeded and rough chopped
3 Roasted Red Peppers, chopped
3 T Olive Oil
Salt to taste

In a medium sauce pan that has a lid that fits, heat olive oil over medium low heat. Add onions, bell peppers and garlic. Stir constantly to avoid getting any color. Once mixture begins to soften, reduce heat to low and cover. The lid I used has a setting to allow some moisture to escape, if yours doesn’t keep it slightly (!!) cracked. You want to keep the majority of moisture circulating in the pan. Stir the mixture frequently and when removing the lid, make sure the moisture that condensed on the lid drips back into the pan. Not only will that water help slow cook the veggies but now it’s infused with flavor. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the mixture has fully cooked down. The onions should be soft and stringy, the peppers should almost be mush. Add in jalapeños and roasted red peppers. Cook for another 15 minutes with the lid off, stirring frequently. You may have to add in a tablespoon of water here and there to make sure the mixture doesn’t brown. When most of the water from the additional peppers has cooked off, remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Working in batches, add mixture to a food processor and pulse to a chunky consistency.

There are many ways to use this dish. You could smear it on bread as a little zesty snack, try adding some sharp cheddar for a mind bendingly good grilled cheese. As an additional condiment for Taco Tuesday. Or use it like a bouillon cube and add it in for a base to a soup or sauce. Really the world’s your oyster, or in this case your chili!

~Chef Sean

Chipotle Pumpkin Salsa Sandwich

Rick Bayless has done it again. He created another fantastic food product. Whole foods had a display of Frontera Chipotle Pumpkin Salsa (limited edition, seasonal recipe) and I grabbed a jar without hesitation.

Pumpkin salsa. Yum. It was so delicious I went back to Whole Foods for another jar. It goes well with chips and inspired a simple sanwhich of…

Toasted pumpernickel bread, avocado, Tillamook white cheddar cheese, and pumpkin salsa.

Best.New.Sandwhich.

Peach Salsa

Avocado, Tomato, and Corn Salsa