Centex’s Salsa Vault (post yours here too if ya want)

fiber_induced_deuce

Does anyone have a kick-butt aus jus recipe?

Is aus jus salsa?

fence0407

Bookmarked! Looking forward to trying some of these. I'll see if I can contribute any salsa recipes. I have recently gotten into making hot sauces which are similar!

buzd504

caliking said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

dmchicago said:

Looks amazing.

I made a stupid simple salsa verde yesterday for some Chilaquiles I made for breakfast.

I think the best salsas are the simple ones. If it gets over 4-5 fresh ingredients or a few dried chilis I get skeptical real fast. I can make any salsa I want with some combo of: tomato, tomatillo, lime, dried chilis, jalapeno/serrano, garlic, onion, cilantro, and salt. 

This begs the existential question...

What IS salsa??

Technically, isn't is just spanish for "sauce" ?

(although I understand that's not really what you were asking)

Botch

I've had a peach salsa that was quite good: minced peaches/juice, minced purple onion, minced jalapeño, cilantro and salt.  

Botch

buzd504 said:
Technically, isn't is just spanish for "sauce" ?

Correct.  Per Huntley Dent, author of Feast of Santa Fe:
 
Salsa Fresca:  fresh/uncooked sauce
Salsa Cruda:  cooked sauce
Salsa PIcante:  sauce with onions & chilies

Possibly my all-time favorite cookbook, and I'm glad you prompted me to pull it down from the shelf.  

buzd504

Botch said:

I've had a peach salsa that was quite good: minced peaches/juice, minced purple onion, minced jalapeño, cilantro and salt.  

I love fruit salsas, particularly peach, pineapple and mango.

It's led me to just putting hot sauce (Valentina's) on bowls of cut fruit, which makes my wife crazy.

caliking

buzd504 said:

Botch said:

I've had a peach salsa that was quite good: minced peaches/juice, minced purple onion, minced jalapeño, cilantro and salt.  

I love fruit salsas, particularly peach, pineapple and mango.

It's led me to just putting hot sauce (Valentina's) on bowls of cut fruit, which makes my wife crazy.

Have you tried chamoy on fruit?

buzd504

caliking said:

buzd504 said:

Botch said:

I've had a peach salsa that was quite good: minced peaches/juice, minced purple onion, minced jalapeño, cilantro and salt.  

I love fruit salsas, particularly peach, pineapple and mango.

It's led me to just putting hot sauce (Valentina's) on bowls of cut fruit, which makes my wife crazy.

Have you tried chamoy on fruit?

I had to look that up.  I have not.  Sounds right up my alley though.

loco_engr

from a local chain

Carlos O Kellys Salsa (clone) but pretty dang close 

INGREDIENTS

4 jalapeno chile peppers 

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1 onion, finely chopped 

1 tablespoon white sugar 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers 

1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). 

Place jalapeno chile peppers on a medium baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 15 minutes, or until roasted. Remove from heat and chop off stems. 

Place jalapeno chile peppers, garlic, onion, white sugar, salt, ground cumin and diced tomatoes with green chile peppers in a blender or food processor. Chop using the pulse setting for a few seconds. Mix in whole peeled tomatoes. Chop using the pulse setting to attain desired consistency. Transfer to a medium bowl. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

smbishop

fiber_induced_deuce said:

Does anyone have a kick-butt aus jus recipe?

@[email protected] RRP's is the best, IMO:

From here:  https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1210718/so-what-have-i-forgotten-1st-time-prime-rib/p1

LOL Here's my latest!

RRP's Au Jus Recipe  - Updated version 9-19-17 

1  14 oz Swanson Beef Broth (box – not the can)

1  10-1/2 ounce can of Campbell's French Onion soup

½  of the soup can cold water

1   T Worcestershire sauce

1   teaspoon of garlic salt

1   teaspoon onion powder

1   Wyler’s brand beef bouillon cubes

1   T Better Than Beef Bouillon

1   teaspoon Chings Superior Dark soy sauce

1   teaspoon oyster sauce

Bring ingredients to a boil in saucepan, letting it boil for 1 minute then
simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain and discard onions. strain and discard onions.  Serve au jus dipping sauce hot. Can be made 2

days ahead.  Makes 3 cups. BTW I also make a batch of this and then pour it into large ice cube trays. Two melted cubes make wonderful Bloody Bull! 

20stone

@The Cen-Tex Smoker, nice work starting this thread.  Salsa is definitely a "why would I ever buy this again" item, and it's great having this as a ready resource.

I need tacos

Foghorn

20stone said:

@The Cen-Tex Smoker, nice work starting this thread.  Salsa is definitely a "why would I ever buy this again" item, and it's great having this as a ready resource.

I need tacos

@20stone, are you headed to Bill Miller?  I've heard that homemade salsa goes great on their tacos.  I won't reveal the source.

20stone

Foghorn said:

20stone said:

@The Cen-Tex Smoker, nice work starting this thread.  Salsa is definitely a "why would I ever buy this again" item, and it's great having this as a ready resource.

I need tacos

@20stone, are you headed to Bill Miller?  I've heard that homemade salsa goes great on their tacos.  I won't reveal the source.

Life saving hero ER doc or not, the minute this quarantine lifts you better have your head on a swivel, MF, 'cause, just because that was a jest-troll doesn't mean I'm not blinded by rage and plotting revenge.

Foghorn

20stone said:

Foghorn said:

20stone said:

@The Cen-Tex Smoker, nice work starting this thread.  Salsa is definitely a "why would I ever buy this again" item, and it's great having this as a ready resource.

I need tacos

@20stone, are you headed to Bill Miller?  I've heard that homemade salsa goes great on their tacos.  I won't reveal the source.

Life saving hero ER doc or not, the minute this quarantine lifts you better have your head on a swivel, MF, 'cause, just because that was a jest-troll doesn't mean I'm not blinded by rage and plotting revenge.

Noted.

It will be good to see you when circumstances allow.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

20stone said:

@The Cen-Tex Smoker, nice work starting this thread.  Salsa is definitely a "why would I ever buy this again" item, and it's great having this as a ready resource.

I need tacos

Just had one with the tex Mex salsa above. So good! 

sumoconnell

Pro-tip:
Don't let folks dip chips into the large salsa container that will be used in the future, it makes the remaining salsa too salty. Instead put the salsa you intend to use for chips in a serving bowl or whatever.

We have 2 types of salsa - the primary salsa we have is as a condiment, and wouldn't be good with chips.  If we are making chip salsa, we tend to add more stuff like and larger chunks of onion, cilantro, etc. 

Here is my family red salsa's - it all starts with a basic salsa, and then modify.  It's like the 6th mother sauce.

Salsa #3 I use like a BBQ sauce for brisket.

Basic Salsa: (makes like 1-1.5 cups, double/triple recipe as needed)

1 medium tomato, just ripe... not overripe

3-4 Serrano peppers for mild/hot

5-6  Serrano peppers for hot/OMG

Directions:

Roughly chop the tomato into 4-5 chunks, add a little salt on the tomato

Roughly chop the serrano

Place all in the handi blender, blend until just fine, not too long.

Salt to taste.  Note: salt takes a few minutes to take hold, so don't over salt it. But, without enough salt there is no flavor.  Such is life.

Done!   This will keep in the fridge for at least a week. The spice will calm down each day.  It's better to start hot for that reason, you still want flavor on the 10th day.  Note, hotter also keeps longer.

We make small batches, often, since it's so easy, that's why the recipe is so small.

Modifications:

1. Roasted salsa is the same recipe, except that you blacken the tomato and serrano on a griddle before blending.  The more roasted the tomato the better.  Peel off the skins before blending.  Careful adding salt to warm salsa, you can't taste it.. but you need to add salt on tomatoes as soon as possible.

2. For chip salsa, take roasted salsa, and add half a bunch of cilantro tops to it when blending, and add finely diced onion slice after blending.  No need to de-stem the cilantro, just take roughly the top 1/3 of the cilantro bunch.

3. Smokey salsa - Take the roasted salsa recipe (maybe 2x) and add some dried and roasted peppers.  These are dried ancho or anehiem peppers (long red dried ones).  Split, them, seed them, and quickly roast the skins on a hot griddle.  Add them to the blender... very red, very good salsa.  I like to do 5 dry peppers and add it to the (2x) roasted salsa recipe.  Very good flavor!

4. Smokey chip salsa - do the chip salsa modifications to #3

thetrim

If Ketchup is an ingredient, can it be salsa?

thetrim

https://barbecuebible.com/recipe/grilled-salsa/

I wonder which one of you provided the pictures for this post...

KiterTodd

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

We’ve been making salsa for 25 years or so and always have a few good ones lying around. ..

This whole thing took 10 min start to finish. Way better than anything you can buy in a jar. 

Great thread and thanks for the pics and details.

How long does it keep?  I know... quick to make, but often just the process of shopping for simple ingredients and cleaning the food processor is enough of a deterrent.    

I'm guessing you can can it, or freeze it pretty easily.  What about in the fridge, though?  Does the lime keep it fresh for a couple weeks?

Gulfcoastguy

fishlessman said:

hotdog salsa, this ones a sweet habanero

Grind 1-2 peck green tomatoes, 10 red pimiento peppers, 6 green bell peppers, 5 tiny hot peppers, 10 onions. Drain. Pour boiling water (I didn’t use boiling water) over above and let stand 15 minutes. Drain again. Put vegetables in large kettle, add 1 pint vinegar (5 cups) (barely cover), 3 1-2 cups granulated sugar, 1-4 cup salt, 1-4 cup mustard seed, 3 tablespoons celery seed, *1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon allspice, 1 tablespoon ground cloves* (*omitted*). Bring to a full rolling boil. Pour into sterile jars and seal at once

Is that first quantity a half peck and are those jars pictured pints or quarts?

The Cen-Tex Smoker

KiterTodd said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

We’ve been making salsa for 25 years or so and always have a few good ones lying around. ..

This whole thing took 10 min start to finish. Way better than anything you can buy in a jar. 

Great thread and thanks for the pics and details.

How long does it keep?  I know... quick to make, but often just the process of shopping for simple ingredients and cleaning the food processor is enough of a deterrent.    

I'm guessing you can can it, or freeze it pretty easily.  What about in the fridge, though?  Does the lime keep it fresh for a couple weeks?

The red stuff keeps a week, the tomatillo much longer (2-3 weeks). 

You can scale the recipe down if you don’t think you will use it all. We eat salsa breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack in this house (not every day but at least one or 2 of those every day) so it never makes it a week. Plus I currently have 2 young adults hanging with us during the quarantine and they crush it. The red stuff is already gone. 2 quarts in 2 days lol. 

fishlessman

Gulfcoastguy said:

fishlessman said:

hotdog salsa, this ones a sweet habanero

Grind 1-2 peck green tomatoes, 10 red pimiento peppers, 6 green bell peppers, 5 tiny hot peppers, 10 onions. Drain. Pour boiling water (I didn’t use boiling water) over above and let stand 15 minutes. Drain again. Put vegetables in large kettle, add 1 pint vinegar (5 cups) (barely cover), 3 1-2 cups granulated sugar, 1-4 cup salt, 1-4 cup mustard seed, 3 tablespoons celery seed, *1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon allspice, 1 tablespoon ground cloves* (*omitted*). Bring to a full rolling boil. Pour into sterile jars and seal at once

Is that first quantity a half peck and are those jars pictured pints or quarts?

i just kept adding til the pot looked full, those are mostly san marzanos from my raided beds.  bought bigger 5/8  grinding plates for the kitchen aid and ran it all thru the grinder.

SciAggie

This is a unique salsa that my family asks for when a bunch of us get together. It is truly best if you make it using a live fire - (BGE, WFO, Santa Maria grill, etc).
The dried chilies make this have an earthiness that we enjoy.

Fire Roasted Salsa Negra

Ingredients

• 4-5 dried red Hatch or other large red chile peppers
• 2 pounds firm red tomatoes
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 2 fresh pasilla chile peppers about 10 ounces (substitute poblano if you can't find them)
• 1 medium red onion peeled and rough chopped
• 4 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Cover the dried chiles with boiling water and let soak for 30 minutes. Make sure they are covered by the water.
• While the chiles soak, turn your broiler on high, and set the rack at the highest setting. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the tomatoes on it. Broil for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the tomatoes are blackened all over. Set aside.
• Do the same with the pasilla and jalapeno peppers, leave them whole, don't chop. When they are blackened all over, remove and set aside.
• Repeat the procedure with the soaked peppers.
• Put the onion and the garlic in the food processor and pulse until finely minced. Turn into a large bowl. Add the salt, pepper, spices, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce.
• Chop the blackened tomatoes in quarters, and puree, in the food processor, working in batches if necessary. Add the puree to the bowl with the onions and spices.
• Remove and discard the stems from all the peppers and chop them in half. Puree them in the processor, and then add to the bowl. Note: I did not remove the seeds from the peppers.
• Add the olive oil to the bowl and blend everything together. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, or until ready to serve. Be sure to taste the salsa prior to serving to adjust any of the seasonings. Note, this is a relatively thick salsa.

caliking

Including another one here for (my) reference...

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1214915/fire-roasted-egged-salsa-tonite-wow/p1

caliking

@SciAggie that sounds outstanding! Its on my list, after the next grocery run. 

SciAggie

caliking said:

@SciAggie that sounds outstanding! Its on my list, after the next grocery run. 

I will bet that it is DIFFERENT than salsa you have made before. I hope you like it. 

Pro tip: When it says blacken - it means burn the hades out of the food. Not what we normally want to do. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Very spicy tomatillo Chile De Arbol salsa:

This is like the hot red salsa you get at chipotle. This will light you up! You can halve the peppers or up the tomatillos if you don’t like really spicy stuff. 

ingredients:

1lb  of husked tomatillos
1 oz dried arbol chili pods
2 cloves garlic 
tsp ground cumin 

Large pinch of Salt

stem the arbol chilis and dump out as many seeds as you can. Toast them Very quickly in a medium hot skillet until they become “fragrant” (it’s more like tear gas lol). Don’t let them get too dark as they get bitter when they over toast. Bring a sauce pan of water to a boil and place the arbol chilis in. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 20-30’min until they are soft. 

While doing this, husk and rinse the tomatillos and place under a broiler on a foil lined pan until very black and blistered. Turn tomatillos and blistered the other side you can also cut the tomatillos in half and roast both sides at the same time. Just don’t lose and of the awesome juices that come out. Put the garlic cloves in there (still in paper) and pull them when they get soft (about 5 min). 

Peel the paper off the garlic, place the garlic, tomatillos (with all the drippings), peppers, cumin, salt, and a tablespoon of the pepper water in a blender and give it a spin on low until very well blended (no chunks in this one). 

Squeeze of lime is always good but this one is pretty zippy from the tomatillos already. Taste for salt, add if needed and refrigerate for a few hours before eating if you can. 

Chile de Arbol:

The salsa (this is a stick photo as somehow I don’t have a good pic of mine. It looks
exactly like this though:

Here it is in a taco

Made a fresh batch tonight. So good. And, I refuse to be garlic shamed by people who shall remain unnamed (rhymes with shallot queen) so I doubled the garlic. Turns out he was right. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

caliking said:

 Posting Cen-Tex's salsa recipe from his Breakfast Taco Project thread, because I'm a lazy sumbitch, and want one salsa thread for reference later.

"Roasted Tomatillo Habanero Salsa:
2lbs tomatillos

2 cloves garlic
Juice of 1-1.5 lime (to your liking)
Tsp cumin 
1.5 habanero peppers 
Big pinch 50/50 salt and pepper

In this batch I used jalapeno Because I had them. If you use jalapeno roast 3-5 of them (depending on how hot you like it) with everything else. 

Directions:
Husk Tomatillos and remove stems from tomatillos and peppers. 

Place tomatillos, garlic and peppers on a foil lined sheet pan under broiler on high. After 5 min or so (when getting very blistered and dark, turn peppers and tomatillos to blister the other side. If garlic has started to soften, remove at this time. 

Once peppers and tomatillos have blistered and softened, put all ingredients in blender (make sure you get any liquid that has run out onto the foil

blend on low 30-60 seconds until there are no chunks. 

This recipe Makes exactly 2 pint jars full. Scale up or down to your liking. "

Made again tonight and doubled the garlic. It was a good idea. As you can see, it was just the perfect amount for the jar  😂 (had to skim a little with a few chips to get it to fit). 

made a batch of the Chile de arbol version as well. Both are in the fridge for an overnight nap before “BTS” (breakfast taco Saturday). Going to be a good weekend 

bucky925

caliking said:

Including another one here for (my) reference...

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1214915/fire-roasted-egged-salsa-tonite-wow/p1

That's the one I make.  Got it off this forum of course .   The Peppers change according to the time of year, but if I haven't made a batch for a while I start getting tomatoes left on the porch with a note for salsa....lol

caliking

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

...and doubled the garlic. It was a good idea. As you can see, it was just the perfect amount for the jar  😂 (had to skim a litt

made a batch of the Chile de arbol version as well. Both are in the fridge for an overnight nap before “BTS” (breakfast taco Saturday). Going to be a good weekend 

  It gives me much joy that you're on the DTG (double the garlic) side now.

There will be salsa today. No tomatillos at HEB yesterday, so kinda bummed that I can't try the Chile de arbol one. 

@SciAggie for your salsa negra, do you rub the peppers with oil before roasting? And do you peel the blackened skins before blending?