Tag: Mexican

Meche’s Salsa Fresca

Some time ago, with Meche’s permission, I shared her recipe for guacamole on “Courage in the Kitchen.” Since fresh vegetables are still available at the local Farmers Markets, it’s not too late to make a batch of Meche’s Salsa Fresca. Salsa Fresca literally means “fresh sauce.” It is also called Pico de Gallo, which translates as “rooster’s beak,” heaven knows why. I prefer to call it salsa fresca.

Unlike the salsas you buy in jars at the supermarket, salsa fresca is made with fresh uncooked vegetables and must be stored in the refrigerator, It’s a wonderfully refreshing dip with tortilla chips, a flavorful sauce over scrambled eggs, and goes great with tacos, enchiladas and burritos.

And if you are counting carbs or watching calories, you would be hard pressed to find a better food to complement a low carb low calorie meal.

Meche made clear that her recipe is just a guide. Feel free to change the proportion of ingredients and even add some other ingredients such as radishes, cucumbers or even salad shrimp. Meche even said that the avocado was optional, but she seems to include one most of the time, and I like avocados. Start with tomatoes, onion, peppers and lime juice and go on from there.

4 medium tomatoes (about 3 inches in diameter)
1 small onion (1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter)
2 to 3 Jalapeño peppers or Serrano chiles
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 large clove garlic
2 T fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 avocado

Wash all the vegetables thoroughly. Remove the stem scar and cut the tomatoes in half. Remove the seeds and pulp and chop the tomatoes into half inch pieces. Peel and finely chop the onion.

Remove the stems, seeds and white membrane from the peppers and chop them into a quarter inch dice. Remove the coarse stems from the cilantro and chop the leaves finely. Peel and mince the garlic.

Cut a firm, barely ripe avocado in half, remove the seed and scoop the flesh from the rind with a spoon. Chop the halves into a coarse dice.

Stir the tomatoes, onion, peppers, cilantro and garlic together in a medium bowl. Juice a lime and stir two tablespoons of the fresh juice into the vegetables along with the salt.

Taste and add salt or more juice if necessary.

NOTES: For a milder salsa, substitute part of a green bell pepper for one or two of the jalapeño peppers. For a spicier salsa, use Serrano peppers or add a dash of hot sauce. If you like garlic, add an extra clove.

This recipe works best with an avocado that is very firm. If it feels just slightly soft when you press on the rind, it is right for salsa. If your avocados have gotten too soft, do not despair. Here’s a link to the recipe for Meche’s Guacamole

Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad with Lime-Cumin Vinaigrette

Susie, one of Jerri’s nieces, is a missionary with World Impact. For many years she worked with African-American and Hispanic families in Watts. Today she serves families in Wichita, Kansas.

Susie speaks Spanish as a second language and has learned many recipes from Latinas with whom she has become friends. Here is a salad that she made for us a couple of years ago that comes from “south of the border.”

Not only is Susie a past president of the Student Government Association at Wichita State University, she is also an excellent cook who shared a great recipe with her aunt and uncle. Follow her directions and I think you’ll agree.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. crushed garlic
2 tsp. salt
6 T lime juice (preferably from small, sweet Mexican limes)
1/4 cup oil
2 lb. (about 3 large) avocados, pitted
2 ears of corn, grilled and husked
1/4 lb. red radishes (about 12 medium)
1/4 cup diced red onion

PROCEDURE:

First peel the husks back from the ears of corn and remove the silk. If you happen to find a corn earworm, that’s good news, because it tells you that the farmer did not overuse pesticides. Just remove the worm and cut away and rinse the affected area of the ear. Straighten the husks back over the ears and tie the ends together with a piece of loose husk. Soak the ears in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes.

Warm your grill or start the charcoal while the corn is soaking and prepare the dressing. Wash and juice the limes and crush or mince the garlic very finely. Whisk the cumin, garlic, salt, lime juice and oil together in a small bowl.

Shake the extra water off the ears and grill them over medium heat for about twenty minutes, turning them every four or five minutes, until the kernels are tender when you stick one with a fork or knife. Take the ears from the grill, remove the husks and allow the ears to cool.

The best avocados for this salad are just barely ripe. They should be slightly soft but not mushy. Wash and dry them and cut them in half with a large sharp knife. Remove the pits and use a soup spoon to carefully remove the flesh without crushing it. Slice the flesh into quarter inch thick slices. Put the slices in a large mixing bowl, pour two tablespoons of dressing over the top, and stir gently to coat each slice.

Remove the avocado slices, draining any extra dressing back into the bowl, and arrange them in a layer on a serving platter.

Peel the ears of corn and use a sharp knife to cut the kernels from the cob into the mixing bowl.

Clean and chop the onion into a medium dice. Wash and cut the radishes lengthwise into quarters. If necessary cut the quarters in half to make pieces no more than three-fourths of an inch in any dimension. Add the radishes and onion to the corn in the bowl. Stir in the rest of the dressing and stir to coat the vegetables well.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables from the dressing. Put them on top of the avocados and serve.

NOTES: Grilled corn is delicious. Soaking the ears provides the extra moisture needed to steam the kernels, and the charred husks add a subtle smoky flavor to the corn. Some people add butter or salt to the ears before grilling, but we let people add whatever they like at the table. Do not add anything to the ears you use for the salad as there is plenty of salt and oil in the dressing.

You can make a wonderful dinner of grilled chicken, grilled ears of corn and this salad. Grill the two ears first and let them cool while the chicken and other ears of corn are cooking and you are making the salad.