Simple Salsa 09/17/2010
 
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Do you have a favorite cookbook? You know, the go-to book that you never tire of reading with the recipes over which you never tire of drooling. I cannot honestly narrow it down to a single book; however, I can tell you that one of my all-time favorites is an attractive little dust-jacketed book published back in 1992 called “Burning Desires”. The author is W. Park Kerr of the El Paso Chile Company, and sadly, I haven’t ever tried any of their products, but I have certainly spent hours over the years reading and contemplating Kerr’s sassy recipes for the grill. And I know that summer is nearing an end and my thoughts should be turning to apples, pumpkins, and spiced cider…and they are, just not completely. I never turn completely away from the grill; I have been warmed many a winter evening by a spicy sauce-slathered bite of grilled meat à la Kerr. And although I read (and re-read) Burning Desires as if it were a sultry novel, it is rare that I actually follow one of Kerr’s recipes. Perhaps I never have all the ingredients for the recipe I would like to make. Or maybe I tweak something to suit my family’s unique taste preferences. Kerr says shrimp, I use chicken. He writes Serrano, I sub jalapeno. Regardless of my refashioning, it always seems to work, and somehow, I think Park Kerr wouldn’t mind. A man who writes with his wit and grills with such passion has to be open-minded, especially when it comes to food. And so, as I perused Burning Desires yet again, I began thinking of what I would put on the table on busy autumn weekends filled with football games, festivals, and hayrides. Something I could make ahead, something everyone would enjoy, something that was free of gluten, dairy, egg, soy, and nuts. Something with nutritive value. Something simple and quick. After reading so many of Kerr’s wonderful salsa and guacamole recipes, I then, very hungrily, closed the book and headed to the kitchen and made a few chip-worthy dips, no one coming from Kerr’s book, but all three inspired completely by Burning Desires. Once again, thank you, Mr. Kerr. 

Here’s the recipe for Simple Salsa, or Winter Salsa, as I call it, due to the canned organic tomatoes that it requires. I tend to be a purist when it comes to food, eating primarily what is in season, but my yearning for salsa does not die out with the summer, so I turn to this recipe when I must. Enjoy!

Simple Salsa
28-ounce can of organic diced tomatoes
½ medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium tomatillo, quartered
2 cloves of roasted garlic
1 T. diced jalapeno pepper (or to taste)
¼ c. finely minced cilantro
½ t. toasted cumin, ground
1 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ t. sea salt
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper

Add tomatoes, onion, tomatillo, garlic, and pepper to the bowl of your food processor and pulse 6-8 times until all ingredients are reduced in size and somewhat uniform, but not puréed. Pour into serving bowl; add cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper and stir. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to fully develop before serving with your favorite gluten-free organic chips.
 


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