Salsa! Salsa! Salsa!

I don't know about you, but I love to snack. One of my favorite go-to snacks is chips and salsa. It's quick, easy and I don't feel super guilty afterward. I found these three salsa recipes while checking out Saveur.com.

Salsa Verde

The recipe for this smooth, spicy salsa—the first-prize winner in the green-sauce category at the 2008 Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival—comes from Marti Cardenas of Austin, Texas.

7 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, halved, and seeded
7 serrano chiles, stemmed, halved, and seeded
7 tomatillos, husked, washed, and halved
3 cloves garlic
2 plum tomatoes, cored
1 anaheim chile, stemmed, halved, and seeded
1 poblano chile, stemmed, halved, and seeded
1⁄2 onion
1⁄4 cup finely chopped cilantro
Kosher salt, to taste

1. Put first 8 ingredients into a 4-qt. saucepan; add 8 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chiles are soft, about 20 minutes.

2. Drain chile mixture and transfer to a food processor; purée. Let cool. Stir in cilantro and season with salt. Chill before serving.

MAKES 2 2⁄3 CUPS



Tomato Salsa

This recipe was based on one by John Cunningham, who first published his recipe in a local cookbook to raise money for an Austin-based charity called Colin's Hope (www.colinshope.org).

7 cloves garlic
2 serrano chiles, stemmed, halved,
and seeded
1 habanero chile, stemmed, halved,
and seeded
2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, cored
and seeded
1⁄2 white onion
1 1⁄2 cups canned, drained, and diced
fire-roasted tomatoes
1⁄3 cup fresh lime juice
1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt, to taste

1. In a food processor, chop garlic and chiles. Add beefsteak tomatoes and onion; pulse until chopped. Add fire-roasted tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, and scallions; pulse until roughly chopped. Season with salt.

MAKES 4 1⁄2 CUPS



Mango–Habanero Salsa

This recipe was based on one by Jill Lewis, first-place winner in the Special Variety category at the 2008 Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival. Adding the mangoes after puréeing gives this salsa a chunky texture.

3 tbsp. canola oil
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 tomatillos, husked and washed
3 tomatoes, cored
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange habanero chile
1 poblano chile
1⁄2 medium white onion
1⁄2 cup minced red onion
1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1⁄4 cup fresh lime juice
1 large mango, peeled, pitted,
and cut into 1⁄4" cubes
Kosher salt, to taste

1. Heat oven to broil; place a rack 6" from the heating element. Put the first 9 ingredients into a large bowl and toss. Transfer ingredients to a foil-lined baking sheet; broil, turning a few times, until blistered, 10–12 minutes. Transfer all but the peppers and chiles to a bowl; let cool. Continue broiling peppers and chiles until soft, 3–5 minutes. Let steam in a covered bowl for 15 minutes.

2. Peel garlic and stem, seed, and peel peppers and chiles; transfer all broiled vegetables to a food processor; process until finely chopped. Transfer salsa to a bowl and stir in red onions, cilantro, lime juice, and mangoes; season with salt.

MAKES ABOUT 5 CUPS



Provecho!