Recipe(tried): Salsa (6)

For the salsa crowd. Any of the salsas can be made to your own heat preference depending on the chile type and amount you want to use.....that is all except the last one listed here....it is always incendiary. I have included a few antidotes, if things get out of hand....all of the salsas that I have listed today are from a marvelous little book called Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys and Chowchow by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby
I have made most of these myself.....more than once.
Enjoy!
Nancy

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AVOCADO AND CORN SALSA
Source: Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys and Chowchow by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby

"This is great with shrimp or other seafoods."

3 ears corn (about 2 cups kernels), husked and desilked
3 ripe-firm avocado, peeled, pitted, diced large
1 red onion, diced small
1 red bell pepper, diced small
1/3 cup virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 to 8 shots Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup lime juice (about 4 limes)
Salt and freshly cracked pepper (to taste)

Blanch the corn in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and cool under cold water. Cut the kernels off the cob and mix together with all the remaining ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

This Salsa will keep, covered and refrigerated, about 2-3 days.

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CORN AND CHILE SALSA AHUMADO (SMOKED CORN AND CHILE SALSA)
Source: Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys and Chowchow by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby
Makes about 3 cups

"Mexico is generally credited by historians as the original home of corn, or maize, as it is called throughout the rest of the world. Whatever the case may be, it is indisputabl that corn goes very well with other major ingredient of Mexican cooking, the ubiquitous chili pepper. In this salsa, we bring these two New World buddies together once again, combining smoky, lightly grilled corn with the rich, smoky flovor of chipotles, which are dried, smoked jalapenos peppers."

4 ears corn, husked and desilked
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and freshly cracked pepper (to taste)
4 scallions, ends removed, thinly sliced
1 Red bell pepper, seeded, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced chipotle pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Rub the corn lightly with the vegetable oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Grill over a low fire.* To check the fire temperature, hold your hand about 5 inches above the grilling surface. If you can hold it there for 1 to 2 seconds, you have a hot fire; 3 to 4 seconds, a medium fire; 5 to 6 seconds, a low fire. Longer tan that, and your fire is too cool. Roll the ears around with your tongs to be sure they cook evenly, until the corn is slightly charred, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Remove the ears from the grill, and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, slice the kernels with all the remaining ingredients.

This salsa will keep, covered and refrigerated for 3 to 4 days.

*If you are making this in the winter and don't like grilling in the snow, you can boil the corn for 1 to 2 minutes instead of grilling it, but you will lose some of the ineffable charred flavor.

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ORANGE-CUCUMBER RELISH WITH CHILE PEPPERS AND MINT
Source: Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys and Chowchow by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby

"Try this one with fish."

3 Navel oranges, peeled, chopped in bite size
2 small cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons minced red or green chile pepper of your choice
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
salt and freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.

This relish will keep, covered and refrigerated, 2-3 days.

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PAPAYA SALSA
Source: Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys and Chowchow by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby
Makes about 3 cups

"This is one of my favorites - healthful, quick, colorful, and full of intense flavors that cover the waterfront from sweet to sour to hot to smooth. Partially this is due to the character of the papaya, whose musky flavor mixes and mingles so well with other tropical ingredients. In any case, this is the kind of mixture that got me hooked on salsas to begin with. I think this is great with almost anything, but for starters, try it with seafood.

1 Ripe Papaya, peeled, seeded, roughly chopped*
1 small Red Bell pepper, sliced, short thin slices
1 small red onion, sliced, long thin slices
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup pineapple juice
6 tablespoons lime juice (about 3 limes)
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
salt and freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together well.

This salsa will keep, covered and refrigerated, 3 to 4 days.

*This salsa recipe from central casting - you can substitute any fruit you have around, from peaches to mangoes to pineapples.

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ROASTED HABANERO SALSA FROM HELL
Source: Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys and Chowchow by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby
Makes about 2 cups

"Okay, heat lovers, this one's for you. If you think that jalapeno peppers make a nice snack with eaten by the handful, and your favorite culinary comment is "Nah, that's not really hot." Then whip up a batch of this and take a big bite. For the rest of us, a little of this baby y goes a long way. The fuel here is the habanero, or Scotch Bonnet, the hottest chile pepper know to humankind. Fortunately, it is also the most flavorful, with a distinctive taste and a pungent, nasal heat. Instead of making the back of your throat burn, like many other chiles do, this one goes right to your head. To me, there is nothing better.

You might want to try mixing this with plain pasta, using about a tablespoon per serving---you'll still get a good dose of heat."

1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic -
6 ripe plum tomatoes, halved
salt and freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
10 Habanero chili peppers, stems removed
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro -

In a small bowl, combine the tablespoon of olive oil and garlic and mix will. Rub the tomato halves with this mixture, sprinkle them with salt and freshly cracked pepper, and roast in a 500 degree oven until they begin to take on some serious color, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, allow to cool to room temperature, and dice.

Meanwhile, grill the habanero peppers over a medium-hot fire until slightly colored, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the peppers from the fire and mince. (Be very careful when working with this pepper. Wear gloves when mincing it, and if you get any of the juice on your skin, wash it off with a mild bleach solution, which neutralized the capsaicin. Also, be sure you don't rub your eyes while working with these peppers, and wash your hands well after you're done. These little guys are incendiary.)

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the tomatoes, peppers, 1/4 cup olive oil, lime juice, and cilantro, mix well, and prepare for take off.

This salsa will keep, covered and refrigerated about 5 to 6 days, mainly because no mold or bacteria would dare to come near the stuff.

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CHILE PEPPER ANTIDOTES
Source: Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys and Chowchow by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby

If your tolerance for heat is less than you thought it was - or if you just under estimated the power of the habanero - you might want to try one of the following antidotes to cool off your mouth. Each has its own adherents, so you'll just have to experiment to see which works best for you.
Chocolate * Milk * Corn bread or other breads * Rice * Pasta * Sugar * Vintage port * Orange Creamsicles (Personal favorite of K. C. O'Hara chef at the East Coast Grill)
(I, Nancy, have also received additions....lime jello and limeade.)
Nancy (4-16-97)