Bill Wight's Salsas

On November 16, 2001, Bill Wight gave a salsa seminar at the Association's Q-Fest in San Dimas.  Below are seven salsa recipes which Bill made at the Q-Fest, which include the black bean salsa recipe that several people asked him to provide.

Black Bean Salsa (Hearon)

Ingredients:

• 1 poblano chile*
• 2 cans black beans, cooked, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice, fresh
• 1/4 cup bell peppers, red
• 1/4 cup bell peppers, yellow
• 2 garlic cloves, roasted, peeled, chopped
• 1 slice onion, white, 3/4" inch, thick, roasted and chopped
• 1 tablespoon cilantro -- fresh, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chiles chipotle en adobo, canned
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted
• salt

* stemmed, seeded -- diced (roast and peel the poblano)

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in non-reactive bowl.

Toss briefly in sauté pan over medium heat and add salt to taste.

Serve at room temperature. 

Scale-up:  Can be scaled up in direct proportion.

Source:  Adapted from "Salsa" by Reed Hearon 1993.  Reprinted in Food Arts Magazine, June 1993, page 82.

Cranberry-Orange Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest, minced
• 2/3 cup pecans, toasted
• 4 teaspoons chile powder, red, mild

Preparation

Put all the ingredients in a blender jar and puree until smooth. 

This salsa is also excellent as a dip with chips or a topping on poultry or pork.

Jicama - Radish Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1 small jicama, peeled, grated
• 8 radishes, diced
• 3/4 cup cucumber, peeled, diced
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons red onion, diced
• 3/4 teaspoon chile powder
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil, minced
• 2/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix well. 

Serve as a dip with chips or on steak or pork as a topping.

Santa Fe Shrimp Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds baby shrimp -- cooked, cleaned
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic -- minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ginger root, fresh -- minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons red bell pepper -- minced
• 2 tablespoons yellow bell pepper -- minced
• 3 tablespoons cucumber -- peeled, diced
• 2 tablespoons basil, fresh -- minced
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, habanero style
• 1 teaspoon ginger juice

Preparation

Remove tails of shrimp if still attached. 

Heat the oil in a pan and add garlic and ginger and sauté for 2 minutes, until browned. 

Add the shrimp and salt and sauté for 2 minutes longer. 

Add the orange juice and vinegar and cook for 30 seconds longer while stirring. 

Transfer to a glass bowl and add remaining ingredients and mix well. 

Makes a great dip for chips or a topping for grilled fish.

Tejas Sunflower Seed Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1 pound tomatillos -- blackened*
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes -- drained
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds -- toasted
• 1/4 cup grapefruit juice
• 1 tablespoon grapefruit zest -- minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (less if using salted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon cayenne or red chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Preparation

Slice tomatillos and put into hot cast iron skillet and dry fry until browned on each side. 

Place the tomatillos and sun-dried tomatoes in a blender jar and process until smooth. 

Add remaining ingredients and process until just a little chunky. 

Serve as a dip with chips or on poultry or pork.

Salsa Fresca - Garden Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ripe red tomatoes -- rough chop
• 1 pound green tomatoes -- rough chop - or- 1 pound tomatillos -- chop
• 6 large Anaheim peppers -- seeded, deveined, -- rough chop
• 1/2 bunch cilantro -- fresh
• 1 medium white or yellow onion -- rough chop
• 2 jalapeno peppers -- seeded, rough chop;  adjust number of hot peppers for desired heat level
• 2 juice of 2 limes
• 2 teaspoons salt -- (to taste)

Preparation

If using a food processor or salsa maker, add tomatoes first and process/chop being careful not to turn tomatoes into mush. 

Add tomatoes to large mixing bowl.  Process/chop the onion and peppers separately to about 1/4-inch size pieces and add to bowl. 

Hand chop the cilantro with a knife, discard thicker stems and add to mixing bowl. 

Mix all ingredients. Remove excess liquid and drink--lots of vitamin C.  Add lime juice and salt to taste.

Recipe by Bill Wight.

Note:  this salsa is best if made with home-grown tomatoes.  You can also add a diced ripe avocado.

Pico De Gallo - Old Mexican Style

Ingredients:

• 3 cans jicama -- chopped
• 2 cans orange -- chopped
• 2 lemons
• chile piquin, powdered -- to taste
• salt -- to taste

Preparation

Mix the diced jicama and chopped orange, add the juice from two lemons and salt to taste. 

Let it rest for three hours before serving. 

Just before serving dust top with powdered chile piquin.

Recipe by Josefina Velazquez De Leon.  Mexican Cook Book.  1947

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