SALSA

I wrote the first part of this post last September. Most of it is still true. Updates below.

Remember I said that I'd found a Mexican place that looked like it wouldn't charge ten pounds for a burrito? Well, I've yet to see it open. I managed to find some tiny cans of vegetarian refried beans and a container of salsa without corn ingredients of any kind, some tortillas and even "soured cream." But the beans were terrible (and expensive) and the salsa was somehow gelled with guar gum. Yum. So I decided to make some salsa. Without any cookbooks or ready access to the internet, I bought what I believed to be the appropriate ingredients and then thought about it a little. I then gave in and managed to look up some recipes on the internet, but since they all seemed to be about mango and cucumber and corn, or involved oven roasting (we still don't have use of our oven--but the parts should be here any day now), I gleaned the basics and set about doing it my way. I must admit it turned out pretty well. For those of you who care, here's what I did:

Roast a red pepper lightly on a fork over gas flame. Chop and set aside after it cools. Take a bunch of small tomatoes and sort of flash-fry them whole in a tiny bit of oil, stirring frequently so they get more than one edge cooked some. Take them out to cool after a short while, as skins start to split a little. Then throw in some chunks of onion and a sliced chili or two and stir-fry quickly until charred edges and softened, adding garlic at the very end as the pan cools. Chop up the tomatoes, drain, chop the onions/chilis and mix it all together in a bowl. Add the red pepper and some raw chopped garlic. Season with salt, some cumin, a bit of black pepper, some chopped cilantro and a few squeezes of lime. Yum, yum.

And I've got some black beans soaking, as I can't find them canned here. Tomorrow's going to be a Mexican extravaganza at our house.

UPDATE:

Have since seen mexican place open, and found another. But both have sweet overly thick salsa-like stuff, thereby making it not very mexican. So I still make salsa at home, weekly. Now I make it without cooking tomatoes or onions, without red peppers, and only roast the chili peppers over the gas stove flame. Delicious, and a staple of our diets 'round here. We've also managed to find canned refried beans, which don't compare to stewed black beans, but who has the time, really?

I'm also learning to make indian food, as the ingredients are easily bought in any corner store here, and I have an indian friend who let me in on some secrets.