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By Alan DeCecco
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Salsa Yucatan
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My wife, Mandy, and I have just returned from 7 days of sun, relaxation, and dining on the sun
drenched Mayan Riviera in Tulum, Mexico. We have always loved Mexican food and looked forward to
coming home with new ideas. We were familiar with many of the standard Mexican dishes, however what
made many of them so unique were the fresh salsas served with them.
One restaurant prepared the salsa tableside in a lava bowl called a 'molcajete'
(pronounced mol-ca-he-tay) as they told you the menu
specialties of the day. Once we saw this it became our quest to find a molcajete and have a local
chef show us how to properly prepare this fresh salsa. After a long search and much haggling we were
able to buy a molcojete and the owner of the Cabanas where we stayed, demonstrated the following simple
recipe.
It is a mild salsa that they served with the daily breakfast. You can substitute 10 tomatillas
for the 5 plum tomatoes for a variation or try grilling or roasting the tomatoes. Enjoy!
Click here for a picture of the molcajete
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Salsa Yucatan
(Yields aprox. 2 cups)
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Ingredients:
5 plum tomato
1 clove garlic
2 serrano peppers
¼ medium onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Salt - to taste
Black pepper - to taste
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Preparation: |
| 1) |
Place a medium stockpot filled with water on the stovetop over medium high heat.
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| 2) |
Add peeled garlic clove and onion to pot.
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| 3) |
Remove stems from peppers & tomatoes and add to pot . |
| 4) |
Gently boil for 10-12 minute, remove from heat, drain and let cool (if you are substituting tomatillas for the plum tomatoes, boil for 15 minutes). |
| 5) |
Using the molcajete (or mortar and pestle) grind garlic and peppers into a smooth paste. |
| 6) |
Remove skins from the tomatoes. Gently mash the tomatoes one at a time in the molcajete trying to leave them a little chunky. |
| 7) |
Dice the onion. Add one tablespoon of the diced onions to the salsa along with the cilantro, salt & pepper. |
After returning home I found many sites online where a molcajete can be purchased for a reasonable price (with no haggling).
You can try www.folklordemexico.com or www.mexgrocer.com |
Our regular contributor to Chef's Corner, Aham Amachi, will return next month with a new recipe.
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