Salsa

Salsa translates to sauce in Spanish. The preparation of chopped tomatoes or tomatillos, chili peppers and other produce dates back to the Incas, Aztecs and Mayans. A Franciscan monk, Alonso de Molina first called this preparation salsa in 1571 http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/salsas/history-of-salsa.asp. There are two broad categories of salsas. Salsa Roja refers to red salsas with tomatoes as the main ingredient. Salsa Verde refers green salsas with tomatillos as the main ingredient. Close cousins to salsa are mole and guacamole.

Salsa is used as a food topping, a dip and sometimes a sidedish. It is used in Mexican Cuisine as a topping for burritios, quesadillas and tacos and as a dip for tortilla chips. In American Food salsa is commonly used to top eggs, hashbrowns, baked potatoes and many other foods where ketchup would customarily be used. Salsa plays an important role in Tex-Mex and Soutwestern cooking as well. It is often paired with sour cream for a cool smooth contrast to the heat of the chili peppers and onions.

Preparation of Tomatoes or Tomatillos Traditional salsa recipes begin with either tomatoes or tomatillos as the base. Tomatoes may be fresh or canned. Fresh may be simply chopped or skinned then chopped. Tomatillos are most often skinned and chopped. To skin these fruits, prepare a pot of boiling water and a boil of ice water, score an x on the bottom of each fruit, plunge the fruit into the boiling water for a few seconds, then submerge in ice water to prevent the fruit from cooking. Using a paring knife, peel back the skin from the x to the stem.

Selection and Preparation of Chili Peppers The heat of the finished product is determined by the chili pepper used and the preparation of the pepper. The heat of chili peppers depends on the amount of capsaicin they have. Capsaicin is measured in Scoville units as shown in the Scoville Scale. Jalepeno peppers, found in mild to medium salsa recipes, measure 2500-5000 Scoville units while Habanero peppers, found in extra hot salsa recipes, measure 200,000-500,000 Scoville unitshttp://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Cooking-Tips--Techniques-642/chile-heat-scale.aspx. The heat of each pepper can be reduced by removing the seeds and the veins and discarding them. Wear disposable kitchen gloves when handling chili peppers. Do not touch your eyes, nose, mouth or skin during the preparation process. Discard seeds and veins and clean cutting utensils and cutting surface. Then carefully remove and dispose of the gloves.