Tia Lily's Salsa Colorada

My beloved aunt Lily is my mom's sister. They are originally from Guadalajara, Mexico and she is one of the best cooks I've ever met. As a rule, I don't eat at Mexican restaurants because nothing compares to my tia's cooking. I only eat her posole, and her tamales are a Christmas treat, but what she's best known for is her salsa.

Lest you think I'm putting my own mother down, let me tell you who the best Puerto Rican cook I've ever met is: my mom. While Tia Lily is the consummate Mexican cocinera, my mom had to learn to cook for my dad, who preferred his own homeland's cuisine. And hates celery.

The joke in our family is that you can always tell how angry she was when she makes her salsas by the level of spice. Those babies will burn through your tongue, even when she's in the greatest of moods. They can take on any Indian curry or southern Thai dish in a heat competition. You will probably sweat eating them. And it'll be totally worth it.

She made this salsa for a recent family gathering. One of the wonderful things about our family is that every occasion brings out the entire clan. I have 5 cousins on that side, 4 of which have their own children, and I love the parties we have together. Piñatas, food, music, and kids running everywhere, that's life. It was on one of these family affairs, while my mouth was on fire, that I begged her to share the recipe. She laughed while telling me how utterly simple it is.

Like my dad's salsa, it goes great on everything: rice, tacos, eggs. But the salsa verde has far less heat than this one, so be careful how much you throw on your plate. Make sure you have lots of crema (or sour cream, milk, what have you) on hand!

It's especially delicious on an egg in a hole, which has a convenient buffer for heat built right in: bread!

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Tia Lily's Salsa Colorada

by Lilia Ruiz-Velasco Colunga February-7-2012

An intensely spicy red salsa.

Ingredients

• 8 tomatillos
• 6 chiles arbol (with seeds)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon oil for frying chiles
• 3 sprigs cilantro (more for garnish)
• salt to taste 

Instructions

1. Remove the papery outer skin of the tomatillos and rinse well (they will be pretty sticky). Chop in half, and put in a large pot of water. Make sure the water covers the tomatillos by at least an inch. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes (till fork tender).2. While the tomatillos are cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the chiles and fry until crispy. Remove from heat and discard the oil.3. Drain the tomatillos, reserving a quarter cup of the water. Blend together the tomatillos, fried chiles, garlic, and cilantro with half the water. Add more as needed for a thinner salsa. Add salt to taste.4. Pour into a bowl, garnish with some cilantro. Or pour over a dish that needs a bit of pizzazz. Enjoy.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 15 mins Yield: 2 cups

Rosita's Potato Salad

Happy 4th of July! In this country, it's a day marked with gluttonous barbecues and fireworks.

I love the fireworks. Troy Patterson hates them, but that's his loss.

I do not, however, love the requisite side dish that accompanies the grilling. Namely, potato salad. There's a simple reason for this, and it's called celery.

I hate celery.

We grew up in a house that did not consume celery. My mother, author of the recipe below, secretly likes it. But my father hates it, so it's okay that I, too, as an adult, hate it. It's the cardboard of the vegetable world. And stop fooling yourself, there are no such things as negative calories.

My mom, having to deal with my dad's vehement dislike for the wooden veggie, created a potato salad without it. And this is what I grew up eating at BBQs. I didn't even know that celery was a traditional ingredient. And I was quite all right with that.

If anyone can explain the appeal of celery to me, I will gladly indulge you. Please, try to convince me that it's not the worst thing next to dirt. And pestilence. That's pretty bad, too.

Another thing I don't really care for is mayonnaise. I don't know why. I think it's because I imagine it clogging my arteries. Beautiful image, isn't it? You're not craving mayonnaise now, are you?

For this, I used a combination of Greek yogurt and Mexican sour cream (crema is more liquidy) in its stead. In fact, I added more than the recipe called for because I wanted it to be more creamy. I also mashed the potatoes a bit. Not completely into mashed potatoes, but just until they were smaller chunks.

It's delicious with a freshly grilled hot dog. The perfect BBQ side dish.

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Rosita's Potato Salad

by Rosalba Fontanez July-4-2011

A family favorite, sans the hateful celery.

Ingredients

• 2 large Russet potatoes
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1/3 cup onion, diced
• 1/3 cup pickles, diced
• 1/4 cup pickled red peppers, diced
• 4 tablespoons white vinegar
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt and crema)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon regular mustard
• 1 pinch each dried oregano, basil, rosemary
• 1 pinch cumin powder

Instructions

1. Peel and cube the potatoes. Put in a saucepan and cover with water about 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil until tender (poke with a skewer or knife to check). They're done when they offer no resistance. Allow to cool.2. Dice the eggs and add to cool potatoes.3. In a big bowl, mix together pickles, onions, vinegar, garlic powder, dried herbs and cumin.4. Add mustard and mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt and crema). 5. Fold in potatoes, eggs, and red peppers. Mix until evenly combined. 6. For additional creaminess, add more mayonnaise.7. Refrigerate about 30 minutes for flavors to meld. Serve cold.
Yield: 4 servings

Louie's Salsa Verde

In Puerto Rico, salsa refers to the music that makes the hips shake. In Mexico, it's a condiment. In our house, it's both. But made by a Puerto Rican. And it's good.

It's a bit of a family joke that my Mexican mother cooks the greatest Puerto Rican food, but it's my Puerto Rican father who created his own salsa verde, or green salsa.

A Puerto Rican making Mexican food, and vice versa? Yeah, it's a bit like a liger.

This is my absolute favorite. I put it on everything from pasteles (not cakes) to quesadillas. It's great on hot dogs, hamburgers, scrambled eggs, to add a bit of a kick to just about anything. I like it on rice too, turns it a bit green and a bit spicy.

Of course, it's a great dip for chips.

I've taken it to two food swaps now and it always disappears quickly. I'm trying to convince my dad to market it. Till that happens, you can enjoy making it yourself.

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Louie's Salsa Verde

by Louis G. Fontanez June-26-2011

Our family's special recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 pound tomatillos
• 11 serrano peppers
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 yellow pepper (guero)
• 1 long green pepper (Hungarian)
• 3 scallions, chopped (plus 3 additional for garnish)
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (save half for garnish)
• 1 sprig each thyme, oregano, rosemary, mint
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Remove the papery outer skin of the tomatillos and rinse well (they will be pretty sticky). Dry and chop in half.2. Place the tomatillos, peppers (remove seeds from the serranos if you're sensitive to heat), onions, and garlic in a saucepan and cover with water.3. Bring to a boil, lower flame and simmer for 5 minutes.4. Allow to cool off for a few minutes, until no longer piping hot.5. Drain but reserve the liquid, and place in blender/food processor. Add the fresh herbs, salt to taste and process for 30 seconds.6. If mixture is too thick, add reserved liquid and blend until incorporated.7. Garnish with remaining chopped scallions and cilantro.

Yield: approximately 10 servings

The Sweet & Dirty Martini

'Tis the season to attend a lot of parties. Parties with cocktails. Cocktails like this darling historical concoction. I love a man with a sense of humor.

Tall, dark, and handsome doesn't hurt either.

There's something just a little illicit about a martini, sexy. They're perfectly acceptable in mixed company, but just a couple. "One is too few, three is too many." It's the Goldilocks of well-made drinks. And they come in the prettiest of glasses. Formidable, instantly recognizable, deliciously mouthwatering. And always with gin. Tanqueray, Hendricks, Bombay Sapphire, take your pick. I like the green bottle, personally.

It's what my dad drinks. He's the one who taught me to enjoy gin.

Of course I've always liked my martinis a little different. And I've never met a bartender I could tell to make it "sweet and dirty" who knew right off the bat what I meant. It's okay. Not quite as funny as the look on their faces when you say you want a virgin martini. Who doesn't like an olive in an empty glass?

The sweet & dirty martini is my favorite. Tweak the classic gin/vermouth recipe a bit and you have my trademark cocktail. When perfectly mixed, the sweet vermouth and dirty olive brine wed perfectly with the gin, making a marvelous ménage à trois of flavors on your tongue. Like a good lover, making you want more.

This isn't your grandfather's cocktail. This is mine. You can get your own.

And of course, cocktail onions over olives.

The Sweet & Dirty Martini

6 parts gin
1 part sweet vermouth
Ice
Cocktail onions and brine

Fill a shaker with ice then add the gin and vermouth. Shake. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with 3 onions and a dash of brine. Drink.

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Don't forget the 2011 Calendar is on sale. They make great gifts!