Table of Contents
Title Page
Introduction
SALSAS AND SIDES
FRESH TOMATO SALSA
SIERRA-STYLE TOMATO SALSA
QUICK TOMATO SALSA
POBLANO AND JALAPEÑO SALSA
CHILE DE ÁRBOL SALSA
DON FELIX RED SALSA
SEVEN CHILE SALSA - Salsa de Siete Chiles
FRESH TOMATILLO SALSA - Salsa Fresca de Tomatillo
LA ESQUINA TAQUERÍA’S GREEN SALSA
TOMATILLO AND CHILE DE ÁRBOL SALSA - Salsa de Tomatillo y Chile de Árbol
CHUNKY GUACAMOLE - Guacamole Casero
AVOCADO AND JALAPEÑO SALSA
BAJA COLESLAW WITH SHRIMP
WHOLE PINTO BEANS
RICE WITH VEGETABLES
ROASTED POBLANO CHILE STRIPS
PICKLED JALAPEÑOS AND CARROTS
PICKLED CHIPOTLES - Chipotles á la Poblana
TACOS
SCRAMBLED EGG TACO WITH POBLANO STRIPS
POTATO AND CHORIZO TACO
COFFEE AND CHILE–BRAISED BEEF BRISKET TACO
BEEF TONGUE TACO
BEEF MEATBALL TACO IN GUAJILLO SAUCE
LA ESQUINA’S ACHIOTE AND CITRUS–MARINATED PORK TACO
LA ESQUINA’S CHICKEN IN TOMATO AND CHIPOTLE SAUCE
THROWING A TAQUIZA
SPICE-RUBBED CHICKEN THIGH TACO
BRAISED CHARD AND CHEESE TACO
WINTER SQUASH TACO WITH CORIANDER-CUMIN CREMA
DUCK BREAST TACO IN PUMPKIN SEED SAUCE
PORK LOIN IN CHILE ADOBO WITH GRILLED PINEAPPLE
GRILLED BEEF FLAP STEAK TACO
GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST TACO
TACO EL PERRÓN
BAJA FISH TACO
SHRIMP AND SOFRITO TACO
SPICED GROUND TURKEY TACO
GARLIC–WILD MUSHROOM TACO WITH CREAMED CORN AND MORITA SALSA
ZUCCHINI AND CHEESE TACO DORADO
CHORIZO AND CACTUS TACO DORADO
FISH AND SOFRITO TACO DORADO
DRINKS AND DESSERTS
HORCHATA
TAMARIND AGUA FRESCA
SPICY CHERRY AGUA FRESCA
MICHELADA
RYAN’S BLACKBERRY MARGARITA
FRUIT GRANITAS
BLACKBERRY CORN DRINK
CAFÉ DE OLLA
SPICY HOT FUDGE TACOS
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Acknowledgements
Copyright Page
INTRODUCTION
The twenty-first century is destined to be the “Century of the Taco.” The 1900s were most definitely
the Pizza Century, as that delicious invention that began modestly in Italy ended up being available in
every town from Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic Circle. I don’t believe that pizza is going away, or that
it will be knocked from its mighty throne by the up-and-coming taco. No, there’s room in this world
for more than one superstar finger food.
Consider the rapidly growing Latino food and beverage market in the United States, with expected
sales in 2011 of $8.4 billion, a 47 percent increase from 2006, as reported on American Public
Media’s Marketplace Web site. Consider that, according to the Tortilla Industry Association, as of
2002, tortillas were the second-most-popular bread product in the United States, with 32 percent of the
market, trailing white bread by only 2 percent. It also estimates that Americans ate eighty-five billion
tortillas in 2000!
WANTED: AUTHENTIC TACOS!
Increasingly, travelers to Mexico and other Latin American destinations are wrapping a culinary cloak
around their trips. The expanding sophistication of globe-trotters’ palates means that they seek to
immerse themselves in the gastronomic heritage of their host countries, not only observing authentic
foodways, but egnaging in the food preparation as well. When they return home, they seek to re-create
these dishes. Observe magazines such as Gourmet , Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Saveur, and others to
notice that their recipes increasingly call for ingredients that were mostly unknown a short time ago.
Huitlacoche, anyone?
Fueling this trend are moves by top cooking schools in the United States to focus on Latin
American cuisine. The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is building a new facility on its Hyde Park,
New York, campus featuring a traditional Mexican kitchen and a Yucatán-style underground oven for
making cochinita pibil (pit-roasted pork) and other authentic dishes. Also, in conjunction with
billionaire philanthropist Christopher Goldsbury, the CIA is opening the Center for Foods of the
Americas in San Antonio, Texas. As newly trained chefs emerge from programs such as these, we can
expect to see even more authentic, delicious, and innovative creations on menus across the country.
And believe me, these creations will be filling tacos as fast as we can eat them. Already, chefs across
the country and beyond are serving up tacos that give a nod to the true essence of the dish: fresh, local
ingredients prepared on the spot and served right away, devoured immediately in all their juicy
goodness. The taco is the heart and soul of Mexico; it is the root manifestation of the mother food. Not
bad for a food that’s classified as an antojito, or little whim, in Mexican cuisine.
THE GLOBAL RISE OF THE TACO
Yet the rise of the taco into the global consciousness is quite recent. The first comprehensive Mexican
cookbook, Mariano Galván Rivera’s Diccionario de cocina, published in 1845, ran over a thousand
pages but didn’t include tacos. Though the histories of Mexico and the western United States are
intertwined, the Anglo population of the United States didn’t become interested in eating Mexican
foods until the early twentieth century. By the late nineteenth century, American cookbooks began
publishing recipes for “Mexican” dishes such as tamale pie and enchiladas, but it wasn’t until 1914
that the first taco recipe appeared in print. By the 1930s, specific taco recipes began to appear, such as
Tacos de San Luis in Blanche and Edna McNeill’s First Foods of America.
Tacos really began to sear themselves into the consciousness of Americans in the 1940s with the
advent of the Bracero Program, under which more than over four million Mexican farm workers came
to the United States to work, mainly in agricultural jobs.
Tacos entered the world of American fast food with the opening of taco stands in Southern
California in the 1950s, such as Taco Tiq, El Tacos, and Taco Bell. But it was Juvencio Maldonado
who, in 1950, patented the form for deepfrying tortillas into U-shaped shells, and the hard-shell taco
was born.
In this book you will find recipes that range from authentic to eclectic. Having spent a large part of
my taco life in my hometown of Redwood City, in the San Francisco area, I’ve been to countless
taquerías and taco trucks. In fact, I invented the “Taco Triple Crown” over twenty years ago in order
to justify eating tacos for every meal, raising the bar on the extreme taco crawl concept. My patrón is
San Vicente, “El Taquero Celestial.” So I don’t take messing around with tacos lightly. Herein, you
will find are recipes that seek to honor the ingredients by using cooking and preparation methods that
coax out the best they have to offer.
Most of the recipes are fairly simple. A couple of them involve several steps but are not
complicated. Nearly all of the ingredients are widely available in the United States, especially if you
have access to a Mexican or Latin American market. And I’ve offered substitutes for ingredients that
may be hard to find. Be assured, though, that you can make most of the recipes with ingredients
purchased at a well-stocked supermarket. If you live far from town and/or a Mexican or Latin
American market, you may want to check out the mail-order sources at the end of the book for
ingredients.
There are, in my estimation, three critical elements in a successful taco session. The first is serving
the tacos hot, hot, hot, especially when grilling. Most of the meat is cut thin in order to facilitate fast
cooking and retention of juices. The meat heats up fast and cools down fast, too, so make sure the
hungry mouths of friends and family are nearby. This is easy to do if you, as grill master, keep the
cooler of beer and aguas frescas nearby. It’s even easier once your guests smell the marinated meats
and onions as they hit the grill. As an added bonus, use fresh seasonal and local ingredients when
possible. The flavor and quality are generally superb, and it makes sense to support your local
businesses.
The second element is a basket of hot soft tortillas, be they corn or flour. To this end, it is best to
have a tortilla master who is in tune with the grill master and can heat the tortillas just before the
fillings are ready. If you’re serving buffet style, you can heat a whole bunch of tortillas and nestle
them inside a kitchen towel inside a tortilla warmer. If you’re serving á la carte, taco truck style, then
have your tortilla person start heating tortillas a couple of minutes before the grilled food is ready.
The third element is family, and that includes good friends. After all, the culture from which tacos
emerged is deeply oriented toward family. Over the years, I’ve found that I only really need a few
things in life: good food, good family, and good friends. I believe, by the grace of God, that I have all
three. I extend to you, dear reader, what I hope you find to be a gift of good tacos to add to your
repertoire.
A SHORT HISTORY OF TORTILLAS
Before the tortilla there was nothing. After the tortilla there was the taco.
The most profound truths are often based on simplicity. So it is with the tortilla, made from nothing
more than corn, mineral lime, and water. From these ingredients, ancient farmers of Mexico and
Central America created a flatbread that over five thousand years later is sweeping the globe. Fillings
for tacos number in the hundreds, yet the tortilla remains the same. Some factories do add chemicals
to their tortillas, and flour tortillas joined corn tortillas after the Spanish Conquest, but by and large
the tortilla of today is the tortilla of 3400 BC.
Before corn there was teosinte (Zea mexicana), which is widely believed by scientists to be the
plant that Mesoamericans developed over thousands of years into what we know as corn (Zea mays).
Unlike other grains, including teosinte, corn cannot distribute its mature seed, which is bound securely
inside the husk. It needs human intervention for dispersal. The oldest corn specimens yet found, in the
Guilá Naquitz cave in Oaxaca, Mexico, are 5,400 years old!
Not surprisingly, corn figures prominently in the creation stories of Mesoamerican peoples. Within
the Mayan cosmology, Yum Kaax is the deity responsible for agriculture in general and corn
specifically. He is always depicted holding ears of corn and wearing a corn headdress.
I n Popol Vuh: The Sacred Book of the Maya , the translation of the Mayan creation story, the
emergence of humanity is intricately linked with the discovery of corn. It describes the fifth creation
of earth as when humanity appeared:
This, then, is the beginning [literally, “planting” in the Quiché language] of the conception of
humanity, when that which would become the flesh of mankind was sought. Then spoke they who are
called She Who Has Borne Children and He Who Has Begotten Sons, The Framer and the Shaper,
Sovereign and Quetzal Serpent.
“The dawn approaches, and our work is not successfully completed. A provider and a sustainer have
yet to appear—a child of light, a son of light. Humanity has yet to appear to populate the face of the
earth,” they said.
Thus they gathered together and joined their thoughts in the darkness, in the night. They searched
and they sifted. Here they thought and they pondered. Their thoughts came forth bright and clear. They
discovered and established that which would become the flesh of humanity.
The story goes on to tell how four animals—fox, coyote, parakeet, and raven—revealed to the
humans the yellow and white ears of maize, or corn, and pointed them in the direction of Paxil, “an
excellent mountain filled with the maize that would eventually be used to form the flesh of humanity.”
We know from the Franciscan priest Bernardino de Sahagún that corn was still very important
during the time of the Spanish Conquest. The most famous of his works is General History of the
Things of New Spain. In it he writes, “Their sustenance and food was maize, which they sowed in the
varieties of white and other colors; and they used it as currency.”
The Aztec word for tortilla in their Nahuatl language is tlaxcalli. It’s hard to imagine that the
Aztecs didn’t roll up some of their favorite foods in a tlaxcalli and munch on it. Just like today, there
was no shortage of fillings in the pre-Hispanic era, with myriad ingredients available, such as corn
fungus, called huitlacoche, numerous greens, beans, potatoes, chiles, cactus pads, insects and worms,
wild mushrooms, fish, crustaceans, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
During the millennia before the Spanish arrived, corn passed from hand to hand southward and
northward, throughout North and Central America. It is estimated to have been cultivated in what is
now the United States for over three thousand years. By the time Europeans arrived in North America,
most tribes grew corn. But interestingly, they didn’t make tortillas.
One of the great food contributions the Spanish brought to America was wheat, a grain that grew
well in the regions north of Mexico City. With the cultivation of wheat came flour tortillas. The first
known written reference that mentions flour tortillas , dated January 15, 1734, comes from the
northern Mexican state of Coahuila. The cultivation of wheat, however, began in 1542. Dr. Sergio
Antonio Corona Páez, professor of history at the Universidad Iberoamericana Santa Fe in Mexico
City, believes that the manufacture of flour tortillas began in 1591 in Santiago de Saltillo. That year, a
new system of irrigation canals allowed for significant production of wheat. With a population of
Hispanicized Tlaxcaltecas (southern groups that normally ate corn tortillas) in that town, they began
to make flour tortillas. Since that time, flour tortillas have become well established and are now
generally preferred in northern Mexico.
Whether you prefer flour or corn tortillas is not important. Each class of tortilla has its own
nuances, flavors, and fascinating history. Corn, with its ancient Mesoamerican roots, holds a venerated
place in the pantheon of food staples. Wheat, equally ancient in other lands, but a newcomer to the
Americas, has found respectability in its adopted land. Ultimately, to hold a taco in your hand is what
really matters. As long as the tortilla is delicious, be it corn or flour, and the filling is satisfying,
you’re in good hands—and so is your taco.
MAKING YOUR OWN CORN TORTILLAS AND
NIXTAMALIZATION
Corn, or maize (Zea mays), is a grain native to the American continent and has been a staple since preHispanic times. It is still a very important food in today’s diet. As I discussed earlier, the first tortillas
in Mexico were made of corn. Wheat did not arrive until the sixteenth century with the Spaniards.
In addition to developing the original corn strains, the people of Mesoamerica discovered a critical
step in the preparation of corn that allows nutrients (niacin and vitamin C) to be released for human
digestion and stabilizes an otherwise semi-perishable product. The product is call nixtamal, from the
Nahuatl word nextamalli, which means corn cooked with water and mineral lime. The process is called
nixtamalization. From this rather simple procedure comes a complex chemical reaction that turns corn
into a highly nutritious staple, the very foundation of Mesoamerican culture.
When ground into flour, corn grains release fatty oils that decompose rapidly. Lime (calcium oxide,
not the citrus fruit) has a high pH, meaning it’s very alkaline, and stabilizes the enzymatic process that
causes decomposition. It is probable that the first notion of treating the corn came from adding wood
ashes from a cooking fire, which are also very alkaline (and from which good oldfashioned lye is
made) to corn while cooking. The result is called masa, and keeps tortillas from perishing quickly,
even in the hot, humid areas of corn’s birth.
I’ve made nixtamal a couple of times with marginal success. Here, I’ve created a mashup from
several sources to give you an idea of the process. If you really want to try it, I suggest you read Diana
Kennedy’s The Tortilla Book, then proceed.
First, rinse the corn in cold water and make sure there are no rocks or pieces of cob mixed in. Then
put the corn in a pot and add cold water so that the corn is well covered. Next, prepare the lime. For 1
kilo (2.2 pounds) of corn, put 1 heaping tablespoon of lime in a bowl and add 1 cup of cold water. If
the lime is fresh, it will begin to sizzle and give off heat from the chemical reaction. This process is
known as slaking. If the lime is older, it will take longer to slake. Stir it once, then let it sit. Some
residue will settle to the bottom. After the lime has slaked, bring the corn to a low simmer and add
half of the lime water. The corn will turn a vibrant yellow right away. Then taste a couple of drops of
the liquid on your tongue. You should detect a slightly acrid, burning sensation. If not, add more lime
solution and taste again. If it’s too strong, add some water and taste again. Cook the corn until the
skins separate easily from the kernels, which takes about 20 minutes. Let the corn sit in the water
overnight.
The next day, drain the corn, rinse it, and drain again. After that, grind it in a hand-mill such as a
Corona or, like the Mexicans of old (and probably still a few today), with a mano and metate, made
from porous volcanic stone. The mano is the rolling pin-like piece and the metate is the rectangular,
slightly curved stone with short legs. Once ground, the resulting masa, or dough, can be patted or
pressed into tortillas, or dried for future use. Obviously, I have not advanced the art of tortilla making
here, but only given a glimpse. I believe it’s a lot like chess: a day to learn, a lifetime to master.
SALSAS AND SIDES
Tomato-Based Salsas
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Sierra-Style Tomato Salsa
Quick Tomato Salsa
Chile-Based Salsas
Poblano and Jalapeño Salsa
Chile de Árbol Salsa
Don Felix Red Salsa
Seven Chile Salsa
Green and Avocado Salsas
Fresh Tomatillo Salsa
La Esquina Taquería’s Green Salsa
Tomatillo and Chile de Árbol Salsa
Chunky Guacamole
Avocado and Jalapeño Salsa
Sides
Baja Coleslaw with Shrimp
Whole Pinto Beans
Rice with Vegetables
Roasted Poblano Chile Strips
Pickled Jalapeños and Carrots
Pickled Chipotles
FRESH TOMATO SALSA
Salsa Fresca de Tomate
Nothing satisfies like a fresh tomato salsa in the middle of summer. Scooped up on corn chips or piled
liberally on the tacos of the day, the mélange of ingredients creates an irresistible symphony of fresh
flavor. With red tomatoes, green cilantro, and red onions, it is as pleasing to look at as it is to taste.
Triple or quadruple this recipe at the height of the season because there’s never enough.
Note: When serving on tacos, use a slotted spoon to drain excess liquid. Watery tacos aren’t much
fun! If possible use paste tomatoes because they have less free water content.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
1 pound tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 jalapeño or serrano chile, stemmed and minced (seed and devein for a milder salsa)
Juice of 1 lime (approximately 2 tablespoons)
Zest of 1 lime (optional)
Salt
1. Dice the tomatoes and put them in a strainer or colander to drain some of their water, about 2
minutes. Transfer them to a medium-size bowl.
2. Add the onion, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, and lime zest, if using, and salt to taste. Mix well.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The salsa will keep in the refrigerator for a week or
longer, though the onion flavor will grow stronger.
SIERRA-STYLE TOMATO SALSA
Salsa Roja de la Sierra
I love anything that has been cooked over a coal or wood fire. Somehow, even food that has been
charred in a pan on the stove has a satisfying campfire-like quality. The authentic texture of this salsa
comes from the ingredients being mashed in a molcajete. These stone mortars are widely available in
Mexican markets, and in addition to creating a salsa with excellent texture, they double as a stylish
serving dish. The cebolletas found in Mexican markets are similar to scallions, but the white base is a
little bulb. Use scallions if cebolletas are unavailable. I use serrano chiles in the recipe because they
have a fruitiness beneath the heat.
Note: For a slightly more refined salsa, peel and seed the serranos and tomatoes before adding.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
1 cebolleta or scallion
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 small cloves garlic, peeled
3 serrano chiles
3 medium tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat a comal, or a medium-size cast-iron pan, over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, lightly coat the cebolleta with the olive oil to prevent drying while cooking.
3. On the comal, cook the cebolleta and garlic, turning them frequently until they brown lightly.
Set aside and let cool. Cook the serranos and tomatoes until they brown and their skins blister.
Set aside and let cool.
4. In a stone mortar, or food processor or blender, mash or pulse the cebolleta, garlic, and salt
until incorporated. Stem and roughly chop the serranos, then mash or pulse them with the
cebolleta mixture.
5. Core and roughly chop the tomatoes, reserving the liquid. Add the tomatoes and liquid to the
cebolleta mixture, and mash or pulse to incorporate.
6. Pour the salsa into a bowl or container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The salsa will
keep in the refrigerator for a week or longer, though the onion and garlic flavors will grow
stronger.
QUICK TOMATO SALSA
Salsa Rápida de los Guys
This simple and quick salsa always comes through in a pinch. I learned it from los guys, my fellow
cooks in the kitchen of Gordon Biersch Brewery in Palo Alto, where I worked at the time. For the
morning snack, I would usually warm a few dozen corn tortillas and make a big pan of scrambled eggs
spiked with onions and garlic. One of the prep cooks would throw the salsa ingredients into a pot of
water and cook it up in time to serve with the tacos. It’s surprisingly delicious for being so
uncomplicated.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
4 medium tomatoes
1 small white onion, peeled
2 or 3 jalapeño chiles, stemmed
Salt
1. In a medium-size pot, combine the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeños, and cover them with water.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
2. With a slotted spoon, remove the ingredients from the pot and put them in a food processor or
blender. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Add salt to taste.
3. Pour the salsa into a bowl or container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The salsa will
keep in the refrigerator for a week or longer, though the onion flavor will grow stronger.
POBLANO AND JALAPEÑO SALSA
Salsa de Chiles Poblano y Jalapeño
I first tasted this little gem of a condiment at the fish taco stall Tacos La Tía in Ensenada. Fireroasting the chiles creates an incomparable flavor, elevating their essence while adding a rustic,
rancho-style touch. This salsa, blended with Mexican Crema (see page 10), is also fantástico on
grilled flap steak and grilled chicken.
MAKES 1¼ CUPS
4 fresh poblano chiles
1 jalapeño chile
Olive oil (if roasting on an electric range)
1. Light a burner on the stove and set the poblanos directly on the burner grate, one or two at a
time, turning occasionally, until the entire chile is blackened. (If you have an electric stove,
heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, coat the poblanos lightly with oil
and blacken them in the pan.)
2. Put the poblanos in a bowl, covered, until cool. Peel the blackened skins off the poblanos. Cut
the poblanos open and remove the stem and all of the seeds. Do not rinse the poblanos in water
at any time. Put the poblano pieces in a food processor or blender.
3. Cut the jalapeño in half lengthwise. Remove the stem and seeds. Chop the jalapeño into chunks
and add half of it to the poblanos. Purée until smooth. Add the other half if you desire more
heat.
4. Pour the salsa into a bowl or container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The salsa will
keep in the refrigerator for two weeks or longer.
CHILE DE ÁRBOL SALSA
Salsa de Chile de Árbol
The chile de árbol is a workhorse, used throughout Mexico to make fiery table salsas. The earthy,
slightly grassy flavor of these slender, deep red pods combines well with garlic and a touch of salt.
The ensuing blend, a welcome but not overwhelming splash of fire, is a must in the arsenal of the
serious taco-head. They are widely available in Latin American markets and the ethnic sections of
supermarkets.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
2 ounces dried chiles de árbol (60 to 70 pods)
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Salt
1. In a small pot, bring about 2 cups of water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, stem the chiles. Using two bowls, break each chile in half and roll the pieces
between your fingers over one bowl to catch the seeds. Put the chile pieces in the other bowl,
discarding the bowl of seeds. (It isn’t necessary to remove every seed; leaving a small
percentage won’t affect the salsa.)
3. Pour the hot water over the chiles until they are just covered. Cover the bowl with a plate or
lid. Let it sit for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
4. With a slotted spoon, remove the chiles and put them in a food processor or blender. Pour
some soaking water over the chiles until it comes halfway up the chiles. Add the garlic and salt
to taste. Blend the mixture until it is a smooth purée. The consistency should be slightly thick
yet pourable. Add more water, a little at a time, if necessary.
5. Pour the salsa into a bowl or container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The salsa will
keep in the refrigerator for a week or longer, though the garlic flavor will grow stronger.
DON FELIX RED SALSA
Salsa Roja Don Felix
While on a West L.A. taco tour, I got on famously with the cook at Carnicería Don Felix. She even let
me hang out in the kitchen. In addition to cuerito (pigskin sautéed in lard) and barbacoa (steamed
beef) tacos, I had a cabeza (beef head) taco topped with a smacking-hot red salsa. The señora obliged
me when I asked what was in her salsa. Here I present my version.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
2 ounces dried chiles de árbol (60 to 70 pods)
½ white onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon cumin seed
Salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1. In a small pot, bring about 2 cups of water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, stem the chiles. Using two bowls, break each chile in half and roll the pieces
between your fingers over one bowl to catch the seeds. Put the chile pieces in the other bowl,
discarding the bowl of seeds. (It isn’t necessary to remove every seed; leaving a small
percentage won’t affect the salsa.)
3. Pour the hot water over the chiles until they are just covered. Cover the bowl with a plate or
lid. Let it sit for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
4. With a slotted spoon, remove the chiles and put them in a food processor or blender. Pour
some soaking water over the chiles until it comes halfway up the chiles. Add the onion, garlic,
cumin, and salt to taste. Blend the mixture until it is a smooth purée. The consistency should
be slightly thick yet pourable. Add more water, little by little, if necessary.
5. Pour the salsa into a bowl or container and stir in the cilantro. Cover and refrigerate until ready
to use. The salsa will keep in the refrigerator for a week or longer, though the onion and garlic
flavors will grow stronger.
SEVEN CHILE SALSA
Salsa de Siete Chiles
This salsa is so many things at once: rich, tangy, smoky, and sweet. It’s even good on vanilla ice
cream. Make this salsa a day or two in advance to allow the flavors to marry completely.
MAKES 2¼ CUPS
1 pasilla chile
1 ancho chile
1 morita chile
2 dried chipotle chiles
2 cascabel chiles
2 guajillo chiles
2 chiles de árbol
½ cup vegetable oil
1 large tomato, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped epazote (optional)
1 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro
½ cup cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup agave nectar
1. On a comal, or in a medium-size cast-iron pan, over medium heat, lightly toast the pasilla,
ancho, morita, chipotles, cascabels, guajillos, and chiles de árbol. Set them aside to cool, then
stem, seed, and break them into pieces.
2. In a medium-size sauté pan over medium heat, heat the oil. Then add the chiles, tomato, and
garlic. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the epazote, if using, and the cilantro
and cook 5 minutes longer. Reduce the heat to low and cook 3 minutes longer. Set pan aside to
cool.
3. Pour the chile mixture from the pan into a food processor or blender. Add the vinegar and salt
and blend until smooth. Pour the salsa into a medium-size bowl and stir in the agave nectar
until well incorporated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The salsa will keep in the
refrigerator for two weeks or longer.
FRESH TOMATILLO SALSA
Salsa Fresca de Tomatillo
If you can get them, use purple tomatillos in this recipe. Since they’re not cooked, they stay purple, a
nice visual touch to an already tasty salsa.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 jalapeño or serrano chile, stemmed and minced (seed and devein for a milder salsa)
Juice of 1 lime (approximately 2 tablespoons)
Zest of 1 lime (optional)
Salt
Dice the tomatillos and put them in a medium-size bowl. Add the onion, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice,
and lime zest, if using, and salt to taste. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The salsa
will keep in the refrigerator for a week or longer, though the onion flavor will grow stronger.
TACO TIP
MEXICAN CREMA
Tangy and creamy, it’s quite different than American sour cream.
Combine 1 cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons buttermilk in a small
bowl. Cover, and put in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours, or until
thickened. Crema will keep in the refrigerator for a week.
LA ESQUINA TAQUERÍA’S GREEN SALSA
Salsa Verde de La Esquina Taquería
This creamy and tangy salsa from chef Jose Alvarado of La Esquina in New York City accompanies
his Pork Loin in Chile Adobo with Grilled Pineapple (see page 55).
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
5 tomatillos, husks removed, quartered
½ medium white onion, roughly chopped
2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro
1 teaspoon sugar
Juice of 1 lime (approximately 2 tablespoons)
¼ cup water
Salt
1. Place the tomatillos, onion, jalapeños, garlic, avocado, cilantro, sugar, lime juice, water, and
salt to taste in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour the salsa into a bowl or container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The salsa will
keep in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.
TOMATILLO AND CHILE DE ÁRBOL SALSA
Salsa de Tomatillo y Chile de Árbol
The tangy flavor of the tomatillos blends very nicely with the earthy piquancy of the chile de árbol. It
tones down the heat and makes a salsa that is nearly drinkable. Roasting the tomatillos on the grill or
on a griddle adds flavor and nice little blackened specks to the salsa. Inspiration for this salsa comes
from Tacomiendo in Culver City, California.
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
1 cup Chile de Árbol Salsa (see page 6)
Salt
1. Put the tomatillos in a pot with just enough water to cover them. Bring the water almost to a
boil, then turn the heat down to low. Cook the tomatillos until soft, about 10 minutes. Don’t
overcook or they will split. (Alternately, you can roast them on a comal, in a medium-size castiron pan on the stove, or on a charcoal grill, until browned and softened, about 10 minutes.)
2. With a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatillos to a food processor or blender, reserving the
cooking water. Purée until smooth, or just pulse a few times if you prefer a chunkier salsa. Add
a little of the reserved cooking water to the tomatillos if you wish to thin the salsa.
3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the tomatillos and the Chile de Árbol Salsa. Add salt to taste.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The salsa will keep in the refrigerator for a week or
longer, though the garlic flavor will grow stronger.
CHUNKY GUACAMOLE
Guacamole Casero
The velvety richness of avocados (high-oil types such as Haas), flecked with bits of sun-ripened
tomato, cilantro, and piquant white onion, guarantees this “guac” will be a hit.
MAKES 1½ CUPS
2 large avocados, peeled and pitted
2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
Salt
1. Put the avocados in a molcajete (a traditional stone mortar), or a medium-size bowl, crushing
them with the mano (a pestle), or a fork, until they are a chunky paste. Add the onion, cilantro,
and tomato. Stir. Add salt to taste.
2. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. If the surface of the
guacamole begins to darken, stir thoroughly before serving. The salsa will keep in the
refrigerator for 1 day.
AVOCADO AND JALAPEÑO SALSA
Salsa de Aguacate y Jalapeño
I’m traveling down the California coast on a cold winter night. In Atascadero there’s a little kiosk that
has a real trompo, or vertical spit, cooking pork al pastor tacos exclusively. This avocado salsa
catches my fancy. It’s both creamy and spicy, the jalapeño and raw onion asserting themselves in
perfect balance with the rich avocado. Prepare it no more than an hour or two before serving, just
enough time for the flavors to marry without allowing the avocado to darken.
Variation: For a very hot salsa, substitute a habanero for the jalapeño.
MAKES 1½ CUPS
3 avocados, peeled and pitted
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed and seeded
2 tablespoons minced white onion, divided
Salt
1. Put half of the avocados into a food processor or blender. Put the other half of the avocados
into a medium-size bowl and mash with a fork.
2. Roughly chop half of the jalapeño and add it to the food processor. Mince the other half and
add it to the bowl.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of the onion to the food processor. Add the remaining onion to the bowl.
Blend the ingredients in the food processor until smooth, adding small amounts of water until
the mixture is just pourable from a spoon. Pour the avocado mixture into the bowl with the
other half of the ingredients and stir to incorporate. Add salt to taste.
4. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. If the surface of the salsa
begins to darken, stir thoroughly before serving. The salsa will keep in the refrigerator for 1 to
2 days.
BAJA COLESLAW WITH SHRIMP