April 25, 2003
Welcome to this month's issue of The Heat!, a free monthly e-zine brought to you by Chile-Pepper-Sauces.com , and Chef Jay.
In This Issue:
=Guacamole and Pico de Gallo, Recipe
=Hombres Foods', Texas Smoked Habanero Salsa, Product Review
="Bobby Flay: Cooks America", Suggested Reading
=The Cajun and Soul Food Festival, Event
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Recipe
In keeping with last months theme, Roasted Salsa, I am going to show you how to make a simple but tasty Pico de Gallo, and a Guacamole dip. Both these items are flexible enough to go with just about any food, or as a stand alone dip at your next dinner party.
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients:
5 tomatoes (plum or roma preferred)
2 jalapeņo peppers
1 lime
1/2 white onion
1/2 cilantro bunch
Directions:
- Finely chop tomatoes, jalapeņos, and onion, Mince cilantro.
- Combine all ingredients in bowl with lime juice.
- Stir together, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors
to combine.
The Guacamole dip is really just mashed avocados mixed together with the Pico de Gallo. The two combine with lime to give you a very tasty treat. Also, the lime is important to keep the avocados from oxidizing and turning brown before you have a chance to eat them.
Guacamole
Ingredients:
2 avocados
1 clove garlic
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons Pico (or to taste, from recipe above)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- slice avocados in half
- remove pits
- scoop out pulp
- add garlic and lime juice
- mash together with a fork
- add Pico, stir together
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Product Review
Hombres Foods', Texas Smoked Habanero Salsa, jumped to the top of my "Favorite Salsas" list this month. The name says it all. This smoky habanero salsa has just the right combination of smoke and heat to keep you coming back for more. I met the owners of the company, Dennis and Nancy Willms, at a recent food show in Houston. Dennis explained that the smoking process is monitored by him personally to insure the quality of this fabulous sauce. They manufacture and sell several award winning soup and dip mixes, as well as a wide range of salsas. Check them out at Hombres Foods.Suggested Reading
If you're looking for some unique methods to incorporate peppers into your cooking, "Bobby Flay: Cooks America" is the place to start. Although some are a bit elaborate, his recipes are a breath of fresh air. In this book, he blends his southwestern cooking style together with traditional American regional favorites. From his Blue Corn Fried Chicken with Red Chile Honey, to his Pan Roasted Sea Bass with Yellow Pepper Grits and Roasted Poblano Sauce, you can't go wrong. You can find his Smoked Chile Chicken Wings recipe on my site, check it out.Event
This weekend I'll be attending a local Tasting Texas event, The Cajun and Soul Food Festival. There will be booths with everything from soul food to cajun to southern and southwestern cuisines. My goal is to try them all. I encourage everyone to attend local cooking and food festivals, you never know what you will find, but you know it will be good. Now, go eat, and report back to me.Updates
Many parts of Chile-Pepper-Sauces.com are changing, so keep checking back to see what is new. When you have a minute look over our new Pepper Recipes page. Also, please tell me what you think of the site. Your comments and suggestions are appreciated.
That's it for this month. Now, go out and enjoy some chile peppers.
Chef Jay