It can be as easy to make your own smoked salsas using your Smoke Chief Cold Smoke Generator as placing your favorite salsa recipe is a large shallow non-reactive container such as pyrex pie dishes in your grill and cold-smoking for one hour for a light smoke taste or 2 hours for a heavier taste.
You can also smoke your raw ingredients such as sliced tomato, sliced onions, or halved and cleaned chilies or peppers and cold-smoking before chopping into salsa. Smoked chillies, peppers, and onions can also be cold-smoked alone to use in other dishes, such as chili, ragu’’s, or salads.
For those who do not have a recipe for Salsa, here is a Roasted Corn Smoked Salsa, and a Tomatillo Salsa:
Roasted Corn Salsa
Grilled or roasted corn adds a great flavor and texture to red salsas and is a great use of seasonal corn, and fresh local varieties of tomatoes from your local farmers market.
To Grill or Roast Corn, shuck and clean the ears of corn and fast roast over high direct flame such as a gas or charcoal grill, or a gas stove set on high. Use tongs to hold the corn just over the flame, turning frequently. You are looking to get some blackening, of some kernels, and cook until the kernels are done and tender to being pierced with a paring knife. Let cool for a minute or two and cut away the kernels with a sharp paring knife.
One ear yields about one cup or more of kernels.
SALSA INGREDIENTS:
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup roasted corn
1.5 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons chopped fresh or smoked peppers of your choice such as jalapeño, or serrano peppers
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional:
1 tablespoon of roasted garlic
2 tablespoons of chopped green onion
If you like cilantro, you can double it, or if someone feels strongly about salsa,you can leave it out.
Chop all ingredients except the corn to the texture of your choice, and combine and stir in a bowl. For a finer or more liquid consistency like restaurant style salsa, one can pulse all ingredients together except the corn in a food processor or use a wand or immersion blender until you reach the consistency of your choice.
Add corn, and add salt, and lime juice to taste.
Place salsa is a large shallow non-reactive container such as pyrex pie dishes in your grill and cold-smoke for one hour for a light smoke taste or 2 hours for a heavier taste.
Stir, and chill before serving. Can make a day a head and will keep up to a 5 days in the refrigerator.
Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde)
Fresh Tomatillo Salsa is so easy and so much better than what you can find in a jar. It is very easy to grow your own tomatillos and jalapeños in pots on the patio. This is delicious over avocados, or can be used after flavors resting overnight as a Salsa Verde for dishes such as Enchiladas or Chicken Chili Verde.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed in water or vinegar
2 to 4 jalapeño or Serrano peppers, (You can seed them for a milder salsa) coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion. Onion can be chopped and rinsed in cold water to make milder or left as is for stronger taste.
¼ to ½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro (to taste)
Salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon table or sea salt or up to 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt)
¼ to ½ cup fresh lime juice or water, as needed
DIRECTIONS:
To cook the tomatillos, place the husked, and rinsed tomatillos whole, in a pot or saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping them over halfway through, just until evenly softened and olive green.
Remove tomatillos from water with a slotted spoon and transfer, along with chiles, onion, cilantro, and 1/4 cup of cooking water, to the blender, or food processor and blend to a coarse puree. Transfer to a bowl, add salt, and thin out as desired with water or lime juice. Taste and adjust salt and lime juiceif desired.
Place salsa is a large shallow non-reactive container such as pyrex pie dishes in your grill and cold-smoke for one hour for a light smoke taste or 2 hours for a heavier taste.
Stir, and chill before serving. Can make a day a head and will keep up to a 5 days in the refrigerator.
Recipe contributed by Steve Lasky
