recipe for a easy salsa

[puddicat]

anyone one got a good recipe for a salsa, son learning how to cook, thnx

[beryllium]

This is the one I do for parties to be served with tortilla crisps :-)

Tomatoes, finely chopped, deseeded if you wish, but I dont.
Fresh Garlic Cloves, crushed. As many as you like :-)
Red Onion. Finely chopped.
1 jar of Jalapenos plus a bit of the juice.
1 bunch of fresh Coriander
1 Jar of Passata, use 1/2 and see if you like the consistency
Seasoning, fresh ground black pepper and salt.

Mix all of the ingredients into a big bowl and let marinate over night. Or just make and serve.

There are so many variations of salsas :-)......

B. xxx

[beryllium]

Nickmo has always recommended this site, and it's very good :-)

http://www.astray.com/recipes/?search=salsa

[puddicat]

thnx bery, for the recipe and the website, looks fantastic

[nickmo]

Hi P - Astray as noted to search (Hi to B.....) , plus try http://www.epicurious.com and http://www.recipelink.com as two other good recipe sites for all manner of stuff.

For a potential cheffy type, have a look through the online info at: http://recipes.chef2chef.net/index-3.htm which is a bit of an online learn to cook facility that takes you through a stack of good details about sauces, seasoning, food styles etc. Also stack of recipes to search, trade info and chat, etc.

One to suggest for any budding Mr Bourdains is go to the site at : http://www.gourmetsleuth.com

This has a load of info on ingredients so if you want to learn about a particular item this is very useful for starting out, plus conversion charts, recipes, drinks guides and so on. Very handy on the favourites links for someone learning to cook...

Plus for UK residents - troll through the BigBarn site at : http://www.bigbarn.co.uk - stacks of local info and good newsletter to sign up for. Highly recommended..

Depending on age of son, why not join one of the cooking classes run for youngsters, like one from Stirrin' Stuff, where the pupils learn all about the enjoyment there is in food....search the web for local classes - lots around most areas..

[puddicat]

wow nickmo, thats great, my son is 24 and quite a cook already, just needs a bit of confidence to try a recipe without me looking over is shoulder!

[BBWCHATT]

A very easy - and a little unusual one for him Puddi:

Texas Caviar

2 cups black-eyed peas (fresh cooked or canned)
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 small can of chopped green chiles
Dash of cayenne pepper or your favorite hot sauce
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons minced celery
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced (or more, if you are a cilantro fan)
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

Drain peas, rinse with cold water and drain again.
Combine olive oil, chiles, cayenne, onion, celery, vinegar, salt and
pepper, and mix well. Pour over peas and stir gently.

Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

At serving time, add chopped tomatoes and cilantro, and mix carefully.

www.texmex.net

Note: I prefer not to wait to add the cilantro and tomatoes - I like them mixed in at the same time as the other ingredients. I also increase the amount of onion, cilantro and tomato - just for my personal taste:)

[nickmo]

HI P - glad to help - and I'm sure theere will be a few other good salsa suggestions to try as well....

If you want to give a bit of encouragement, why not trot along to your local farmers' market and get speaking to the producers who will all be happy to offer ideas and suggestions about using ingredients which helps with understanding what to do with food. See: www.thefoody.com for a decent list......

I would also recommend getting to grips with just a few basic recipes - e.g. white sauce, stock, victoria sponge, and of course a nice salsa - (salsa is actually a term for 'sauce' if you want to get all picky but also means an accompaniment like a relish...). Once the basics are sorted out being confident to combine flavours will follow, and cooking is about enjoying foods, not seeing it as only fuel, or a chore.

I'd also plug buying a membership to Slow Food, which promotes the local aspect of food production. Lots of info for foodies, like events to attend and info about food. Have a look at : http://www.slowfood.org.uk and enjoy!

Bon appetit!