Nancy Zaslavsky teaches cooking and leads culinary tours to Mexico. She is leading a trip to Oaxaca in time for the Day of the Dead.
Fresh Hoja Santa Table Salsa
Makes about 2 cups
Anise-tasting hoja santa (Piper auritum) commonly known as hierba santa, yierba santa, acuyo in Veracruz, momo in Chiapas, and root beer plant in the US are prized throughout the southern half of Mexico, especially in Puebla and along the Gulf coast states. Cooks wrap raw fish fillets in huge, 8- to 10-inch, heart-shaped leaves—so the cooked seafood gets permeated with hoja santa’s enticing herbal flavor—and then they grill, bake or steam the packages. The wrapping leaves (do not eat) sometime blacken but add great flavor.
Find Mexican herbs at Coleman Family Farms at the Santa Monica farmers’ market. This easy-to-make, uncooked table salsa is great with fish or chicken.
1 hoja santa leaf (about 6-inches), stem removed
1 large (3-inches) white onion
1 or 2 fresh green jalapeño or serrano chiles
3 Mexican limes (a.k.a. Key limes), juiced
1 large, ripe Hass avocado
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 tsp agave syrup
1/2 tsp sea or kosher salt
1. Coarsely chop the hoja santa leaf and put in a blender or processor.
2. Peel and cut the onion into large chunks. Stem one chile and coarsely chop (include seeds). Add onion and chile to blender. Pour in the lime juice and blend about 15 seconds. Scrape down container sides.
3. Cut the avocado open, remove pit and spoon the flesh into the blender. Add the cilantro, agave syrup and salt. Purée until foamy, about 30 seconds.
4. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Add more finely chopped chile if desired. Serve immediately at room temperature.
© Nancy Zaslavsky 2009
Fresh & Foamy Tomatillo Table Salsa
Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce
Tomatillos (Physalis ixocarpa) are in the cape gooseberry family—not green tomatoes with papery husks. Common names are tomate verde (Oaxaca), Mexican jam berry and husk tomato. Mexico’s indigenous tomatillos are ground into table salsas or cooked sauces; their citrus flavor sparks many dishes normally enhanced by lime juice.
Firm tomatillos (never soft) are not peeled, but always used with their skins intact. Find them in the summer from Windrose Farms at the Santa Monica farmers’ market—they are medium-sized with purple markings, and especially delicious.
This almost instant, uncooked table salsa has a citrus-mint tang. Serve with seafood or pork (great alongside take-out carnitas!).
6 medium tomatillos
1 medium (2-inches) white onion
1 or 2 fresh green jalapeño or serrano chiles
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 to 2 tsps agave syrup
1/2 tsp sea or kosher salt
1. Remove the papery husks and discard. Rinse tomatillos (they are naturally sticky). Cut in half. Put in blender or processor.
2. Peel and cut the onion into large chunks. Stem one chile and coarsely chop (include seeds). Add both to blender with cilantro, mint, syrup and salt. Pulse to chop. Scrape down the container sides and then purée until smooth and foamy, at least 30 seconds.
3. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Add more finely chopped chile if desired. Serve immediately at room temperature.
© Nancy Zaslavsky 2009