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condiment Green salsa questions

caroltlw

caroltlw

Made my first fresh green salsa yesterday and boy howdy, is it hot! I mean compared to the same thing in the red version. Only basic difference in my recipe being tomatillos instead of tomatoes and paste etc.

So...
Do the tomatoes in red salsa tame the heat that much?
Or is it the extra hotness of all the unripe chiles that give it the added burn?
Are the tomatillos what give the green stuff that unforgetable green aroma and flavor? I don't think I used enough of them for the amount of peppers I added.

I notice a lot different recipes too. Some add olive oil??

And then there's the agave nectar - AJ? I can't find it around here even at the Mexican store. Got to assume it tastes like tequilla without the alcohol?? So just add tequilla and call it a day - not a good thing to leave an open bottle of the stuff lying around the house though. :drunk:
 
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Nope Carol...Agave Nectar does not taste like tequilla at all...it is very very sweet with...something like 1/8 tsp = 1 tsp sugar...

If you can't find the Agave Nectar, here is a site you can order it from...and I might add, that is a pretty good price on it too..I think I pay about 5 bucks a pop for it...I will probably start ordering it online..

http://www.wildorganics.net/index.aspx

for my salsa, I use equal parts tomato (or tomatillo), onion, and peppers...usually serrano...if I want to kick the heat up, I usually add a superhot or something like that...I also use garlic powder...I like the way it melds with the overall taste...and sea salt to taste...have been using a touch of white pepper which seems to do a lot for the taste...
 
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I've only had agave nectar once and the best thing I could compare it to is honey.

Salsa sounds good. I love salsa verde, especially when it's mostly tomatillos with a small amount of regular tomatoes too.
 
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AlabamaJack said:
I use equal parts tomato (or tomatillo), onion, and peppers...usually serrano...
Click to expand...

OK, I'll go equal parts tomatillo and peppers and then add onion to taste. Don't have serranos so it'll be good ol' jalapenos with a bit of other hot, but not superhot, greenies.
The recipes I found said 1 1/2 lb of tomatillos and 1 - 2 jalapenos. Seeded. After I got done :rofl: I just added what "looked right" at the time.

But if the agave is more a sweetener than a flavor thing, then I'll stick with the demerra sugar for now. I'm not allowed to use more than 1 - 2 TBSP per blender of that either. The white pepper sounds interesting though. Already using garlic powder.



So, tomatillos: fresh or cooked?
.
.
 
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AlabamaJack said:
Nope Carol...Agave Nectar does not taste like tequilla at all...it is very very sweet with...something like 1/8 tsp = 1 tsp sugar...
Click to expand...


WOW Agave Nectar is really that sweet??? I wonder how that would work in my BBQ Sauces.....
 
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Cook those tomatillos Carol! I roast mine in a cast iron pan with a little olive oil and let them get nice and soft. The skins will brown and even turn black when done right. That's okay! Blend the whole thing, skins and all, and any charred bits will add a nice flavor and color to the finished salas.
 
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I just boiled them last time and mixed everything in the blender. Added the peppers last so they'd be the chunkiest parts. When I do red tomatoes I use some raw romas.
I may try the roasting thing if I'm in the mood for it sometime.
 
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Cactus nectar is sweet too. Ever have a prickly pear margarita? Well, there's probably sugar too, but it's got a good flavor.

Thanks for the idea. I'm thinking about a prickly pear sauce.
 
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OK, it is not as sweet as I thought I read last year...here is an excerpt...and I also just read that the glycemic index of agave nectar is usually between 11 and 30...

"Substituting Agave Nectar for Granulated Sugar

White Sugar
For each cup of white sugar replaced, use 2/3 of a cup of agave and reduce other liquids by 1/4 to 1/3 cup. This substitution will also work for Demerara Sugar, Turbinado Sugar, Evaporated Cane Juice, or Sucanat.


Brown Sugar
For each cup of white sugar replaced, use 2/3 of a cup of agave and reduce other liquids by 1/4 cup. Because the moisture content of Brown Sugar is higher than that of white sugar, liquids may not have to be reduced as much when substituting agave nectar."


Just read on another site where 1/4 cup agave nectar = 1 cup granulated sugar
 
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Oooooh, smoked salsa. Gotta try that! I've had good hot sauce a co-worker of mine makes that's completely smoked, from the orange habs to the mangoes to the carrots. Really good stuff, but I can't imagine how good this would make a salsa! What wood do you use to smoke yours JayT?
 
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If you can't find Agave Nectar in your local grocery store, try a health food store. More and more places are carrying it.

I know it's getting popular, but I hope it doesn't get so popular that it drives the price of Tequila up :(
 
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caroltlw said:
So...
Do the tomatoes in red salsa tame the heat that much?
Or is it the extra hotness of all the unripe chiles that give it the added burn?
Click to expand...


nope, its all in which type of chiles & ammount of chiles used.
unripe chiles can be just as hot as ripe chiles.
 
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