Salsa: what's so "hot" about it?

Most salsa are nothing to get worked up about. Some are far better than
others. I recently had a fresh green salsa that seemed to be primarily
chopped jalepenos and cilantro with a bit of lime. It was very good. I
also had a black bean and roasted corn salsa (Santa Barbara brand ?)
than was also very good. Most of the major brands are quite boring and
need something to liven them up a bit.

Personally, I prefer fresh type salsas, such as Pico de Gallo. Most of
the major brand salsa are a lot like catsup or canned tomatoes to me :
usefull, but not really exciting. I will be used in something, and
probably sooner rather than later. Or it will be served to guest who
appreciate it. Leftovers will be added to a can of refried beans with a
little chesse and cilantro to make a good bean dip.

I never add it to soup, so maybe I'm missing something.

Dean G.

Twas a woman who drove me to drink. I never had the courtesy to thank
her. --W.C. Fields

jmcquown wrote:
But I'd like to read the discussion, just the same.

Quoted message said:

Jill

Doubtful, you have already made up your mind, so you will ignore what is
written opposing your views and seek support from those agreeing.

Self-fulfilling prophesy and all that.

jim

In article <[email hidden]>, "jmcquown"

Quoted message said:

I just can't get terribly excited about salsa.

There's lots of different kinds of salsa, with different ingredients and
different preparation methods. The stuff in bottles and cans is OK, but
nothing like the fresh ones. The name "salsa" is because salsa is the
Spanish word for "sauce".

The nice thing about table salsas is that each person can put on exactly
as much as they want.

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS
[email hidden]

jmcquown wrote:
[snip]

Quoted message said:

I just don't 'get' the big deal about salsa.

The big deal about salsa is simply that it's better than ketchup.

-aem

jmcquown said:

I realize from a previous thread about pate and cavier, no one can

convince

Quoted message said:

me to love salsa. But I'd like to read the discussion, just the

same.

Why? If you don't like it, you don't like it. Do you just want the
entertainment value of people trying to convince you of something when
it won't change your mind?

This is one of the dumber posts I've seen.

Brian

Quoted message said:

I never add it to soup, so maybe I'm missing something.

Dean G.

I would add it to most soups without thinking twice. Or
guacamole. I really hate to sound like that semi homemade
person, but it's got a lot of stuff in it that would bring flavor.
I've even poured some over a bit of pasta for a quick lunch.

I prefer to make my own, but wouldn't it make quick
(shoot, what's it called, those garlic toasts with the tomato
salsa on top? Bruschetta?)

nancy

Think of salsa in the way wou'd think of
catsup, mustard or any other condiment..

Folks use it to enhance, or brighten the taste
of the item they're eating.

What you put it on, and whether you enjoy it
is a matter of personal taste....

( I enjoy salsa on hotdogs )

jmcquown said:

I just can't get terribly excited about salsa. It's tomatoes, onions,
peppers (some hot, some not), cilantro, vinegar, lime juice, etc., etc., ad
nauseum. Might be a nice garnish or added to some soups; okay with corn
tortilla chips (personally I prefer a cheese dip sans salsa). I just don't
understand what's to get all worked up about. I personally don't care if a
jar of salsa came from west of the Pecos or New York City. Don't get me
wrong, I love spicy foods. I just don't 'get' the big deal about salsa.

I realize from a previous thread about pate and cavier, no one can convince
me to love salsa. But I'd like to read the discussion, just the same.

Jill

<rj>

"aem" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

jmcquown wrote:
[snip]

Quoted message said:

I just don't 'get' the big deal about salsa.

The big deal about salsa is simply that it's better than ketchup.

-aem

That's a very small deal, actually.

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the [censored] from my email address before using.

jmcquown said:

I just can't get terribly excited about salsa. It's tomatoes, onions,
peppers (some hot, some not), cilantro, vinegar, lime juice, etc., etc.,

ad

Quoted message said:

nauseum. Might be a nice garnish or added to some soups; okay with corn
tortilla chips (personally I prefer a cheese dip sans salsa). I just

don't

Quoted message said:

understand what's to get all worked up about. I personally don't care if

a

Quoted message said:

jar of salsa came from west of the Pecos or New York City. Don't get me
wrong, I love spicy foods. I just don't 'get' the big deal about salsa.

I realize from a previous thread about pate and cavier, no one can

convince

Quoted message said:

me to love salsa. But I'd like to read the discussion, just the same.

i love salsa! it's nice, fresh and not to heavy. i've taken to getting a
decent jarred salsa and adding fresh minced garlic, chopped onion, jalapeno
and cilantro with maybe a fresh lime squeezed in. it's not as good as fresh
but will fool the average non foodie and it sparks up the taste quite
nicely.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

What you put it on, and whether you enjoy it
is a matter of personal taste....

( I enjoy salsa on hotdogs )

I've never tried that, but it sounds good. We normally cut up a tomato
and some onion when we have hot dogs, so it isn't that different.

We went to a potluck some years ago. The hosts said that they'd cook up
hamburgers on their charcoal grill. They in fact did, and they were very
good. The hosts even provided buns, but that was about it. I had brought
a fresh, uncooked salsa with tortilla chips as my potluck contribution.
Several people put salsa on their hamburgers. After all, it was mostly
fresh tomatoes and onions.

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS
[email hidden]

In article said:

i love salsa! it's nice, fresh and not to heavy. i've taken to getting a
decent jarred salsa and adding fresh minced garlic, chopped onion, jalapeno
and cilantro with maybe a fresh lime squeezed in. it's not as good as fresh
but will fool the average non foodie and it sparks up the taste quite
nicely.

Reminds of an experience I had in college. My roommate and I didn't have
much money, and very little cooking experience. He bought an all-in-one
box to make spaghetti. It had the noodles, a can of sauce and a little
packet of cheese. He added all this other stuff to it to make it taste
better, just like his mom did. By the time he spent all that money and
time, he could have just made it from scratch and saved the cost of the
kit.

If you take what you have above, and substitute diced fresh tomatoes for
the jarred salsa, you'd have a wonderful made-from-scratch fresh salsa
with very little additional work. Or am I missing something?

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS
[email hidden]

aem said:

The big deal about salsa is simply that it's better than ketchup.

I heard a few years ago that salsa has replaced ketchup as the number
one condiment in USA.

nb

Dan Abel said:

If you take what you have above, and substitute diced fresh tomatoes for
the jarred salsa, you'd have a wonderful made-from-scratch fresh salsa
with very little additional work. Or am I missing something?

nope, you're not missing anything. i do this when i have lots of the jarred
stuff already and i'm looking to stretch it and make it taste better. i make
fresh salsa quite a bit but sometimes i'm looking to make what i have taste
better with things i generally keep in my pantry 🙂

Quoted message said:

Find I just can't get terribly excited about salsa. It's >tomatoes,

onions,

Quoted message said:

peppers (some hot, some not), cilantro, vinegar, lime juice, >etc.,

etc., ad nauseum.

While your citation of cilantro is a good sign, it appears that you've
simply never had decent salsa.

Use [censored] tomatillos (never tomatoes, which are too sweet), scallions
(not onions), and for chrissake garlic, garlic, and more garlic.
Jalape񯳠can be used, but sneak in a ration of habaneros, too, to send
up the zing. And YES cilantro. Where I depart from orthodoxy is
preferring vinegar to lime/lemon juice. Don't leave it chunky--blend
it into homogeneity.

Don't waste it by dipping chips in it; use it as a condiment for roast
chicken or pork; beans and rice of course; and any stew that can't
quite make it on its own.

Neil

On Wed, 2 Mar 2005 13:09:35 -0600, "jmcquown" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I just can't get terribly excited about salsa.

I like fresh salsa, and I prefer my own to premade stuff. I really love my
own guacamole, and that is basically fresh salsa with avocado smooshed into
it. It just tastes so gooood. 🙂 I use it on a lot of different things, but
I really like my salsa or guacamole on nachos. 🙂

--
Siobhan Perricone
"I ain't afraid of your Yahweh
I ain't afraid of your Allah
I ain't afraid of your Jesus
I'm afraid of what ya do in the name of your god"
- Holly Near

Quoted message said:

Do you just want the
entertainment value of people trying to convince you of something when

Quoted message said:

it won't change your mind?

You don't know Jill very well. *wink*

Dan Abel said:

There's lots of different kinds of salsa, with different ingredients and
different preparation methods. The stuff in bottles and cans is OK, but
nothing like the fresh ones. The name "salsa" is because salsa is the
Spanish word for "sauce".

The nice thing about table salsas is that each person can put on exactly
as much as they want.

I can take or leave most salsas at mexican
restaurants, but I love Pico de Gallo (beak of the
rooster).
Goomba

Default User' said:

jmcquown said:

I realize from a previous thread about pate and cavier, no one can
convince me to love salsa. But I'd like to read the discussion, just the
same.

Why? If you don't like it, you don't like it. Do you just want the
entertainment value of people trying to convince you of something when
it won't change your mind?

Heehee! Sometimes she's a troll, but she's OUR troll! 😄

Carol
--
"Years ago my mother used to say to me... She'd say,
'In this world Elwood, you must be oh-so smart or oh-so pleasant.'
Well, for years I was smart.... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

*James Stewart* in the 1950 movie, _Harvey_

aem said:

jmcquown wrote:
[snip]

Quoted message said:

I just don't 'get' the big deal about salsa.

The big deal about salsa is simply that it's better than ketchup.

-aem

No, it's not, especially if it has cilantro in it. Yuck! The only
thing I use salsa on is on things like burritos or tortilla chips.
Most everything else gets ketchup.