poplar road

Road Trip Salsa

2-3 bunches of fresh cilantro

6 medium tomatoes

1 small yellow or sweet onion

6 limes

2-3 anaheim peppers (mild)

2-4 jalapeno peppers (medium)

2-4 serrano peppers (hot)

6 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced

less than 1 oz. of tequila

1 tsp. of sea salt

Chop and mix together the cilantro, tomatoes, and onion. Roll the limes beneath the palm of your hand to get the juice flowing, then squeeze over the mixture. NOTE: Wearing gloves, remove and discard the peppers' seeds and membranes. How many you use of each depends on how hot you like your salsa. (Serranos are twice as hot as jalapenos.) You MUST wear gloves or you'll burn your skin! Finely chop the peppers and add to the salsa along with the garlic, tequila, and salt. Stir to combine and let it sit for at least an hour, the longer, the better, so the flavours blend and intensify. Serve with corn tortilla chips, sour cream and guacamole, or on top of quesadillas.

Aside from Lisa, the biggest fan of Richard's salsa I ever saw was a wonderful gentleman by the name of Crazy Joe. He introduced himself to me in Johnson Valley last May, after he watched me drive Mechano up a trail called Clawhammer. He was impressed, and "not because you're a girl", he said. Richard invited him to drop by our campsite that evening, and he arrived just as we were finishing dinner. You know how much Richard and I enjoy feeding people, so as you might expect, we cooked him up a steak and in lieu of vegetables, offered him salsa on the side. What was left of it was watery, in the bottom of a large bowl. He dipped in a chip to taste it and smiled, the same smile with which he'd explained why they call him Crazy Joe. "I love salsa", he said, and lifted the bowl in both hands. He drank it. He downed a whole cupful of it, licking the last bits of cilantro off his dripping whiskers. He regaled us with a few more stories of past and current exploits as a military weapons expert and movie effects consultant, but the image that sticks with me is the gleeful satisfaction on his face as he drained that bowl of salsa the way other people toss back a beer. I remember him every time we make it.

Summer is here: at 30+ degrees all week, it's truly salsa weather. We're having a bit of rain just in time for our long weekend visit with Sharon, Pat, Olivia, and baby Andrew, but the sun came out long enough today to enjoy salsa with lunch (and ice cream for dessert!). Tomorrow I'm looking forward to some guacamole and llamavision in the sunny back yard in addition to salsa. Enjoy!