Salsa. Mild, Medium, Hot, or HOT?!

[riderinthestorm]

I like my salsa hot, chunky, and no cilantro please. Preferably with a frosty beer.

(why, just like I'm doing right now!)

How do you like your salsa?

Anyone have any good recipes?

[warrior1]

1. I like it hot.

This place has the best salsa

Norma Saenz, Dora Saenz and Sonia Chaidez

Owners, Three Sisters and Tres Hermanas


When the Saenz sisters left their home state of Chihuahua, Mexico in 1988, they took their mother, one husband—all the sisters are married now—and a healthy dose of business acumen, much of it learned from having helped their family run a successful farm equipment business.


They settled in Sacramento, living together at first. The sisters found work as waitresses (in different restaurants), paid close attention to each business’s operation, saved their money and invested in real estate. Then, just eight years ago, “We decided we didn’t want to work for anyone else and decided to just go for it,” says Sonia (Saenz) Chaidez, the youngest sister.


“We put all of our money together and bought our first restaurant,” says Norma Saenz, the eldest. With just $10,000, they opened Tres Hermanas at 24th and K streets in midtown Sacramento.


"We did all the cooking and everything else ourselves,” says Dora Saenz, the middle sister.

"We were naIve," says Norma. "We didn’t know you’re not supposed to open a restaurant with only that much money."


"But all of the equipment was already there," says Dora.


"So we figured, well, if it doesn’t work out . . . ” begins Sonia.


" . . . we'll just get other jobs and only have lost $10,000," concludes Norma.


By now you’ve guessed that a three-way chat with the three Saenz sisters sounds a little like the overlapping dialogue in a Robert Altman movie. What adds to the fun is that even though they’re business partners—both Tres Hermanas and the identically named (in English) Three Sisters restaurant in East Sacramento are hugely successful—they remain best friends. They accomplish this, says Sonia, bursting into a laugh, “by working different shifts."


The three sisters have two brothers: Sergio (an artist who’s studying to become a college professor) and Jésus, who also works with them. As for their husbands:


"They're completely supportive,” says Sonia.


"They take care of the children when we can’t be there," says Norma.


"They help us out a lot," says Dora.


"And they're investors in our businesses," says Norma.


The sisters are planning to open a third restaurant in 2005, this one in Lodi. Norma says she’s also been approached about franchising the eatery on the East Coast. “We’d make sure they used our family recipes," says Sonia.

"Our food is authentic," says Sonia.

"If you do'’t want authentic Mexican food, then go to Taco Bell," says Dora.


The sisters offer two recipes for success in the restaurant business. Norma says, “Don’t go into this because you want to be the big boss and tell everyone else what to do but not do any of the work yourself."


Adds Dora: "And don’t forget to thank all the people who come to your restaurant. Our customers have been very loyal to us."


"Because it’s very simple: no customers, no restaurant,” Sonia summarizes.

[JVS]

2. Hot and chunky, just like my women

;-)

[blondeatlast]

3. Hot hot. I grew up mostly in the Southwest. nt

[Left Is Write]

4. Hot.

But I usually buy medium so the rest of the family can partake.

[Gormy Cuss]

5. I like mine the same way, but with cilantro.

I do make some without cilantro.
Have you ever made a green salsa?

1/2 lb fresh tomatillos, husks removed.
8 small serranos or 6 jalapenos, stemmed and chopped.
1/2 cup onion, chopped small.
3 cloves garlic, minced
Good pinch of oregano.
1 tablespoon oil.

Put tomatillos in saucepan, cover with water, bring to simmer and cook for about five minutes (they should look soft but should not have collapsed. Drain all but a few tablespoons of water off, then place tomatillos and the reserved liquid into a blender or food processor and puree. Dump puree into a bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients.

A chunkier, smokier version can be made by grilling the tomatillos in their husks either on a rack on the grill or in a heavy frying pan on the stove. Turn frequently and remove as soon as the husks are brown and the fruit is soft. Let cool until you can handle them, then remove husks and rough chop the tomatillos before mixing with the rest of the ingredients.

The above grilled version works as a red salsa too if you have small plum tomatoes. Leave out the oregano.

[riderinthestorm]

9. Oh that looks good!

Here's a cilantro recipe I've made before if you like cilantro:

Black Bean Salsa
1 16 oz can of black beans, drain and rinse
4 green onions
2 tsp garlic (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
2 tbsp veg oil
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp cilantro
serranos and/or jalapenos to taste (no peppers if you like it mild)

combine all ingredients and chill at least 2 hours.

[Gormy Cuss]

16. Black bean salsa is great with grilled fish.

Especially if the fish has been marinaded in a lime/cumin/oil blend.

[flamingyouth]

6. Medium.

[leftofthedial]

7. all of the above

mmmmmmmm!

[Nikia]

8. Medium

Medium is usually high on flavor but doesn't burn. I like the cooked commercially made kinds alright. I don't like raw salsa as much.

[riderinthestorm]

10. I've had good success mixing the commercial salsa and fresh salsa

It just depends on what brands you like.

I can compromise on the fresh vs. commercial salsa but I love the real tortilla chips, flavored with a bit of lime. Forget the commercial brands there - go with the real stuff.

[DS1]

11. Used to be really hot, then I grew up ( a little )

Now I like it with a bit of a zing, but not so much that I ~have~ to stop munching it.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

12. HOT

The only salsa I found that was too spicy was Desert Pepper's XXX Habenero Salsa. I ended up cutting it with another salsa. They do make an awesome olive salsa too.

[WildEyedLiberal]

13. I almost bought some of that

Have you ever had Mrs. Renfro's Hot Habanero salsa? It's HOT, but managable (at least for me. It does make my mouth burn like hell, though.) How does Desert Pepper's salsa compare?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

14. Never had the Mrs. Renfro's...

In general, I like all the Desert Pepper salsas. I like the olive one even though it's not that spicy because I'm obsessed with olives. I really found the XXX too hot. I mean, I'm somebody that can swallow an absurd amount of wasabi with little effect to freak people out. It's good, but amazingly I found it too hot. I ended up cutting it with a regular hot salsa and then I was fine with it.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

23. Never had Mrs. Renfro's, so I don't know

For what it's worth, I love spicy stuff. I go to the Indian restaurant and get my food ordered hot. I routinely scorch my mouth & sinuses. This salsa was the internal type of burn. It sets your mouth on fire and then you feel the heat making it's way through your chest & stomach. I'm gifted with a cast iron stomach though so it had no real ill-effects. My sister and I were actually having a contest of sorts seeing who could eat the most of this salsa and chips. I won. After that we mixed it half & half with some regular strength hot salsa and it was more manageable.

[Extend a Hand]

27. yyyuuummmm

That's my favorite!!!

[Jazz2006]

15. Medium for me, except when I'm in Mexico :)

Then I like it hot the way the locals make it.

[GOPisEvil]

17. It's not the heat as much as the flavor.

I like SOME heat, but flavor is more important. This is one reason I really like chipotle-based salsas. I like the smoky flavor.

[ET Awful]

18. You know that level of heat where it's so hot you can't taste the

flavors of what's in the hot sauce or what the hot sauce is on? I like it just a notch or two below that level :).

Also, no fruity salsas (like mango salsa and stuff like that). I like the smokey roasted pepper salsas most I think.

[CatholicEdHead]

19. Usually medium to hot

I do like HOT every so often.

[Buddyblazon]

20. If my nose ain't runnin'...I don't like it.

And I love mine with a giant cup of Horchata.

[riderinthestorm]

21. Ok, I give. What's horchata? n/t

[AwakeAtLast]

22. It has to have a kick to it, but I also want to be able to taste it.

You will notice I didn't pick one of your categories because what I described is medium for some people, hot for others, and HOT for wimps (:sarcasm:)

I have found that no one can agree about labeling the heat of salsa, at least not the people I'm around.

I really like fresh made salsa the best and I do like cilantro, but any salsa is good salsa for me! :9

[shanti]

24. mild, chipotle, semi-smooth, with lots of cilantro!

:evilgrin: i LOVE chevy's salsa!

[tinfoilinfor2005]

25. Funny you should say that; I made some tonight.

Unfortunately, you wouldn't like it because I don't make it hot at all and I do make it with cilantro. Otherwise just fresh tomatoes, onions, a little celery, two tablespoons of oil and the juice of half a lime. This goes amazingly well with smoked salmon. One of those food combinations that just makes a marriage. A dollop of sour cream and this is an awesome dish. I had two servings for dinner, yumm.

[Wapsie B]

26. Hotter than the gates of hell.

Whoda thunk that someone raised in Iowa, home of bland cooking and of German/Polish/Scandahoovian ancestry would develop a taste for the hot stuff? I love it hot. Oh and hot salsa too. ;-)