Salsa - a couple of different ones

Living in the southwest, this is a staple in pretty much every meal. There are tons of recipes out there to choose from. These are just two that I like and that I use the most. They are very different in flavor, but both are equally good.

Tomatillo Salsa

20-25 jalapenos
4-5 Roma tomatoes
4-5 tomatillos
garlic to taste
salt to taste

1) Wash all produce. Remove the husk from the tomatillos. Wash the tomatillos well and wash the husk.
2) Boil the jalapenos, tomatoes, tomatillos and husks. After the water has boiled for a few minutes, remove the leaves and drain the water.
3) Blend the jalapenos, tomatoes and tomatillo in a blender. Add garlic and salt. Chill before serving.

Optional: For some reason, lime tastes really good in this recipe, but add it after the salsa has cooled.



Jalapeno Tomato Salsa

3 jalapenos
1 large can of diced tomatoes (or you can use 2 to 3 fresh tomatoes, diced)
several sprigs of cilantro (I like fresh, but dried will work - 1 tsp.)
1/2 onion, chopped
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste

Blend all in a blender to the consistency you like - I don't like chunks, so I really blend mine. Serve cold with tortilla chips.

Buttermilk Pie

Recipe via Serena Holder - another old family friend

1 unbaked pie shell (see my mom's pie crust recipe for this)
scant 2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients. Melt butter and add to slightly beaten eggs. Add buttermilk. Blend dry ingredients. Add vanilla. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then 350 deg. for about 45 minutes, or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean.

Tortillas ala Mom and Nettie Dodson

This recipe comes from my mom and her dear friend Nettie. I can remember as a child sitting at Nettie's home watching her and my mom make these tortillas. She used to cook on an old wood stove and she would roll out her tortillas and toss them onto a cast iron stove lid to cook. My mom also had a stove lid specifically for making tortillas and when I got married - guess what I got as a wedding gift! Yep, a stove lid. Sounds crazy, but they make great tortilla "cookers". If you don't have a cast iron stove lid, then a flat skillet or large skillet will work just as well. Just make sure it's good and hot!

Here we go:

4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt.
1 1/2 c. water
About 2 T. lard (or shortening)

Mix the dry ingredients together, blend with the lard and then add the water. Mix well and break up into golf ball size pieces of dough. Roll out thin and in a circle (yeah, good luck on that one - I still can't do it - mine are more.........oblong!). Anyway, throw one on the lid or skillet and brown on one side, then flip over and do the other side. The cooking is the best part because the tortilla will get all sorts of bubbles on it. As a child, that's the best part.

This recipe says it makes 24, but those are very small tortillas, so you might want to double this recipe. Or, you don't need to double it, but make fewer and bigger tortillas.

Enjoy!