Want proof the ranch petroglyphs are worm-holing my brain?
All you need is one word: molcajete (moh-cah-HAY-teh). For you Anglos that’s mortar and pestle.
A precious Latina friend gifted me this rustic molcajete. She instructed me in the ancient art of making salsa. She puts her salsa on everything: eggs, meat, fish, tortillas….anything!
She told me to purchase a couple of jalapenos, 6 or 7 tomatillos, and a roma tomato.
Seed the peppers, shell the tomatillos, and slice the roma tomatoes. Place veggies on a cookie sheet under a hot broiler.
She said don’t be afraid to give them a good char. The charring adds a smoky flavor.
Then, small portions at a time, add the ingredients to the molcajete and start grinding.
The molcajete gets seasoned by repeated uses; like a cast-iron skillet. It’s said it gives a richness of flavor a blender simply can’t impart.
This is how mine looked. I adore the acid-flavor of tomatillos….but you can alter the ingredients any way you like to suit your taste.
The taste test? Pure fabulous-ness. The Texan gave it his stamp of approval. Lots of great fresh flavors going on in this concoction.
I’m becoming one with the ancient peoples who once inhabited the Southwest. Can the addition of an horno be far behind?
Flavorful love to all.
C’mon Spring.
