recipe swap :)

Does anyone have a good and easy recipe for salsa? I just don't think the salsa here is the same! I'm actually not a fan of the fresh salsa (usually has too much of an onion and cilantro for my tastes) but I'm willing to try making my own :-)

Does anyone have a good and easy recipe for salsa? I just don't think the salsa here is the same! I'm actually not a fan of the fresh salsa (usually has too much of an onion and cilantro for my tastes) but I'm willing to try making my own :-)

I HATE cilantro! So I totally understand.
I don't make salsas usually because I'm more of a "pico de gallo" person. But if I had to make a salsa, I favor a chipotle salsa. My step-mother owns a Mexican restaurant in El Paso, Texas and this is her recipe:

28oz can of peeled fire-roasted tomatoes (if you can roast tomatoes yourself, do it and ditch the can but it's not totally necessary. If you do fresh, add a splash of water)

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup of cilantro leaves (use your own taste)

1-2 chipotle peppers from a can (these are widely available in UK stores and again to your taste since the original recipe says a whole can but we love mega spicy food)

2 tablespoons of lime juice

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

Put it all in a food processor and blend.

I'll ask my family and see if they have others.

1-2 chipotle peppers from a can (these are widely available in UK stores

Widely available?  I've not seen them, except in a speciality/import shop (Lupe Pintos).  Did you get them in a proper supermarket?

Thanks Lorena!  I was scratching my head at the Chipotle peppers as well though haha I will pay careful attention when I go shopping on Sunday!

I used to buy them in Sainsbury's and Tesco's and M&S back in 2002 and I lived in a suburb near Wigan. I guess my suburb was more "with it". Let me ask my family for one with just plain jalapeños.

I second the chipotles. I can get them from Tescos in Liverpool, but not fresh jalapenos

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I always make my own salsa. I like fresh, sturdy tomatoes.

I too am  wary of cilantro, but having looked into it, there is actually a genetic variation that  some proportion of the population carries that causes cilantro to taste "soapy".

I second the chipotles. I can get them from Tescos in Liverpool, but not fresh jalapenos

Asda now sells very small packs of fresh jalapenos for 50p. You used to be able to get them loose in Morrison's but I haven't seen that for some time now :-/

I always make my own salsa. I like fresh, sturdy tomatoes.

I too am  wary of cilantro, but having looked into it, there is actually a genetic variation that  some proportion of the population carries that causes cilantro to taste "soapy".

Yuck, that explains it. I have never made my own salsa before but I'd like to give it a go as best I can. Any recipe I see that has has too much cilantro totally puts me off.

I used to buy them in Sainsbury's and Tesco's and M&S back in 2002 and I lived in a suburb near Wigan. I guess my suburb was more "with it". Let me ask my family for one with just plain jalapeños.

The recipe sounds delicious and I will still look for the Chipotle peppers but if you have one with jalapenos too, I'll try that as well. I love jalapenos.

"In a genetic survey of nearly 30,000 people, two genetic variants linked to perception of coriander have been found, the most common of which is a gene involved in sensing smells. The gene, OR6A2, lies within a cluster of olfactory-receptor genes, and encodes a receptor that is highly sensitive to aldehyde chemicals. Flavor chemists have found that the coriander aroma is created by a half-dozen or so substances, and most of these are aldehydes. Those who dislike the taste are sensitive to the offending unsaturated aldehydes, while simultaneously may also be unable to detect the aromatic chemicals that others find pleasant."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriander#Taste_and_smell

Tastes soapy to me, so I must have the OR6A2.....

Cilantro/Coriander does indeed taste like soap to me. It was torturous as a person in a Mexican family with this aversion to cilantro and that stuff is in everything! My family thinks I'm either picky and over-sensitive or flat out "not proud of being Mexican" because I find it difficult to eat the food because of the cilantro. My English husband puts the stuff on most of his food.

Could really use a good, simple tried and true recipe for pulled pork if anyone has any :-)

My husband said he got teased in work how he must always eat only hot dogs and hamburgers every night -_- so I decided to prove everyone wrong and bring in some pulled pork for 4th of July. I know it's some time off but wanted a trial run first.

Normally I put the pork in the slow cooker wth some sliced onion for flavor, a coating of BBQ sauce, and some seasoning until towards the end where I put in more BBQ sauce. Does anyone else have a better way?

I just bung the pork shoulder into the slow cooker, and simply pour over a jar of salsa (I normally buy Mrs Renfro's jalapeno salsa, or La Preferida salsa jalapeno). 

Could really use a good, simple tried and true recipe for pulled pork if anyone has any :-)

My husband said he got teased in work how he must always eat only hot dogs and hamburgers every night -_- so I decided to prove everyone wrong and bring in some pulled pork for 4th of July. I know it's some time off but wanted a trial run first.

Normally I put the pork in the slow cooker wth some sliced onion for flavor, a coating of BBQ sauce, and some seasoning until towards the end where I put in more BBQ sauce. Does anyone else have a better way?

Funny you should ask, I just bought a big ol pork shoulder from the butcher not 20 minutes ago, for making pulled pork this weekend. Here's what I do:

- Cut off the skin (to make crackling the next day)
- Bung the shoulder in the crock pot and cover with cider vinegar and water in a 2:1 ratio (usually requires 1.5-2 litres)
- Let it brine overnight in the fridge
- In the morning, I make a spice mix in the mortar and pestle with yellow mustard seeds, sea salt flakes, black peppercorns, smoked paprika, chilli powder and brown sugar
- Dump just enough of the brine to leave about 5cm of the shoulder exposed
- Rub the mix over the exposed meat, don't worry if it falls into the vinegar
- Add 1-2 onions' worth of onion wedges
- Let it cook for 12 hours
- When it's done, remove the pork shoulder from the pot and brine, into/onto a suitable vessel (a biiig cutting board or a large baking tray of some kind) and just watch it fall apart

Mr Seahorse is a big fan, and I took some leftovers in to the office where I used to work (in London) as a gift to my co-workers and everyone lost their minds for it.

If you're more used to the bbq style you could easily toss some tomato puree in there. I mean, when you're making barbecue sauce (I don't buy it, because it's easier and cheaper to DIY), it's literally a combination of tomato puree, vinegar, sugar/honey and whatever herbs/spices you fancy. So it wouldn't be too difficult to go that extra bit further.

Basically what I am saying is that you should fully embrace your experimental pulled pork endeavours and try several versions because everyone deserves a pulled pork recipe that they can call 'my precious'.

I've got a big puddle of drool on my desk.

I've got a big puddle of drool on my desk.

Could pack a container and buy it a ticket on the Overground. Still be warm by the time it reaches you!