Curated Cuisine is a monthly series examining all things edible, from the chefs cooking the food to the writers reviewing the recipes. Meet the people shaping the food industry, both local and national and enjoy a post-show bite inspired by the conversation.
As far as James Beard Award-winning chef Rick Martínez is concerned, salsa isn’t just a condiment, it’s a lifestyle. In his new cookbook, “Salsa Daddy,” Martínez shows how salsa can be a dip, a condiment or an iconic Mexican meal. The book contains over 70 recipes for salsa, from the classic pico de gallo to a nutty-savory spicy sauce made with peanuts, chiles and caramelized onions. Martínez joined arts and culture reporter at large Cristela Guerra and discussed the recipes and offered tips and tricks on how to use them to create easy weeknight meals.
This event was co-produced by Boston University Metropolitan College Programs in Food & Wine.
About “Salsa Daddy”
Chips, salsa, happiness. We know that essential truth. But after over 500 years of salsa history, there’s so much more to discover about this staple dish, one that cooks today can customize and riff on freely. Salsa can be an irresistible dip, yes, or a flavorful condiment, or it can be the basis for iconic Mexican meals — not to mention a savior for grilled cheese, burgers, rotisserie chicken or platters of roasted vegetables.
Rick Martinez takes us deep into the world of traditional and modern salsas, where a playful pico de gallo with tomatoes, avocados, and chipotles is chopped up in a few minutes or where you might blend roasted peanuts with caramelized onions and toasted chiles for a nutty-savory spicy sauce. You’ll find smashed salsas, like La Tatemada Cremosa (charred tomato, chipotle in adobo and crema), chopped salsas, such as Xnipec (tomato, habanero and sour orange), as well as cooked salsas, like Pipián Verde (pepitas, peanuts and tomatillo) and specials like Salsa Macha (peanuts, guiajillo and chile de árbol) and Aioli Rojo (morita, guajillo, garlic and lime). Turn these incredibly delicious salsas into easy meals like Chilaquiles, Enchiladas Gratinadas, Puffy Tacos or Pozole Verde con Pollo.
With over seventy salsa recipes and twenty-four easy meals that offer endless variation, “Salsa Daddy” shows you how salsa can catapult joy into your cooking and become the heart of every table. Like Rick, you’ll learn that salsa isn’t a condiment — it’s a lifestyle.