Happy Cinqo de Mayo

I'm celebrating by eating cherry tomatoes with salsa.

Partly because I felt I needed to eat something Mexican-ish, partly because I am a salsa-phile, but mostly because because doing anything more than throwing tomatoes in a bowl and pouring salsa over it would ruin my day of leisure. 

I went for a really good run this morning but since then I've done zip zilch nada.

Anyway I thought I'd post up some cinqo de mayo recipes.

Both (and the photos) are courtesy of Marthastewart.com

Salsa Trio & Homemade Tortilla Chips

Tortilla Chips

• Cut tortillas into quarters. Fry in 1/2 inch of hot vegetable oil until light gold, about 20 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt, and serve at room temperature with salsas 

Roasted Tomato Salsa

• Preheat broiler. Place 9 plum tomatoes, 1 large onion, 3 jalapenos, and 2 cloves garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until tomatoes and jalapenos are charred, about 7 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle.
• Peel the roasted garlic. Transfer to a blender along with the charred tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, and 1 tablespoon salt. Puree until smooth. For a thinner consistency, add water as needed. Season with salt to taste.

Salsa Cruda

• Stir together 4 medium tomatoes, finely chopped, 1/2 large white onion, finely chopped, 2 serrano or jalapeno chiles, minced, 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, 1 cup water and 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt.

Salsa Verde

• Place 14 tomatillos in a large saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer until tomatillos have softened but not burst, about 5 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid. Strain tomatillos through a fine sieve.
• Puree tomatillos, 1/2 large white onion, 3 cloves garlic, 3 chiles, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid in a blender or food processor until smooth. For a thinner consistency, add remaining cooking liquid. Season with salt to taste.

Honeydew Aqua Fresca

• Set a large fine-mesh sieve over a large pitcher or jug. In batches, in a food processor or blender, puree 14 cups honeydew melon until smooth. Pour melon puree through sieve, pressing on solids with a rubber spatula (you should have about 4 cups juice).
• In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup superfine sugar and 1/2 cup fresh lime juice; stir until sugar dissolves. Add lime mixture and 4 cups water to melon juice and mix well. Adjust sweetness with more sugar if desired. (Mixture can be refrigerated, up to 2 days.) To serve, add plenty of ice and 2 cups raspberries.

Ole!