This past Tuesday, we had a huge “Dia De Las Salsas” event sponsored by MOZO shoes featuring Chefs Aaròn Sanchez and Chris Cosentino. The chefs held a very educational and entertaining cooking demo which featured five different salsas. There was also a very exciting CEO Cookoff with our very own Tony Hsieh and Deckers CEO Angel Martinez which featured two different cocktails and entrees.
Check back on the Zappos Blogs for more info about that cookoff soon!
In the meantime, here are the much-anticipated recipes featured during these events.
SALSAS:
Chris’ Salsa Verde
1 cup parsley leaves
1 cup chervil leaves
½ cup tarragon
¼ cup minced chives
1 tsp lemon zest
1 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp salted capers
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Kosher salt
Black pepper
¾ cup Extra virgin olive oil
First, soak the capers in cold water to remove the extra salt, and then fine brunoise the yellow onion and season with a pinch of salt and macerate with the red wine vinegar. After washing and picking the herbs, be sure they are dry before coarsely chopping them. Place in a mixing bowl adding each herb after it is chopped. With a micro plane, zest 1 lemon into the bowl then micro plane the garlic as well. Squeeze the vinegar from the brunoise onions and add to the herb mixture, being sure to mix well. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper, then add the olive oil to cover about ½ cup. If you want it looser, add more oil. Finish seasoning to taste. If more acidity is desired, add some lemon juice and let rest for 1 hour before serving so the flavor develops.
Serves 10.
Chris’ Salsa Piquante
1 red onion
6 red fresnos
2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp orange zest
2 cups picked flat leaf parsley
2 serranos
8 dried sweet peppers
3 dried cayenne peppers
4 dried cascabels
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Fine dice the red onion and the red Fresno chilies, being sure to reserve the ribs and seeds from the chilies. In a blender place all the dried chilies with seeds, but stems removed, the serranos and the centers of the red fresno with ½ cup of olive oil blend on high until the oil is red --about 4 minutes. Once finished, pour the chili puree into a mixing bowl and add the fine diced red Fresno chilies and red onions; mix well. With a micro plane zest an orange into the bowl then squeeze and strain the juice as well. To finish, chop the flat leaf parsley mix in the bowl with the extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Let sit for 2 hours at room temperature to allow the flavor to develop.
Serves 10.
Aaròn’s Salsa Verde
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 jalapeños, roughly chopped (yep, seeds, too)
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 dried bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
1 cup olive oil
Add the vinegar, jalapeño, garlic, and bay leaves to the blender jar, puree until smooth and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir in the herbs, and pour the olive oil in slowly and steadily, whisking the whole time. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Aaròn’s Salsa Picante
4 dried arbol chiles, stemmed
1 pound plum tomatoes, halved
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
juice of 1/2 lime
pinch of sugar
kosher salt
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Toast the chiles in a dry skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat, shaking the pan for about 2 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup boiling water on top, cover and let soak 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat a grill or grill pan to high. Grill the tomatoes, turning until charred. Transfer to a food processor. Add the chiles and their soaking water, onion, garlic, oregano, lime juice, sugar and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt; pulse until chunky. Set aside, about 1 hour. Garnish with cilantro.
Aaròn’s Guacamole
2 mashed avocadoes
1/4 cup of diced tomato
1/4 cup of diced white onions
1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano
1 jalepeno finely minced
juice from one lime
1 tablespoon chopped Cilantro
1 teaspoon kosher Salt
Mash the two avocados and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
COCKTAILS:
Chris’ Negroni Recipe
1 oz. Junipero Gin
1 oz. Campari
¾ oz. sweet vermouth
orange twist
4 juniper berries, 2 for garnish
1 fresh bay leaf
Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker including 2 juniper berries & bay leaf. Shake until well chilled and strain into a chilled cocktail glass on the rocks. Garnish with a orange twist and 2 juniper berries. To make an orange twist, cut about a 1 1/2 inch by 1 inch peel off a ripe navel orange, with a vegetable peeler. Be sure to get just the skin and as little of the pith as possible. Simply drop the twist in the drink.
Aaròn’s “Smokin’ Rita”
1.5 oz Gran Centenario Anejo
1 oz Grand Marnier
.5 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz float of Del Maguey Mezcal
ENTREES:
Grilled Cornish Game Hen Fra Diavolo with Fennel & Dandelion Salad by Chris Cosentino
1 red jalapeño peppers | ||||||||||||
1 Serrano peppers | ||||||||||||
6 cloves garlic | ||||||||||||
1/4 cup olive oil | ||||||||||||
1 tsp dried chile flakes | ||||||||||||
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper | ||||||||||||
1 tsp pimenton de vera dulce (Spanish paprika with a smoky note, but ground dried chipotle peppers may be substituted) | ||||||||||||
2 fresh bay leaves finely chopped (if you can’t get fresh, use 2 dried) | ||||||||||||
1 bunch of fresh thyme, leaves removed and finely chopped, twigs discarded | ||||||||||||
1 orange, zested and juiced | ||||||||||||
2 1-lb Cornish game hens | ||||||||||||
kosher salt | ||||||||||||
2 heads fennel | ||||||||||||
1 small red onion | ||||||||||||
1 lb baby dandelion greens (arugula may be substituted) | ||||||||||||
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil | ||||||||||||
1 lemon, juiced 1. For the marinade: In a food processor, combine the jalapeños, serranos, garlic, and olive oil, and pulse until a paste forms. Transfer to a bowl and add chile flakes, black pepper, pimenton de vera dulce, bay leaves, orange zest, and orange juice. Mix well with a spoon. Set aside. Note: if no food processor is available, finely chop the peppers and garlic by hand and proceed with the recipe. 2. For the hens: Using a pair of kitchen shears, remove each game hen’s back by cutting along both sides of the backbone. Discard the bones or save for a stock. Lay the birds flat in a deep wide dish or two. Season with kosher salt then “massage” them with the marinade (you may want to wear rubber gloves for this; otherwise take caution in touching your eyes after handling hot peppers) and let sit for 2 hours in the refrigerator. 3. Preheat the grill or grill pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cooking the Cornish game hens over high heat will ensure carmelization, which adds flavor, and makes proper grill marks on the meat. Place the bird on the grill breast side down and cook for 5 minutes then turn it a ¼ turn to the left and cook for 5 minutes more. This will give you those diamond grill marks. Flip the birds over and repeat the same steps, then place on a baking sheet in bake for 15 minutes. You can tell the birds are done when the thigh juices run clear. Set the Cornish game hens aside and let rest on the countertop for 10 minutes. 4.While the birds are resting, very thinly slice the fennel and red onion into a mixing bowl, add the dandelion greens, dress with a splash of lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. 5. Put salad on 6 dinner plates, then top with 1 Cornish game hen per plate. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve. Grilled Squash Picadillo
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