Raiding the Kitchen: Qdoba Salsas

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This was fun! Chef Ted Stoner has one of the cooler jobs in the world. He went to a top notch culinary school, and was on the verge of doing what those chefs do: going to work at a restaurant and putting in 80 hours a week for the rest of his life.

But then he was lured into a corporate test kitchen, and his world changed.

Now, since 2005, he's been the guy in charge of inventing all those new dishes you taste at Qdoba. (And don't forget, Qdoba also caters!)

For us, it was a salsa day. Click on the video tab above to hear from Ted on how it's done. We showed you the mango salsa preparation, and we've got a recipe for a second one below called grilled verde salsa. They're both great! (Keep an eye on this space, we'll have a bonus, third recipe for you later in the day from Ted.

Both of these salsas can be used in a number of ways. In the video we show them complimenting chicken tacos, but that's certainly not the limit. Put them on anything you like salsa on! Enjoy!

Mango Salsa

Yields appprox. 4.5 Cups

Ingredients:

2 Cups of mangos (fresh or frozen) diced

1 Medium red pepper diced

1 Medium cucumber diced

1/4 of a red onion diced

1 Jalepeno minced fine

1/4 cup of cilantro chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1 Tablespoon of sugar

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. If using frozen mango, then place the pieces in a mixing bowl and go to the next step. If you've got a fresh one, you need to cut the oblong pit (like a big pumpkin seed) out. Stand the mango on end stem down. There is a seam that follows the pit. Using a sharp knive, make a cut on one side of the pit, then the other. Dice the mango down to the skin, but not through it. Add diced mango to a mixing bowl.
2. Cut the ends of the cucumber and peel, making sure to spoon out the seeds. Dice and add to the mixing bowl.
3. Dice the red onion and add to the bowl.
4. Mince the jalapeno and ad to the bowl. (If you like it spicy leave the ribs in, if not, cut out the ribs and seeds. Wear gloves while doing this if you're sensitive to heat.
5. Chop cilantro and add to bowl.
   
6. Squeeze the juice from the lime and add to the bowl.
7. Add sugar and salt to bowl, then stir thewhole thing up.
8. Refrigerate until needed.

Grilled Verde Salsa

Ingredients:

1/2 dozen tomatillos, medium sized, husks removed. Washed.

1 whole jalapeno

1 clove of garlic with paper skin still on

1/4 of a peeled white onion

1/4 cup of chopped cilantro

Juice of one lime

Salt to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat grill to medium. oven or broiler to 375, or stove top with cast iron pot.
2. Place tomatillos, garlic, jalapeno, and onion on grill or in oven.
3. Grill for approx. 8-10 minutes until they are cooked through(you will need to move them occasionally so they cook evenly) The amount of char or grill marks is for each individual to determine based on personal taste. Most importantly, make sure everything is cooked through.
4. Let ingredients cool.
5. Peel garlic and place in food processor.
6. Remove stem from jalapeno and cut in half. (Remove seeds and rib if you want it less spicy) Place jalapeno in food processor.
7. Add about 1/3 of the tomatillos and pulse the food processor. OPen and make sure there are no large chunks of garlic, jalapeno, or onion.
   
8. Add the remaining tomatillos and cilantro and pulse until you've reached desired consistency.
   
9. Pour salsa into a mixing bowl and add lime juice and salt. Stir to incorporate.
   

Random tips:

• You can substitute 2-3 medium tomatoes for the tomatillos
• The heat level will mellow after this salsa sits
• Use gloves or coat hands with oil before handling jalapeno
• When chopping cilantro using some stem is good. It has a lot of flavor.
• To make a creamy version of this, add an avacado in the last food processor step.

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