“Lazarus! Come quickly! I need you!”
SALSA OF LIFE
©2007, All Rights Reserved by Norman Van Aken
“Vuelve de la Vida” .. or as we call it, ’Salsa of Life’ reminds me of a Bloody Mary. It is Mexican origination. Many praise it for it’s restorative and refreshing powers. I make it as here and then finish it with whichever seafood I find to be the freshest and most alluring. I fold in cooked shrimp sometimes and raw diced conch others. You can do a combination if you like. Raw oysters are also another exciting idea.
Yield: 5 Cups
1 large tomato, halved, seeds removed
1 jalapeño pepper, halved, seeds removed
2 red bell peppers, halved, seeds removed
1 small Spanish onion, peeled and halved
6 piquillo peppers, drained
1 Cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ Cup lemon juice
½ Cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Cup tomato juice
¼ Cup sugar
1-teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly toasted and ground black pepper
Tabasco, to taste
Preheat the oven to 500°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place the tomato, jalapeño, bell peppers and onion, cut sides down, on the pan and roast until charred, about 30 minutes.
Set aside to cool.
Slip the skins off the tomato, jalapeño and peppers and put in a blender with the piquillo peppers, onion, juices, sugar, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
The “Salsa of Life” can be made a day in advance and held covered in the refrigerator.
