This is the healthier and better-tasting
version of deep fried corn chips.
Cut a round flour
tortilla into 8
triangles. Lay them out on a baking tray (overlapping is fine). Bake at 180°C for 5-7 minutes, shaking the tray once or twice. They should be crisp and evenly browned.
We commonly associate salsa with freshness, but the Mexicans’ love roasting off vegetables and then blitzing them into tasty spicy roasted salsas. In South Africa, we struggle to get any proper Mexican chillies or sauces, but Tabasco has a Smoked Chipotle variant which adds the right heat and smokiness to this salsa.
Roasted tomato salsa with coriander
800g tomatoes
500g Roma tomatoes
1 head of garlic,
about 12 cloves
1 tbsp olive oil
1 green pepper,
chopped
1 red onion,
chopped
1 tbsp smoky
Tabasco
habanero
1 tbsp coriander,
chopped
Salt and pepper
Cut the large tomatoes in half and lay them in a roasting tray. Add the Rosa tomatoes and garlic, drizzle over the olive oil and season liberally with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Place in an oven pre-heated to 180 for 45 minutes until the skins are blistered and soft. Remove from the oven, cool and then place in a blender. Add the green pepper, red onion and the Tabasco. Blitz to a smooth purée. Pour into a pot and reduce it over a low heat until it thickens. Now add the chopped coriander, check the seasoning and set aside.
Ricotta, mint, jalapeno dip
Low fat Ricotta can be a little bland, but mash it up with some chopped up mint and jalapeño and you will get the flavour without the fat. Bonus, your chikita will be happy.
250g Ricotta
3 tbsp finely chopped
mint
3 pickled jalapeños, very
finely chopped
Mix the ingredients together and keep chilled until ready to serve.
Roasted pumpkin with cumin
Slow roasting pumpkin releases its earthy flavour and when you add the cumin, even more flavours pop out! Sprinkle with the dry fried pumpkin seeds to finish off.
500g pumpkin, diced
400g punnet baby
butternut, split
down the
centre into
quarters
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cumin
1 clove raw garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp Papitas (pumpkin seeds)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Toss the pumpkin and butternut with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast at 180 for 45 minutes until slightly charred and soft. Mash the pumpkin with a fork or toss it in a blender with the cumin and the garlic, blitz till a rough paste forms. Dry fry the pumpkin seeds in a frying pan until they begin to pop. Sprinkle over the pumpkin dip when serving. Use the butternut wedges to scoop up dip.
