cimorene

I'm a chips and salsa fiend. It was my favourite food for most of my life, and for large portions of my teenaged years I consumed, on average, one bag of tortilla chips and one bag of salsa a day (I've still always been underweight, even though that's in addition to three meals. Fucking metabolism). Fresh salsa is my favourite, but I can't have fresh garlic in the house because it nauseates my better half unbearably, and I'm not mean like that.

And the only salsa I can easily buy here in Finland is Old El Paso medium-hot chunky stuff. Which is perfectly tolerable! I mean, it could be worse! It could be Pace picante, for Bob's sake. But it's really unsatisfying nonetheless.

And then today, looking at half a jar of said OEP med, it came to me: a brainstorm! I poured in a quarter cup or so of water, a tablespoon of chili powder, a teaspoon of garlic powder, a tablespoon of dried cilantro leaves (these are called "coriander leaves" in Swedish and Finnish - korianterisomething, I think. Anyway, it's the same plant. Cilantro is the name for the leaves; coriander refers to the seeds), a generous dash of lemon juice and some salt. Then I screwed the top back on and shook it vigorously.

And now it's actually good. Not nearly as good as a flavourful roasted chile salsa or fresh salsa cruda, but as good as a fairly good bottled salsa.