Stephen's Salsa with Cabbage

My kids and I love Mexican food - most likely because I was raised in LA and so were they for their early years. We developed a good palate for authentic Mexican food as I love the little family run restaurants that serve meals that taste like they are straight from Mexico. It's also why I love visiting Mexico City so much and the Southwest of the US. The first time I took an extended trip to Europe, the thing I craved most was Salsa and that was one of the things I ate immediately after I returned. As I recall, I had it with Chorizo and Eggs. But, I'm not a fan of jarred or canned salsas. The only exception I make is occasionally resorting to opening a can of Herdez Salsa Casera in an emergency, meaning that I don't currently have tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime and Serrano chiles on hand, which is rare. I like the flavor of Serrano chiles much better than Jalapenos, but they can certainly be substituted easily. Together, they make Pico de Gallo which is good on everything, but I am particularly partial to eating it with scrambled eggs and of course tacos and burritos. 

A restaurant that we used to go to always had cabbage in their salsa and since that restaurant has now moved away, my son Stephen took the initiative to experiment and recreate that salsa. We served it with Carnitas Tacos and it was wonderful! I found out that this is a common version of salsa served in the Yucatan Peninsula. It's also even healthier as cabbage is so nutritious. It's easy to make and the only thing hard about it is waiting a little while for the flavors to meld before you serve it, otherwise the cabbage won't have absorbed the flavors. It's great with chips and a good way of getting kids to eat more vegetables!

Stephen's Salsa con la Col

1/2 small green cabbage, chopped finely

1/2 sweet onion, minced (can also substitute red onion)

8 Roma Tomatoes, diced

1 large Serrano chile minced finely, de-seeded if desire to make it less hot

handful of cilantro leaves, chopped

3 limes, juice squeezed out

1 small garlic clove minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Chili Powder (we like McCormick and Schmick's)

Sugar to taste - we used about 2 teaspoons as the limes were very sour)

Mix all ingredients together and let sit for one hour before serving with tortilla chips. Can be kept refrigerated for several days.

Five Element Analysis

Salsa is a Fire Food as it's main ingredients are tomatoes and Serrano Peppers. The limes add the Wood Element, while the garlic, onions and cilantro bring in the Metal Element. Serving it with tortilla chips or corn tortillas brings in the needed Earth Element and having a main dish like eggs, pork or fish adds the Water Element that is also missing. So, try this on Fish Tacos, Carnitas or Scrambled Eggs sometime soon!