Editor’s note: Tucson Kitchen Secrets is a new video series celebrating The Old Pueblo’s flourishing craft food scene. Home-cook and former cheesemonger Andi Berlin goes back into the kitchen with local chefs, craft producers, baristas and bartenders, learning their trade and sharing insiders’ tips.
Chef Maria Mazon claims her salsas are “hotter than your wife.” But what she doesn’t say, is that they’re cooler too …
Her salsas can be anything they want to be. In fact, they change daily: Everything from shredded carrots spiced with chipotle and lime to fresh goat cheese and mango makes its way onto her rotating selection.
In the kitchen at her university-area restaurant Boca Tacos y Tequila, 828 E. Speedway, she operates like Jackson Pollock, throwing in unexpected ingredients on the fly with the precision of a trained artist. It feels so natural, almost pre-ordained, what will go in there this time: dried guajillo chiles, a dash of liqueur, a sprig of rosemary.
The Tucson-native said she wants to show people Mexican cuisine can be elegant. But to me, her cooking feels like Carnival: a spectacle of vibrant colors, textures and sensations that wash over you. It’s exciting, and extremely visceral. Watching her, I felt like I could do anything. I wanted to rush home and make something up with the ingredients I had right then in the kitchen.
So in other words, this recipe is just a guideline. Do with it what you will, but whatever you do, start with the chiles.
Those are imperative.
Maria Mazon’s roasted red bell pepper and basil salsa
3 roasted red bell peppers, peeled and sliced
1/4 of a white onion
1/4 cup canola oil
2 dried chile morita
1 dried chile guajillo
1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
Splash Ancho Reyes chile liqueur (Available at Plaza Liquors, 2642 N. Campbell Ave., but you can also substitute by adding an ancho chile and a splash of tequila)
2 leaves fresh basil
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Optional: Can add fresh goat cheese for creamier flavor
Heat peppers, quartered onion and oil on medium-high heat in a pan. After several minutes, add dried chile morita and guajillo, crushing a little bit in your hand to open up the flavors. Let cook 5 more minutes.
Add cider vinegar, orange juice and splash of liqueur one by one, giving each a chance to cook down for a minute. Add fresh basil, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for several more minutes until the sauce is well integrated. Blend, and serve.
