Roasted Salsa Verde

A Glass bowl full of fresh homemade Roasted Salsa Verde.

The Best Salsa Verde

If you’re a fan of Mexican food and you love a good salsa, you have got try this Roasted Salsa Verde recipe. It’s made with fresh Tomatillos, Anaheim, Jalapeno and Poblano Peppers, some onion and roasted garlic that is blended together with a few other spices to really make it pop. It pairs well with practically any meat, for tacos and burritos, and tastes great over eggs or nachos.

Two other recipes I posted in the past, that are similar to this one, is my Green Enchilada Sauce and my Pork Chili Verde. My Fire Roasted Salsa is probably the most popular though. Anyone who’s tried these recipes raved about the finished product so, I highly suggest you move into those posts if you fancy this recipe.

3 Tomatillos, 6 Anaheim peppers, 1 Jalapeno, 2 Poblano peppers, 1 onion cut in half, and 4 garlic cloves on a perforated pizza pan. Also 2 Roma tomatoes and 1 bunch of Cilantro.
How to make Roasted Salsa Verde video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Fire Roasted Chili Salsa Verde Ingredients: 5 cups, 40 oz.

6 Anaheim Peppers, fire roasted
3 Poblano Peppers, fire roasted
1/2 Large Onion, fire roasted
2 Roma Tomatoes
1/2 bunch Cilantro
5 Cloves Garlic, large
1 Lime, squeezed

1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Knorr Chicken Bouillon
1/2 tsp Turmeric

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste (several pinches)

Watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how easy it is to make this Roasted Salsa Verde recipe.

Fried Mozzarella

Four Fried Mozzarella patties, plated with a ramekin of pizza sauce.

The BEST Fried Mozzarella

Everyone claims to have the “best” recipe for what ever they’re advertising but I’m telling you right now that nobody makes they’re Fried Mozzarella like this because they’re not using the right cheese. And, once I show you what I’m talking about, you’ll be convinced that I’m right and that this is, without a doubt, the best Fried Cheese.

Layered pieces of Low Moisture Mozzarella cheese laid down like dominoes on a plate.

The Perfect Cheese

I have memories of ordering Cheese sticks at Denny’s after the local bars would send us home for the night. I thought that they were amazing but, the truth was, I was just drunk because those Mozzarella sticks were crap as soon as they went cold. The batter sucked and the cheese got hard and rubber. Well, no more I say.

The secret to my Fried Mozzarella is Low Moisture Mozzarella. You’ve probably seen it at your grocery store or even had it melted on a Margherita Pizza. I serve it up sometimes with Cured meats like Prosciutto and Dry Copa or Genoa, sliced fruit and crackers. It’s a little bit saltier than regular Mozzarella, so there’s more flavor, and it’s got a lot more elasticity to it when it’s melted, because of the low moisture content; which is generally about 45 to 52% compared to the regular, as high as 60%.

A plate of breaded and battered Mozzarella ready for the to be fried.

Fried Cheese Breading and Batter

In this recipe, I don’t use a batter to coat the Mozzarella Cheese before frying. Instead, I use a basic seasoned flour, egg wash and seasoned bread crumbs breading or, in this case, Panko.

In the video tutorial, I instruct you to add a double layer of this coating. This is very important because it will create a wall around the cheese, as it melts in the frying oil, and it will prevent the melted cheese from leaking out into the pan or fryer which, in turn, creates a huge mess.

I fry these in hot oil, for just a few minutes, until they turn golden brown, let them cool on paper towels and serve with Pizza Sauce.

Fried Mozzarella video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.
Fried Mozzarella Ingredients: Makes 12

1 pckg Mozzarella, low moisture
1/4 cup Flour, all purpose
1/4 tsp, Old Bay
4 eggs, for egg wash
1/4 cup Water, for egg wash
1 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs, Seasoned
1 cup Vegetable Oil, for frying

Fry for 2 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit.

Follow the instructions in the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make the best Fried Mozzarella.

Quesadilla with Grilled Chicken and Jack Cheese

The Best Chicken Quesadilla

This Chicken Jack Quesadilla makes all the difference between what you’d get served at your favorite fast food joint or a dine in restaurant.  Whether you choose to use an extra large burrito sized flour tortilla, like I do, or a small to medium, these quesadilla’s are packed with flavor.  I use marinated grilled chicken, Monterrey and Colby Jack Cheese and, of course, my secret sauce; made from the Fire Roasted Salsa that I showed you how to make, last post.  I’m talking about a thick creamy quesadilla that any good restaurant would dream of having on the menu.


Quesadilla Grilled Chicken

It’s very important to make the chicken as tender and as flavorful as possible, when making a restaurant style quesadilla.  You can make it lean, if you want to, by using breast meat, if you prefer, but I highly recommend using chicken thighs, instead.  In my experience, it makes tastier quesadilla’s.  Just chicken thighs isn’t going to be enough, however.  Adding a spicy marinade will take it to the next level, infuse the meat with flavor and insure tenderness.  30 minutes of soaking is all it’s going to take before you take it to the grill.  Then an additional 20 minutes of cooking will add the smokey taste everyone loves from great barbecue.  Just be sure the meat is cooked all of the way through and hits a core temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Quesadilla Secret Sauce

The difference between a fast food quesadilla and a restaurant style quesadilla is huge.  Fast food quesadillas just consist of cheese, meat (if you’re lucky),possibly some onions and/or green chili’s.  There usually isn’t much bulk and generally made thin and small.  A good restaurant, however, will serve up a large to extra large sized tortilla, packed with more ingredients than it can usually hold; grilled marinated chicken, 2 cheese’s and a secret sauce that makes it extra creamy when the cheese melts into it.  My secret sauce consists of 3 ingredients: Sour Cream, Mayonnaise and my Fire Roasted Salsa.

Quesadilla Cheese

The cheese you choose will completely change the flavor of your Quesadilla and there are several winners.  Cheddar, medium or sharp, and Jack Cheese are generally among my favorites.  Queso asadero is the original cheese used to make Quesadillas but these are great alternatives.  In this recipe, I like to use Monterey and Colby Jack Cheese together because it’s very crowd pleasing and not to spicy for my kids.  If I’m making them for my wife and I, I’ll change out the Monterey and use Pepper Jack, instead, for a little kick.  Some folks even spread cream cheese inside the tortilla but you use what you like.

Chicken Jack Quesadilla Ingredients:

6 Boneless Chicken Thighs
1 pkg Extra Large Tortilla’s
1 lbs Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
1 lbs Colby Jack Cheese, grated
1 Cube Butter, salted

Chicken Marinade
1/2 cup Water
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Tumeric
1 tsp Mexican Oregano
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Fish Sauce
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Secret Sauce
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Fire Roasted Salsa

Follow the instructions in the video recipe to make this Chicken Jack Quesadilla.