Anyone ever make Rick Bayless' Roasty Red Gualjillo Salsa? How is it?

[sophia519]

I am thinking about making Shrimp in Red Escabeche which has this salsa as an ingredient. Wondering if anyone here has ever made it.

[toodie jane]

Haven't made Bayless' recipe, but they cooks at the (gringo) restaurant where I worked always made a toasted Guajillo salsa for themselves to use on their meals. Just the smell drove me to distraction. Go for it.

[sancan]

Made it, loved it. I've made a number of his salsas, and all are darn good. I'm also addicted to his pickled red onions. Hate his show(s) but love his recipes.

[bushwickgirl]

Yes, his show. Beyond the food, he's, well, sorta lacking in front of camera presence. Do you have Salsas That Cook?

[sancan]

No, I have an older book, Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen. It was a Julia Child Cooking Award winner, and is so old that the cover photo of Mr. Bayless shows him before he got bone-thin. It still has the Guajillo Salsa recipe, and most of his standard salsas, I think. The best part is he lists variations on each one after the recipe. As to the camera presence question, I think he just tries a little too hard.

I love the salsas, but I have an even older Mexican cookbook that is based on "cooks" rather than "chef's" cooking. They do not strain out chile skins, and they use all but the dregs of the soaking liquid. I like their recipes equally well (they're quite similar). They agree with Rick that the most important part is frying the salsa - a deep skillet will keep it from popping all over your stove, Sophia, I forgot to say that.

[mandycat]

I, too, like his recipes more than I do his on-camera self. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy his guest appearance on a Martha Stewart segment. One of the reasons that I rarely watch Ms. Stewart is her irritating and discourteous habit of talking over the end of other people's sentences. Rick, in his soft-spoken way, managed to get her to shut her pie hole long enough for him to complete each and every one of his thoughts, a heroic and possibly unprecedented feat.

[bushwickgirl]

Wish I had seen that.

[bushwickgirl]

Yes, it's very good, worth the effort to make the salsa, although the Shrimp en Escabeche is easy enough. From his book "Salsas that Cook" one of his books definitely worth owning.

[bushwickgirl]

"although the Shrimp en Escabeche..."

I meant to write "and the Shrimp en Escabeche is easy enough." Let us know how it turns out.