Red or Green?
That’s the question asked at pretty much every Sonoran taqueria and takeout taco or burrito place when you pick up your order. And if they don’t ask, you can usually expect to find a tiny container of one of each tucked inside the bag or arrive home feeling slighted.
Red or green is an important question, but it’s just the beginning.
Salsas are a cornerstone of the Sonoran-style cuisine local to the Sonoran Desert along the Arizona-Mexico border. I first learned how to make salsa from the Flores family, who have been serving salsas at their Tucson restaurants for over 100 years.
Salsa is part of the Sonoran region’s collective identity. Salsa means “sauce” in Spanish, so technically all sauces are salsas.
Salsa in the Sonoran Desert region of Arizona reflects both collective and personal influences, from Native American to Spanish to Mexican to U.S. occupation. Each has shaped the cuisine in many ways, but through it all, salsa remains a staple. There are local salsa recipes that have been passed down for five generations or more with hues ranging from a bright chartreuse green to cadmium yellow to deep burnt sienna. The sauces and salsas included in the eCookbook are a few of my favorites.
This fully illustrated collection brings together salsa recipes from my four published cookbooks and my website, recipes.jackiealpers.com, plus brand new recipes appearing for the first time. It includes recipes from me and from some of the Sonoran region's most celebrated chefs. They are all excellent examples of how living, working and eating in the Sonoran Desert inspires the food we make. I'm excited for you to try them.
Thank you for supporting my work. And thank you for helping me celebrate a unique community and the inclusivity and diversity that Sonoran cuisine signifies. I hope you enjoy these recipes and that they inspire you to learn more about Sonoran cooking. You’ll find hundreds more on my website at recipes.jackiealpers.com.
