The Daily Oklahoman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • 33

THE OKLAHOMAN NEWSOK.COM WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2018 7D Red salsa will add kick to cooking repertoire Salsa Roja (Red Sauce) photo by stacy zarin goldberg, for the Washington post; food styling BY LISA CHERKASKY, FOR THE WASHINGTON POST SALSA ROJA (RED SAUCE) 20 servings: makes 5 cups The directions here result in a smooth, relatively thin sauce; if you prefer a chunkier consistency for dipping, don't puree it completely. For a thicker sauce, cook it longer, which will reduce the liquid and intensify the flavor. We are using an immersion (stick) blender for convenience, but a blender or food processor works just as well. Serve with tortilla chips or as a sauce for enchiladas and chilaquiles. Make Ahead: The salsa can be covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days.

2 pounds vine-ripened, ripe tomatoes (not too large; no need to peel) 2 cloves garlic (skin-on) 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed but not seeded 2 ounces white or yellow onion, cut into small chunks (about medium onion) teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, or more as needed Va teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth, preferably no-salt-added Juice of 1 lime, or more as needed Combine the tomatoes, jalapeno and garlic in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium; cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are tender enough to pierce easily with a knife. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to BY BECKY KRYSTAL The Washington Post Building a repertoire of go-to dishes is an important part of getting comfortable in the kitchen. Just as important, though, is having a rotation of elements that can be worked into a variety of other dishes sauces gar -nishes, proteins.

One of the most versatile sauces you'll find is a red salsa, or salsa roja. Sure, you can dip chips in it but that's only the begin -ning. Use it as a sauce for enchiladas. Shred chicken in it for tacos. Drizzle it over chila-quiles, nachos or fried or scrambled eggs.

Stir it into rice. Build a soup or stew base. For a recipe, I turned to Pati Jinich, the Washington -area cookbook author, chef and host of "Pati's Mexican Table" on pub -lie television. Jinich had already given us a stellar salsa verde (green salsa) recipe, and, as expected, her salsa roja is a winner, too. Because the ingredients are boiled and then cooked down, the salsa tastes great even with store-bought, not-quite-in-season tomatoes.

Canned tomatoes are often suggested as an alternative to out-of -season ones but I still found that this sauce tasted sweeter and brighter than a similar recipe I made with canned. Don't be afraid to adjust the seasoning to your taste, either. Fresh, chopped cilantro can be stirred in before serving, for example. Or add some complementary dried spices to taste, such as cumin, chili powder or ground chipotle. The generous yield and relatively long shelf life of this recipe mean you have every reason to keep a batch in your refrigerator at all times.

occasionally, then pour in the broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until slightly thickened. Squeeze in half the lime juice. Taste and add more salt andor lime juice, as needed The salsa is ready to use, or you can transfer it to a container, cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Nutritional information per serving: Calories: 25; Total Fat: 2 Saturated Fat: 0 Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 50 mg; Total Carbohydrates: 2 Dietary Fiber: 0 Sugars: 1 Protein: 0 g. Adapted from "Mexican Today: New and Rediscovered Recipes for Contemporary Kitchens," by Pati Jinich (Rux Martin Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016).

remove the solids from the saucepan so you can drain off the cooking water; you can also do this by placing a pot lid on top, leaving it just enough ajar so the water can be drained into the sink. Return the tomatoes, jalapeno and garlic (slip off the skin from the cloves at this point) to the saucepan and add the onion, salt and black pepper. Use an immersion (stick) blender to puree until completely smooth. Pour the salsa into a large bowl; wipe out the pan. Alternatively, you can puree the mixture in a blender or food processor.

Heat the oil in that same saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, carefully pour in the pureed tomato mixture (it will sizzle), cover partially and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring Tucson offers taste of past, modern fare ded pork simmered in a fresh tomatillo sauce, at Boca Tacos Tequila. PHOTO PROVIDED BY BOCATACOSY TEQUILA peas to herbs and exotic chilies. Don't be dissuaded by the line inside the door (it moves fast) and definitely be persuaded by the 100 brands of tequilabehind the retro-hippie bar. DINNER Rustic cool meets desert heat at 47 Scott (47scott.com; 47 Scott 520-624-4747), a downtown bistro with upscale food, an urban decor and despite the frequent bustle that accompanies popularity a laid-back vibe.

Owner Travis Reese opened 47 Scott in 2010 in a space that once housed a peep-show parlor. Now, the sightlines extend through the narrow dining room and out to a shady brick patio and, from the right vantage, into the adjoining speakeasy Scott which is renowned for its dazzling cocktail menu. Start with a margarita, then ease into bacon -wrapped dates or Buffalo chicken-style fried cauliflower (one way to get kids to eat their vegetables), an heirloom tomato salad featuring house ricotta toast, and, finally, 47's signature entree, phyllo-wrapped chicken, with spinach, goat cheese, Yukon Gold potatoes and chicken jus. Briley is a writer based in Takoma Park, Maryland. BY JOHN BRILEY Special to The Washington Post Once a compact bastion of artists, eccentrics and drifters, Tucson has billowed across the surrounding Sonoran Desert like a dust storm, propelled largely by an influx of retirees.

The restaurant scene has expanded in step, but vestiges of the Old West remain, along with traces of Tucson's history as a Mexican pueblo (the United States acquired it in 1853), and some of the top establishments hide in plain sight in the lively and eclectic Fourth Avenue dis -trict near the University of Arizona campus. But don't get stuck there: The cactus -riddled mountains and washes ringing the city demand aimless wandering, and the resulting thirst will prime you for Tucson's dominant cuisine the craft cocktail, which sits atop menus like a weathered Stetson. If you're seeking real Mexican food or innovative American chefs, fear not. You won't leave disappointed. BREAKFAST What Prep and Pastry 3073 Campbell 520-326-7737) lacks in history it opened in 2013 it makes up in artistically pre- French toast with macerated berries and candied almonds is a menu item at Prep and Pastry.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY PREP AND PASTRY sented, locally sourced dishes in a high-ceilinged, exposed-beam space that invites lingering. (It helps to explain the hour -plus waits for weekend brunch.) Natural light from the front windows and side patio brightens walls featuring foodie musings, the most famous of which "Brunch without booze is just a sad, late breakfast" foretells bloody mary, "fuegorita" (grapefruit-infused breakfast margarita) and other cocktails. If you must pick one entree, land on the cast-iron duck confit, surrounded by roasted potatoes and shallots, and topped with fresh spinach, over-easy eggs, Cabernet-braised cherries and goat cheese mousse. Otherwise, tack on the brioche French toast with macerated berries and candied almonds or the pork-belly Benedict (on Cheddar biscuits) with asparagus and herbed-cheese hollandaise. On the way out, ignore that stoplight in your brain and grab a doissant (a doughnut -croissant crossbreed) or a berry-stuffed Danish, two of the many masterpieces of lead pastry chef Hannah Houlden.

LUNCH While tacos are enjoying a creative revival nationwide, few purveyors can claim the same legitimacy as Maria Mazon, chef -owner of Boca Tacos Tequila (bocatacos.com; 533 Fourth 520-777-8134). Born in Tucson and raised partly in her ancestral homeland of Sonora, Mexico, Mazon says she was driven to cook after working in Amercanized Mexican restaurants and witnessing the horror of plates "smothered in yellow cheese and sour cream." Her response? Tortillas topped with lively concoctions including shredded pork simmered in a fresh tomatillo sauce, fire-roasted peppers, citrus-marinated salmon, strips of rib-eye steak and the five -star grilled octopus with sauteed onion and garlic. Equally impressive are Mazon's homemade sal-sas, which she rotates based on available fresh ingredients from raspberries and chick Out of Thin Mints? Chickpea version goes on sale soon Food staff didn't try them frozen, but we dipped into some preview samples of Thin Mints Chickpea Snacks, with mixed reactions. The packaging threw some testers because it features images of real Thin Mint cookies, which creates a kind of dissonance when little chocolate -covered chickpeas drop from the bag. "I think they were mistaken in promising Thin Mints," said one tester.

"The standard's too high." Another suggested, with no irony, that the treats taste like "camping and hiking Which is actually Girl Scouts. Perfect." "Yes, like survival," chimed in another tester. "It's sort of like a bad chocolate pretzel." "The problem is, both are things that I love. I love crunchy chickpeas, and I love Thin Mints," said one staffer. "Two great tastes that don't taste great together." Guess you'll have to wait for next Girl Scout cookie season to get your Thin Mints fix.

and Little Brownie Bakers in Louisville, Kentucky. The bakeries have slightly different recipes for Thin Mints, both of which have more than 10 ingredients, including artificial flavors or colors. "One of the value propositions of the brand is that we use very clean and simple and recognizable ingredients," Patodia said. Then again, Thin Mints, the actual cookie, has never been a stagnant product, in name or recipe. According to a Time magazine article, the cookie was introduced in 1939 as "Cooky-Mints." At one point, there were 29 different licensed bakers pro -ducing the cookie.

In 2015, Thin Mints apparently went vegan. (A review of the current ingredient list would appear to confirm this.) If there's one thing that Thin Mints Chickpea Snacks and the cookies that inspired them have in common, Patodia said, it's this: They both taste really good when frozen. The Washington Post BY TIM CARMAN The Washington Post They're not Thin Mints. They're not even cookies. But the forthcoming Thin Mints Chickpea Snacks apparently taste so much like the real thing the Girl Scouts of the USA have officially blessed the little chocolate -dipped nuggets from Biena Snacks.

The product officially debuts in June at Whole Foods, which will exclusively sell the snacks for three months before they roll out to other retailers in September. Unlike Girl Scout cookies, these chocolate chickpea poppers will be available year-round, which may inspire you to stop hoarding Thin Mints in the freezer. Maybe? Poorvi Patodia, founder and chief executive of the Boston-based Biena, said Thin Mints Chickpea Snacks were something of a happy accident. After introducing a line of chocolate-covered, sea -salt chickpeas last summer, Biena kept experiment The forthcoming Thin Mints Chickpea Snacks apparently taste so much like the real thing that the Girl Scouts of the USA have officially blessed the little chocolate-dipped nuggets from Biena Snacks, photo by stacy zarin goldberg, for the Washington post ing with other flavors. One of the company's recipe developers, Patodia said, created a peppermint -y version of the snack.

"People started to make the comment that these taste a whole lot like Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies Patodia told The Post "From there, I thought, 'I wonder if the Girl Scouts would actually partner with Turns out, they would. The Girl Scouts officially licensed the Thin Mints brand name to Biena. There's a "financial component" to the deal, Patodia said, but the CEO could not disclose the terms. Remuneration aside, the deal between the Girl Scouts and Biena is interesting: The scouting group is not sharing a recipe, just a name. Biena has developed a snack separate from tra ditional Thin Mints.

The company prides itself on healthy snacks with no artificial ingredients or flavors. Patodia said the Thin Mints Chickpea Snacks are made with only six ingredients, including Fair Trade dark chocolate and cane sugar. They're gluten-free, too. Girl Scouts Thin Mints are produced in season by two different bakeries: ABC Bakers in Richmond, Virginia,.