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At Comedor in Austin, the menu changes regularly based on the season and available ingredients. Nick Belloni, the restaurant’s chef de cuisine, says that he tries to develop at least three new recipes each week, so that he has a good supply of recipes to choose from when the menu changes.
Nick Belloni
Naturally, creating innovative salsa recipes is part of Belloni’s task. He entered two of his best salsas in the 2024 el Restaurante Sassiest Salsa Contest sponsored by Sammic, and one of them, Salsa Macha Negra, took first place.
Salsa Macha Negra is a powerful combination of chiles, seeds and garlic that pairs especially well with grilled vegetables, Belloni says.
“I was thinking about the popularity of salsa macha when I made this recipe, and the mystique of a mole negro,” he says. “I really love black garlic, so including that gives a sweetness and kind of a balance with the bitterness of the chiles.”
A version of the winning recipe occasionally appears on Comedor’s menu, Belloni says.
“We make large batches of it when we make, and it is a bit time consuming,” he says. “We like doing a grilled okra with it, and maybe a sikil pak and some nice herbs.”
The judges were wowed by Belloni’s creation.
“I think salsa macha is under-appreciated, but repurposing it with chilhaucle negro chile, black sesame seeds and black garlic was very creative and brought a whole different level of flavors to an already complex salsa,” wrote Chef Hervé Guillard, director of education and dean of students at the Los Angeles campus of the Institute of Culinary Education.
Belloni won $750 and a Sammic Immersion Blender for his efforts.
Justin Ward
The second place winner in the contest was Salsa Medianoche by Justin Ward, director of culinary for Mad Dogs Restaurant Group, the parent of Casa Catrina in San Antonio. Ward’s recipe is loaded with chiles and garlic, offset by a bit of piloncillo and two cups of Negro Modelo beer.
“This salsa has lots of Mexican personality,” wrote judge Enrique Fleischman, corporate chef at Sammic, about Salsa Medianoche. “All the Mexican chiles together are an explosion of flavors!”
Ward recommends a variety of uses for Salsa Medianoche: “This salsa is great to spread on the tortilla when making cheese quesadillas. It is also works great to rub under the skin of a whole chicken and roast the chicken. Of course it is perfect with tortilla chips!”
Darryl Holliday
Third place was claimed by Passion Fruit Salsa Verde with Cotija by Darryl Holliday, executive director of the Arkansas Food Innovation Center at Market Center of the Ozarks. His recipe is distinguished by the addition of passionfruit and cotija.
Sammic was the contest sponsor for the second consecutive year.
“Sammic has been thrilled by be involved in this innovation and we have had a great time tasting and learning how these chefs are pushing culinary boundaries,” says Neal Pearlman, Sammic’s sales director for North America. “Sammic is a manufacturer that sells extensively into Mexican restaurants and to customers who make Mexican, Tex/Mex and other Latin foods. As an innovative leader in this food equipment space, we want to inspire and reward innovation from end-user chefs. We look forward to learning more in the years to come.”
See all the winning recipes below.
Salsa Macha Negra
By Nick Belloni, Comedor, Austin, Texas
Makes 32 2-oz servings
100g chilhaucle negro chili deseeded
100g cascabel chili deseeded
20g Arbol chili
100g pepitas
100g black sesame seed whole
5g allspice
5g clove
15g cumin
10g coriander seed
100g garlic
125g black garlic
1000g cooking oil
Mince garlic in food processor and combine with the oil in a pot and cook on medium heat till garlic is nearly toasted. While the oil is still hot, add all other ingredients to the pot. Blend all till smooth and salt to taste.
Salsa Medianoche
By Justin Ward, Casa Catrina, San Antonio
Makes 8-10 servings
15 cloves garlic
3/4 c. olive oil
7 guajillo chile
7 ancho chile
7 pasilla chile
6 morita chile
Garlic oil (see method of preparation below)
1½ T. Mexican oregano
1 T. piloncillo – grated or chopped
¼ c. water (more may be needed to adjust consistency)
2 c. Negro Modelo beer
Juice of 1 lime
2 T. kosher salt - divided
Remove the hard tips from the peeled garlic cloves.
To make the garlic oil: Combine garlic and olive oil in a small sauce pot. Add 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Oil should just cover the garlic. Place pot over medium heat and low simmer garlic for 25-30 minutes, stir frequently. When garlic is finished it should be soft enough to squeeze easily when pressed lightly with a fork. Strain garlic and reserve both garlic and garlic oil, separately.
Remove stems from all peppers. Keep seeds intact.
Place 3 T. of the garlic oil in a large saute pan. Place the guajillo and ancho chiles in the pan and toast chiles over medium heat until fragrant and not burnt; approximately 1-1½ minutes, turning chiles to toast all sides. Remove toasted chiles, place in large sauce pot, and repeat process with remaining chiles.
Add 1½ T. of garlic oil, the garlic cloves, oregano, piloncillo, water, beer, lime juice, and remaining kosher salt.
Heat and low simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. Blend until salsa with immersion blender, or standard blender until a smooth thin paste. You can thin the salsa as much as you want by adding more water.
Passion Fruit Salsa Verde with Cotija
By Darryl Holliday, Arkansas Food Innovation Center at Market Center of the Ozarks
Makes 6 servings
1 lb. fresh tomatillos, husks removed
1 jalapeno, fresh
5 dry árbol chiles
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 passion fruits
1½ t. Kosher salt
1/4 t. ground cumin
1/2 c. fresh cilantro leaves
1/3 c. diced white onion
1 T. lime juice
1/3 c. Cotija cheese
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
Rinse and dry the tomatillos, spread them evenly on the baking sheet with the jalapeno pepper, and roast them in the oven for 15 minutes. Add the arbol chiles and garlic cloves and roast until the tomatillos start to brown on top.
Cut passion fruit in half and remove pulp and seeds with a small spoon.
Add all ingredients except cotija to a blender or food processor and puree until well mixed. Crumble the cotija into a mixing bowl and stir in the salsa. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
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