Delicious Amish-made black bean salsa from the Amish Buggy.
By Kevin Williams
Our Amish Buggy product of the week is black bean salsa, which you can order from Amazon here. If you like yours with a bit more kick, you can order a "medium" version here.
This is good stuff, made and packed by an Amish family outside of Arthur, Illinois. There are more flavors which I'll talk about in the weeks ahead.
Related post: Menno-Mex, an awesome store in Aylmer, Ontario!
Related post: Delicious burritos
Related post: Mennonites in Mexico
Related post: 5 Amish Tex-Mex recipes!
Thick N Chunky homemade salsa
I've talked before about the influence of Hispanic culinary culture on the Amish. In rural areas of Kansas, for instance, where there are Amish communities there is also a very large Hispanic population. Yoder and Hutchinson have changed a lot as rural Kansas has experienced an influx of Hispanic residents. Taquerías and cantinas are now as common as corn and cattle. The south-of-the-border culinary influence has seeped into Amish kitchens as well.
The other way Hispanic foods get "transferred" to the Amish is via pop/commercial culture. Breakfast burritos, which McDonald's popularized, are now copied in homemade form in many Amish kitchens. Tacos, popularized by Taco Bell and others, are now popular in Amish homes.
Also, Mennonites who travel frequently between Mexico and Canada have brought many local recipes with them. And the Amish community in Beeville, Texas, just a couple hours north of the border, is proving to be a jumping off point for Mexican-influenced cuisine.
Salsas are a natural fit for the Amish. Tomatoes are plentiful in most Amish gardens, as are plenty of other veggies which make for a great salsa. Salsas really began appearing and taking off in Amish kitchens around 20 - 25 years ago and they are quite popular. Heck, you don't even need tomatoes to make a good salsa, as this recipe proves.
- 1 1 /2 cups of finely chopped cantaloupe
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 /2 large green pepper, chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 /4 teaspoon salt
- Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
Other favorite salsa recipes on Amish365:
CORN SALSA - This recipe comes from the Amish Cook.
AMISH THICK N CHUNKY HOMEMADE SALSA: Click here. This one requires home-canning knowledge, etc, my favorite salsas are just the "mix n' stir" kind.
SWEET AND SOUR SALSA: This is a recipe from an Amish woman in Ohio. Honestly, I had never heard of "Tiger sauce", but she says it is in the same aisle as the hot sauce. And you can use regular corn if you don't have shoepeg.
- 1 15 ounce can field peas, drained
- 1 11 ounce can shoepeg corn, drained
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 /2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 /3 cup sugar
- 1 /2 cup vinegar
- 1 /4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon Tiger sauce
- Combine all ingredients and set aside.
- Mix all ingredients and pour over vegetables.
- Stir to mix.
- Let sit in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight before serving.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
- Makes approximately 4 1 /2 cups.
- Serves 10 - 12.
This also comes from an Amish woman in Ohio. SIGH, I forgot to have her clarify if she meant "mango" or "pepper"...I am assuming she meant the fruit.
- 1 cup finely diced, peeled mango (½ pound)
- 2 plum tomatoes, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- 1 tablespoon minced bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 /2 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 /2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Combine all ingredients.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
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