Pilobolus Dancer Connor Chaparro Shares His Household Salsa Recipe

After Pilobolus dancer Connor Chaparro’s parents got married, his Italian American mom started learning from her mother-in-law how to re-create the dishes that his dad had grown up with in Mexico. Eventually she tried her hand at salsa. At first, she boiled the vegetables but wasn’t satisfied with the result. Then she tried searing them to get more smokiness. “We’d have to open the windows because the jalapeños were burning our eyes,” remembers Chaparro. “She had the idea to broil them instead, so that we wouldn’t hack up a lung.” But the salsa wasn’t complete until Chaparro’s­ mom added the secret ingredient: Knorr Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Flavor, a popular seasoning in the Latino community that his family had already been using in eggs, beans, and rice. “The day she did that was the day she felt like the salsa was complete,” says Chaparro.

Chaparro’s salsa passes Ollie’s sniff test. Photo by Melody Green, Courtesy Chaparro.

When Chaparro got to college at the University of Memphis, he found himself telling people about his mom’s salsa. “I started making it myself, and people would always say that it was the best salsa they’d ever had,” he says. Now it’s a staple in his home, as well. Chaparro makes a batch during downtime between Pilobolus tours, bringing in extra for his co-workers. What does he eat it on? “Whatever I can until it’s gone,” says Chaparro.

Canine Critic

When cooking, Chaparro often feeds bits of whatever he’s making to his golden retriever mix, Ollie. “He’s always in the kitchen with me,” says Chaparro. “If he sniffs it and goes to it really quickly, I know it’s going to be good. If he leaves it, it’s bad news.”

Ingredients

8 plum tomatoes (Chaparro prefers the Roma
variety.)

2 jalapeños (“The salsa isn’t super-spicy, but if you don’t like spice, you could always start with one jalapeño,” says Chaparro.)

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1/2 yellow onion

cooking oil or spray

1 heaping tbsp Knorr Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Flavor (available at Walmart, Amazon, and select grocery stores)

Photo by Melody Green, Courtesy Chaparro.

Instructions

Set the oven rack on the second-highest rung and turn the oven to broil.

Wash the tomatoes, jalapeños, and cilantro and pat dry. Cut the stems off the jalapeños. Peel the onion and trim the ends. Twist or cut off the cilantro stems.

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and coat lightly with oil. Broil the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeños for roughly 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Remove the vegetables when they’re blistered and charred black on both sides.

Place the broiled vegetables into a blender. Add half the cilantro leaves to start (you can discard the stems or include them for a deeper flavor), as well as the Knorr Tomato Bouillon. Blend or pulse on the highest setting until the salsa reaches your desired consistency. Add more cilantro to taste.

Enjoy with tortilla chips, breakfast sandwiches, tacos, and more.

The post Pilobolus Dancer Connor Chaparro Shares His Family Salsa Recipe appeared first on Dance Magazine.

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