Muy Bueno Cookbook Spotlight: Mushroom,Jalapeno & Cilantro Salsa and a GIVEAWAY!

OMG can you tell I'm excited?  I'm helping to spread the word about the soon to be released Muy Bueno Cookbook, organized by my friend and blogging buddy Heather at Girlichef.  The book is the project of a mother and 2 daughters who lovingly explore and share three generations of Mexican and Mexican American food heritage.  A group of bloggers have been sent advance copies of the book and we're going to be cooking from it for the next three weeks.  The book is gorgeous, inspiring, and full of so many recipes I want to try that my head is spinning.  I'm so happy to have this cookbook in my collection, I don't have anything else like it.

For this first of the Muy Bueno posts all the participating bloggers are making Mushroom Salsa.  I consider salsa to be a basic food group--- I've made it with everything from cherry tomatoes to cantaloupe, oranges,  grapefruit and mangoes, but I have to admit even I was skeptical about this one.  I'm not a raw mushroom lover, but I found that the acidic lime juice 'cooks' the mushrooms just like it does with raw fish in ceviches.  The longer you let it sit, even overnight, the better.  The resulting taste is very much like regular salsa, but with a slightly firmer texture due to the mushrooms.  I liked it quite a bit and my husband and I found lots of ways to eat it.

First  I made a stack of fresh tortillas and simply wrapped them, hot from the pan, around a big scoop of the juicy salsa.

Then I cut and fried some of the tortillas into chips for dipping.

But there's lots more you can do with this salsa; spoon it alongside fish, chicken, pork or steak.  Or just cut open some ripe avocados and pile it on.

I'm very happy to have a new and unique salsa for my repertoire.

This recipe makes a large amount of salsa, so for just two of us I halved the recipe and used a pint of mushrooms and the juice of 3 limes.  I used white mushrooms, as specified in the recipe, but I think you could play around with other types for added color and flavor.

Mushroom, Jalapeno and Cilantro Salsa
16 ounces fresh white mushrooms, finely diced
Small red onion, finely diced
2 jalapenos, finely diced
Handful of fresh cilantro, diced
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste

• In a bowl combine the mushrooms, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Add the lime juice and olive oil and toss gently. Salt to taste
• Let sit for a couple of hours allowing the flavors to meld. This salsa is best served at room temperature.
• Serve as a topping for fish, chicken, grilled steak, or as an appetizer with a basket of your favorite chips.
• Makes 3 cups.

GIVEAWAY!

You can pre-order  Muy Bueno: Three Generations of Authentic Mexican Flavorif you'd like.  It officially hits the stores Oct 1st.  But guess what?  There's another way to get this wonderful cookbook --- the publishers, Hippocrene Books, are giving away a free copy to one of my readers!

That could be you!  

Just leave a comment on any of the 3 Muy Bueno posts, 

today, or the next 2 Tuesdays for a chance to win.  

This post is part of the Muy Bueno Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off sponsored by Hippocrene and hosted at girlichef.