A Dog of a different kind- Sonoran

Sometime after WWII the hot dog made its way down to Mexico, Sonora to be exact. Then it came back across the border looking like a mummy wrapped in bacon (mesquite bacon!), cooked on the griddle, tucked into a steamed bun, covered with beans, mayo, mustard, jalapeno sauce, and tomatoes. So I had to try it, against hubby's taste buds of course. He does not like bacon as I have said before, but I made him go with me to check out the place where even Man Vs Food ate just barely a year ago.

You drive around various areas of Tucson and see carts dotting parking lots like sculptures, and in many ways they are. Full of culture and food history they help make the lower class business man make a living in many ways. These carts are typically called 'dogueros', and over the past decade have become so popular there may be too many to count. We saw them in many of the northern part of Tucson, and on the way out of town heading southeast towards Elgin and Sierra Vista.

Food historians call it the Sonoran-style or Estilo Sonora hot dog. It originated about 20 years ago in Hermosillo, the capital of the Mexican state of Sonora. Street vendors sit and wait for the people to exit the clubs. Hungry, the masses gobble them up as a welcome snack from dancing and drinking before going home.

The Sonoran hot dog may take the phrase "with everything" to new heights, because it starts with a hot dog wrapped in bacon. Then you begin piling on the beans, grilled onions, tomatoes, mayonnaise, cilantro 'verde' sauce, and mustard. Just the thought of all this made me think twice about eating one, but after trying tongue and grilled octopus lately, I think I can stomach a few new ones. I am making mini-sonorans for an open mic cookout later this month, so I will let you know how they turn out!

They made it to California, but do not have all the 'extras' the Sonora dog has, and are called- “danger dog” (Tijuana hot dog). Some claim it originated in Mexico City.

I also found history on a hot dog from Austin Texas with peanut butter and bacon. My boss, winemaker Louis of Amalthea keeps telling me how good they are. I had never even imagined putting PB on a dog until he said something, and then I found this-

26 July 1962, San Antonio (TX)

Party foods to rain cheers at an all-boy gathering are these frankfurters. They are plump ‘n meaty hot dogs filled with peanut butter and bacon wrapped, broiled and then served in frankfurter buns.

FRANKFURTERS DIXIE
8 frankfurters
1/3 cup peanut butter
8 bacon slices
8 frankfurter buns, sliced

Slit frankfurters, lengthwise. Spread about 2 teaspoons of peanut butter in each slit. Wrap a bacon slice diagonally around each frankfurter and fasten bacon with toothpicks. Broil, turn so bacon cooks on all sides. Remove toothpicks and serve in frankfurter buns.

If you are counting calories, then a Sonora Hotdog has approximately 550 calories with all the toppings on it, and 340 of it is the hot dog on the bun. Fat grams and and sodium are high, so make sure you swim 60 minutes of laps or water aerobics, and make that 'Vigorously'! I did, and thank goodness hubby ate one quarter, but then I had one of his grilled chicken and corn tortillas with salsa verde.

Interesting Bacon Facts-

Verde Salsa 'Green Sauce'- Tomatillo or Not

This is for a friend in Dallas, Cheryl with whom I have been in debate the past year over the perfect verde sauce. On a quest for a recipe she can make and live with, I explore several versions. Cheryl does not like tomatillo's, which can be a problem. There is traditionally a variance, but rarely do they come 'without' tomatillo's. Some are just better at hiding the flavor with more garlic (often roasted), heavy cilantro, and more chili additions as well as watered down. The 'verde', green in Spanish, comes from the tomatillo and green chilies. Either can dominate the flavor, depending on preparation.

I have made countless versions and recently found a brand at a local deli with little chili or tomatillo presence (flavor) she may like. I prefer making the second version, and if I have little time, I keep canned tomatillo's on hand, as well as canned chilies. Canned foods are high in salt, but time is of the essence and I do not always keep fresh tomatillo on hand. I also rarely salt when I cook due to HB issues. Homemade is much healthier and if prepared in larger quantities it can be frozen without addition of water (add after thawing).

I love tomatillo's and crush whole ones right into my bowl- I cannot get enough of this sauce.

Chili Verde
* 1 pound tomatillo's
* 5 garlic cloves, not peeled
* 4 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
* 1 bunch cilantro leaves, cleaned and chopped

Or

Tomatillo Salsa Verde
* 1 1/2 lb tomatillo;s
* 1/2 cup chopped white onion
* 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
* 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* 2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 Serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
* Salt to taste

Remove papery husks from tomatillo's and rinse well (there is a sticky feel to them otherwise).

You have three choices in preparing the tomatillo's. Depending on the final flavor I roast or boil them.

-Roasting method Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.

Or...

-Boiling method Place tomatillo's in a saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove tomatillo's with a slotted spoon. They will have a soft appearance as in photo above.

Preparation:

-Place tomatillo's in a fine mesh or cheese cloth and press through (helps remove much of the seeds which can give sauces a grainy mouth feel). After cooking the whole tomatillo my be eaten. Then along with any other chosen ingredients place all into  in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate for salsa or place over meat, poultry, or pork for slow cooking for that added twist.

Green Chili Sauce (no tomatillo), usually used to make variances of Meat Chili, or Carnitas

* 3 green chilies of your choice, fresh or canned- Jalapeño, Pablano, or Anaheim will do
   Seed and ribs removed- roast them over an open flame and place into a container to remove skin/ends
* 1/2  cup water
* 2 Garlic clove, peeled
* Salt to taste
* 1/2 cup chopped white onion
* 1/4 cup minced cilantro

 Pulse together in chopper or food processor. Use as cooking sauce or chill for salsa.

You can add any of these to heavy cream or sour cream for a Verde Cream Sauce over tacos or enchiladas. Add to diced tomato sauce for a wonderful twist on past with meat as I have done above. I have also added it to the meatballs like my Verde Pesto recipe as I have below (Verde Pesto Recipe). Whether you like the herb raw flavor of uncooked or a milder flavor from roasted or boiled tomatillo's just play with ingredients until you get the result you want.

I did not write the bible on verde sauce, so if you have your own, could you share it, or leave a link for her. Doggybloggy once taught us how to revive dried chilies by microwaving them, and that WOWed me. There are some good recipes out there to try- Rick Bayless shares a few in his cookbooks from the Oaxaca, Mexico, and his has tomatillo present in the recipes.

Cheryl, I hope this helps you in your quest to make your own verde sauce; otherwise I have found locations below, in Texas of this brand, Salsa Xochitl, Asada (roasted) Verde- claiming an original Aztec recipe, no strong tomatillo presence or flavor, only a mild mild chili bite- Mild, Medium, or Hot Available.

Central Market/Kroger/Whole Foods/World Market/HEB/Market Street/Sprouts/Tom Thumb

I roasted Purple Tomatillo's in Oregon (indigenous to the area) a few years ago, and made a cilantro cream sauce with shrimp over Salmon.

 Here is a 'Beer Battered Fried Tomatillo' and chili aoili dish I also made a while back.





Tomatillo's- a relative of the tomato and member of the nightshade (Solanaceae) family, are used in cuisine and cultivated in Mexico and Guatemala, where they are called a Mexican green tomato. They are in the tomato family, but not really the green tomatoes many are familiar with- also known as the husk (tomato)fruit, jamberry, husk cherry, or ground cherry. There is a German variety.