Question on Mexican type sauces

chowhound

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Taco, enchilada, salsa, picante... they all seem to overlap somewhat.
I have a recipe that calls for picante and enchilada sauce, so I googled the difference, which led me to more comparisons between picante and salsa rather than what I wanted to know. It seems picante is considered hotter. At least that was the gist of the answers. What say you? Can someone differentiate the subtle differences betwen these sauces? And... is ro-tel considered a picante? It's got diced tomatoes, chilies and spices... What if I were to take a stick blender to picante, does that make it enchilada or taco sauce? The physical difference that I saw seemed to show enchilada sauce as being smoother than picante, but is it also that much different in taste?
 

joec

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Taco sauce to me is basically a hot sauce you put on it. Salsa is a like a fresh uncooked relish/diced salad. Picante is a cooked/pickled version of Salsa to me. As far as heat I've had them all from mild to hell hot so I don't think heat level has much to do with but more in the preparation methods. We use all 3 as my wife uses picante on her eggs and we add Salsa to a lot of dishes or eat it with chips as a dip. Taco sauce is just that a hot sauce at least that is the way I've seen it.
 

chowhound

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That clears up a little. So salsa is uncooked picante, basically. Thanks.
Any idea where Ro-tel falls into all of this?
 

joec

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You could use Rotel in any of them including a Taco sauce but the sauce would need to be pureed.

I posted a recipe here a while back that I call Mexican Hamburger helper. I simple brown up some ground beef with onions add a bit of garlic once that is close. At that point I add 1 to 2 cups of beef broth then Rotels, salsa, picante and taco sauce as well as one taco seasoning which I make but it can be purchased as Ol El Paso taco seasoning. I add the same as the whole package. I then let is simmer while I boil up some elbow noodles or some other such pasta. Mix it together and you have a great meal in about 30 minutes. It is also better the second or third day with a bit of grated Pepper Jack cheese on top.
 

Cooksie

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Taco, enchilada, salsa, picante... they all seem to overlap somewhat.
I have a recipe that calls for picante and enchilada sauce, so I googled the difference, which led me to more comparisons between picante and salsa rather than what I wanted to know. It seems picante is considered hotter. At least that was the gist of the answers. What say you? Can someone differentiate the subtle differences betwen these sauces? And... is ro-tel considered a picante? It's got diced tomatoes, chilies and spices... What if I were to take a stick blender to picante, does that make it enchilada or taco sauce? The physical difference that I saw seemed to show enchilada sauce as being smoother than picante, but is it also that much different in taste?

To me, the main flavor in an enchilada sauce is chili powder. I don't think just blending picante or Ro-Tel is going to make a good enchilada sauce.
 

joec

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Here is a recipe I've used before for an enchilada sauce and have no idea where I got it from.

2 cups chicken or beef broth
4 Tbs Chili Powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 heaping tsp. garlic powder (with no salt added) or fresh garlic which I prefer
1 pinch ground cinnamon (less than 1/16 tsp.)
1/3 tsp. sugar (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

5 Tbs. cold water
5 Tbs. white flour

In a sauce pan put in everything except the flour and water and bring it to a boil. Now turn it down to a strong simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes.

Mix the flour and cold water making a slurry then making sure it blends well with no lumps.

Now bring the sauce back to a boil for a couple of minutes then whisk in the slurry slowly. You can turn it down now but keep whisking until you get a nice smooth texture to the sauce which should take about a minute or two. Once there turn it off or turn it down to keep it warm and it is ready to serve. Now this sauce will form a film over the top over time which you simply skim off before serving. This film will get thicker over time so simply remove it.
 

chowhound

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Interesting recipe, Joe. Thanks. I can see that simply pureeing picante, even with the addition of spices, would not make an enchilada sauce, since there aren't any tomatoes in enchilada sauce. Not that it wouldn't be a good sauce. The beef broth caught me by surprise.
 

joec

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I don't care for chicken enchilada which I would use a chicken broth. With beef it would be beef broth at least for me. The sugar is to take a bit of the bit out of the chili powder which I like so I leave it out.
 

joec

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I just did some research on the difference between picante and salsa. It seems there really isn't any as both are interchangeable.

Salsa may refer to any type of sauce. In American English, it usually refers to the spicy, often tomato based, hot sauces typical of Hispanic cuisine, particularly those used as dips.

Picante means in Spanish for Sweet and Spicy takes you back which then says to goto Salsa.

So much for a distinction as their doesn't seem to really be one.
 

chowhound

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I just did some research on the difference between picante and salsa. It seems there really isn't any as both are interchangeable.

Salsa may refer to any type of sauce. In American English, it usually refers to the spicy, often tomato based, hot sauces typical of Hispanic cuisine, particularly those used as dips.

Picante takes you back to Salsa.

So much for a distinction as their doesn't seem to really be one.

That's pretty much what I found too, Joe.
Going back to my original post, I was trying to find the differences, as the recipe I was looking at called for enchilada sauce and also picante, but I kept running into comparisons between salsa and picante. And after all, isn't salsa "sauce"?
It's probably a fine line like the difference between taco seasoning and fajita seasoning.
 

joec

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That's pretty much what I found too, Joe.
Going back to my original post, I was trying to find the differences, as the recipe I was looking at called for enchilada sauce and also picante, but I kept running into comparisons between salsa and picante. And after all, isn't salsa "sauce"?
It's probably a fine line like the difference between taco seasoning and fajita seasoning.

Spanish foods I find kind of confusing any how though good. I have seen salsa made with fruits, vegetables and a combination of both. Picante I've only seen vegetables but I sure haven't tryed them all. I pretty much say do what you think will taste good to you and go with it.

I really never gave much thought till this question of what the difference is between a Chutney, Pico de Gallo, Chimichurri Sauce, Picante and a Salsa as to me the are the same basic thing with different names.
 

GotGarlic

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I think salsa is a sauce and picante is a spicier salsa.

As vytapi said, there are lots of enchilada sauces; I have a recipe for a green enchilada sauce with tomatillos, jalapenos, onions and cilantro. I've also had red enchilada sauce with tomatoes, red peppers, onions and seasonings. I think Ro-Tel is diced tomatoes with herbs, onions and garlic added. If you pureed it, you could use it for a taco or enchilada sauce. Pico de gallo is the uncooked relish of diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers and seasonings.

Chutney is similar to salsa as it's a cooked mixture of diced or same-sized ingredients. Chimichurri sauce is traditionally heavy on the parsley and cilantro as opposed to a tomato-based sauce.

Chow, you're right that the name is a matter of the mix of ingredients. It's like the French mother sauces: There's the basic white sauce, a roux with water. Bechamel is a roux with milk. If you add cheese, it becomes sauce Mornay. Add lemon and egg yolks and it becomes Hollandaise. Add vinegar, tarragon and shallot, and you have Bearnaise. White roux with chicken stock is veloute. And on and on... add a different seasoning or liquid and you have a different sauce.

It can be confusing, but it can also reduce confusion, because once you know the definitions, everyone knows what you're talking about :smile:
 

chowhound

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Thanks for the post Got.
I see walking out the grocery store with several bags of Tostitos and a bunch of clinking jars in my near future.
 

joec

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Damned French they started this nonsense with their names for every thing that existed before they came along, most from the Middle East, Greece and Rome while they were still eating bugs. Never had any original idea except how to screw up the cooking world with their silly effeminate names. Now they have the Spanish coping them. Salsa and all the rest are chopped up junk in a bowl for god sakes.....:soapbox: :mrgreen: :yum:
 
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chowhound

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LOLOL, Now THAT was funny!
What nationality are you, Joe? One of my Italian friends is always saying that his ancestors were building cities and roads while my ancestors were still living in caves (Irish and German).
Eating bugs.... I love it!
 

joec

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I'm a 1/4 of 4 different nationalities. Italian, Hungarian (father's side), English, Cherokee Indian (Mother's side). Now if I was king for a day, the Frenchmen would be under their beds quaking in fear. Oh and the Europeans in general are the barbarians of which the Romans spoke. Barbarians means really no written language.
 

chowhound

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Well just to say...
I just got back from a real grocery store, not my town's little one, where I picked up some Pace chunky picante and a can of Ol El Paso enchilada sauce. For some reason, while there were 20 different kinds of jarred taco sauces (which I am quite familia with), there was only one choice for enchilada sauce. I'm sure I'll give those recipes a try at some point, but I specifically wanted to buy some this time to see if I could tell a difference from the taco sauce I used to purchase.

And in my book, they all looked like salsa to me (lol).
 

joec

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They probably have close to the same texture and taste as salsa also.
 

joec

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Sorry I wasn't clear but what I meant was the picanti and salsa not the taco or enchilada sauces. I know those are basically like a good hot sauce in texture not a relish which the salsa is.
 

chowhound

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That's good, GG. I was expecting smooth.

Now that I think about it, I wonder if taco sauce was "meant" (loosely) to be used cold and enchilada sauce warmed... hmmm
 
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