Judyrae Kruse is taking some time off. Here is an encore column from October 2003.

In addition to the recipe for salsa fresca Mount Vernon cook Patsy Welton sent along for Kathy Harris of Everett the other day, she also included a recipe for fajitas to serve with that salsa, as well as a recipe for salsa de chile verde.

She says the fajitas are taken from “New Mexico Cook Book,” and are tasty.

“Thanks to my nieces in New Mexico,” she adds, “my bookshelf has a good backup of these recipes. The salsa de chile verde depends heavily on fresh green chiles, but is an equally good use of fresh tomatoes.

“This one comes from Erna Fergusson’s ‘Mexican Cookbook.’”

And, while we’re still in our Mexican mode, cooks with access to green tomatoes will undoubtedly want to whip up a batch of the following taco sauce. Longtime Forum helper-outer Betty Barrows first shared this recipe with us a number of years ago, and it has remained a steady favorite.

At our house nowadays, we pitch in a couple of large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped, and a handful of jalapeno or serrano peppers, also coarsely chopped, to suit the fire-eating contingent at our table. Then, too, we like ours to have a bit of chunk, so we only give it a quick whirl or two in the blender.

Fajitas

Juice of 2 large limes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 medium jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 pounds skirt steak or flank steak

1 medium yellow or white onion, thinly sliced

2 medium avocados, peeled and sliced

Warm flour tortillas

Salsa fresca

In suitable container, mix together the lime juice, oil, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Add steak, cover and marinate at least 8 hours in the refrigerator. Remove steak from marinade and grill or broil with sliced onions to taste. Slice across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange on a large platter with the onions and sliced avocados. Serve with warm flour tortillas and salsa fresca.

Makes 7 servings.

Salsa de chile verde

1 clove garlic

4 ripe tomatoes

6 green chiles

1 medium onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon vinegar

Mash garlic in a wooden salad bowl. Peel tomatoes and cut in small pieces. Remove and discard the seeds and veins from the chiles; chop in salad bowl. Chop onion in salad bowl. Add tomato pieces, salt, pepper and vinegar. Mix well and serve.

Betty Barrows’ mild green taco sauce

6 cups finely chopped green tomatoes, with juice

2 medium onions, chopped

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon each black and cayenne peppers

1 1/2 teaspoons pickling salt or regular salt

2 tablespoons dry mustard

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine tomatoes, onions, vinegar, peppers, salt and dry mustard, mixing thoroughly. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 hours. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Pour mixture, 2 to 3 cups at a time, into blender container or food processor and process until smooth. Taste and correct seasonings, if necessary. Pour into suitable containers, seal, label and freeze.

Makes 3 pints.

The next Forum column will appear in Monday’s comics pages.