Blues BBQ, Inc.

Quierras Mas
(You’ll Want More)

Mexican Relish

Ingredients: Water, Vinegar, Onions, salt, Carrots, Jalapenos, Sesame Oil and spices

Keep in mind that vinegar is the number 2 ingredient behind water. Since good H2O has no flavor or smell. Vinegar is the big dog in this dish. More on this, later.

I like the label. Straight forward, good color and you are able to see the vegetable relish with all the nice colors. You can see at a glance what this product is. I’m sure it would “shelf” very well in any store.

Keith Mumaw, the owner of Quierras Mas was nice enough to not only send the jar of relish, he also sent a few recipes that use this relish. With the help of my trusty Daughter photographer unit, we made Quierras Mas chicken enchiladas.

1 med. Onion, 2 tbs butter or margarine, 1 ½ cup shredded cooked chicken, 1 ½ cup Quierras Mas Mexican Relish, 3 oz. cream cheese cubed, 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese divided, flour or corn tortillas.

Cook and stir onion in butter on medium heat. Add chicken and ½ cup Mexican Relish, cream cheese and cumin. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. Stir in ½ the cheese. Spoon about 1/3 cup of mixture into each tortilla. Roll up and place in baking dish, seam side down. Top with remaining relish and cheese. Bake at 350 for fifteen minutes.

Now on with the review. As soon as I popped the lid, I got hit with pure white vinegar. I did get a small hit of sesame oil but primarily the vinegar overruled all other smells. The smell was overpowering. It was like getting hit with smelling salts. The vegetables were very colorful and I was expecting them to be crisp tender but instead they were soft and mushy. I believe the acids in the vinegar created a PH so low that the vegetables just keep cooking while sitting on a shelf or in a box. Overall, I was afraid this relish was in trouble, but I am an optimist.

I spooned out a very colorful carrot and ate it, Vinegar and salt. I spooned out an onion and tried it, Vinegar and salt. Still the optimist, I thought that the recipe that we were using had so much cheese in it, that it would tame the vinegar and salt. I was wrong.

Folks, maybe I had a bad run or was having a bad taste bud day. We, including the wife and trusted daughter photographer unit, could not eat this dish.

I like the idea of an all purpose relish and really liked the chunks of vegetables. Most relishes are almost pureed. Quierras Mas needs to figure out to bring out the flavors of the vegetables, preserving them some other way than just vinegar and salt. Great concept and with some work, a good product.

Mfg. for Quierras Mas
212 Lynge
Allen, TX 75013
214-587-8240