Every year the many Spanish speakers of Northern California hold a Latin American festival in Gilroy. José Feliciano comes to sing, Mexican and Spanish dancers perform, and across a wide grassy field stand booths offering every sort of Latin American food imaginable. The hit of the fair is the Argentine empanadas, folded over pie crusts surrounding fillings similar to tortilla fillings. The empanadas are accompanied by a South American salsa made from jalapeños and lots of parsley that is slathered over the outside. We’ve included our version of the salsa to slather inside North American tacos.

TIP: The special flavor of this salsa depends on using marinated jalapenos. If you cannot find them, use plain canned ones and add ¼ teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon cider vinegar to the salsa.