ROUSES_SeptOct2019_Magazine

Nacho Average Produce Department

by sarah baird, photos by romney caruso

For Patrick Morris, 15 years in the produce industry means he knows a thing or two about spotting good apples — literally and figuratively. That’s why, after working across the nation, he’s now produce director for Rouses, ensuring that — among other things — every salsa and guacamole is made fresh daily. “What we’re doing is kind of unique, because down here, food culture is huge. You could go from one end of Louisiana to the other and the same exact item is cooked — or even pronounced — differently,” laughs Morris. “At Rouses, we have our own in-house recipes that we use for all our salsas. We come up with some of them through trial and error, others are family recipes, and some we develop specifically for our customers. The recipes are pretty much proprietary to Rouses: That’s why the guacamole and salsa we have are just a little bit different — a little bit special — from what you’d get somewhere else. Everything is actually done in-house that day, so you’re getting the freshest of the fresh.” There’s a lot of buzz about the ketogenic or keto diet, which is a low-carb, high-fat diet. We subbed the Mission Tortilla Chips on half of our nacho platter with keto-friendly Mission Pork Rinds. We also skipped the black beans, which are high-carb, and tomatoes, which are limited on the diet. You can find a list with other keto-friendly foods we carry on our website at www.rouses.com. Remember, just because the ketogenic diet is popular, that doesn’t mean most people need to, or should, do it. It’s very important to talk to your doctor before you start any weight loss program. WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 1 pound Kraft Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese cup heavy cream cup water 1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilies, undrained 1 4.5-ounce can chopped green chilies 16 ounces Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature 1 teaspoon salt Dash crushed red pepper flakes Dash cayenne HOW TO PREP: Place all the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl or slow cooker. Cook for 5 minutes, stopping every minute to stir. (If using a slow cooker, cook on high for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.) Keto Queso Dip (Makes 5 cups)

And catering to what customers like has led to some creative specialties, like Rouses’ popular fruit salsa. “The fruit salsa is something we developed over the years, because mangos and pineapples were becoming the hot items in produce. We said, ‘What if we incorporated those flavors with a little bit of sweet and a little bit of heat into a salsa?’ It’s turned out to be so much more than just something for dipping chips! It’s also a great glaze for chicken to give it a little bit of a kick.” And when it comes to what’s trending in fruits and vegetables, tropical flavors still reign supreme with customers — with a few new, spicy additions in the mix. “In produce today, tropical fruits are still huge: Dragon fruit is becoming bigger and bigger, as well as red and yellow jackfruit — it’s unique because people are using jackfruit as a meat alternative,” he explains. “It’s interesting how tastes have changed. People want their dips hotter and hotter. They don’t just want jalapeño in their guacamole, they want something like a ghost pepper in it! The heat keeps ramping up.”

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