Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Salsa

I get asked for this salsa recipe a lot. Other than boiling and peeling the tomatoes it takes no time to make, but you need a regular-size food processor.

Homemade Salsa

5 large or 7 medium tomatoes (the medium, nicely ripened tomatoes give a better flavor)
1/2 small onion
1 small to medium green bell pepper or 1/2 of a large
1 jalapeno pepper
1 serrano pepper
1 handful fresh cilantro*
Juice of one lime
1 clove garlic or 1/2 to 1 tsp minced garlic (optional)
Kosher salt to taste

Boil the tomatoes until the skins split. Remove from water and cool slightly for easier handling. Peel off skin, remove hard base of stem, cut in half, and place in food processor. Don't skip this step, because it's gross to have skins in your salsa. Quarter the bell pepper and onion, and cut off stems of hot peppers. If you want less heat, remove the seeds of hot peppers. Place in food processor with rest of ingredients (except salt) and pulse a few times to get large vegetable pieces broken down. Blend until desired consistency and add salt, usually a couple of teaspoons. Add a little salt at a time, because you can overdo it quickly. I think when I first started making this, the recipe called for a little sugar to counter the salt. I know that salt and sugar somehow work together, but I haven't been adding the sugar to mine.

*The amount of cilantro depends on preference. It's best to start with a little and add as needed.

Try it!

2 comments:

mel... said...

I hate cilantro. You know, just in case you cared.

DeeBee said...

I love salsa!