3 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 bunch of fresh cilantro (usually located next to the parsley in the produce section)
1 large red onion
1 lime
1 small can of chopped green chile peppers (found in the Mexican food section)
1 ½ teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar 1 small clove of garlic, pressed.
jalapeños to taste (optional) (I never add jalapeños)
Wash cilantro under tap water. WARNING: Cilantro appears to be grown in sand . . . lots of sand . . . There is always sand down in the bunch that washing doesn’t remove. Trust me (from experience), gritty salsa is not good. You must remove the rubber band and separate the bunch before washing. Then, roughly chop the leafy part of the cilantro about ½ way down to where the rubber band originally was. Discard the stems.
Using a food processor (or a blender), combine 1 can tomatoes and the cilantro and blend (do not puree’ since the objective is to have slightly chunky salsa). Dump into very large bowl.
Roughly chop the onion.
Again with your food processor, combine a can of tomatoes and the onion and blend until slightly chunky. Don’t puree it, you want it to be chunky. Dump it into your large bowl.
Cut the lime in half around the circumference (grapefruit style). Squeeze each half into your food processor. Then take a tablespoon and completely scoop out ALL of the lime down to the rind and fibrous section walls. You want every bit of the juice and pulp from that lime in your food processor.
Again with your food processor, combine a can of tomatoes with the lime juice/pulp, pressed garlic, salt, and sugar. Blend. Dump in your large bowl.
Add the can of chopped chile peppers (and chopped jalapeños if desired) to your large bowl. Note the peppers don’t go in the food processor. Stir the whole mess together. Refrigerate until chilled and serve.
NOTE: This recipe make a LOT of salsa. Be prepared to share it with friends.
NOTE: This salsa is good the day it’s made and the day after. It’s ok the 3rd day. Then it gets a vinegar type taste to it. So don’t prepare it more than one day ahead of time. Oh . . . and don’t even try to freeze it.
WARNING: The garlic flavor increases exponentially as it ages (trust me), so use a LOT less if you’re preparing it a day ahead of time.
A friend gave me the following salsa recipe. It came out a little thin, so I added a small can of tomato paste to thicken it. I canned most of it & also froze some. Very good!
Salsa, please adjust according to your liking:
Roast the tomatoes on the stove top until they are soft, the outside will be charred, you can use any pan but don’t oil it, cast iron works well, medium heat, turn the tomatoes often. While I roast the tomatoes I also roast the Jalapeños and or Serrano chilies. They also will be charred on the outside but not too much, you just want the peel charred. Then you can put some onion in the blender with a clove of garlic, some cilantro and a touch of oregano. Add salt, then put the tomatoes and chilies in the blender and blend away. I like to blend for a minute or two so that all the flavors blend together.
I usually use this amount
2 tomatoes
6 chilies
1/4 regular or small onion yellow or white
1 clove of garlic if it is large
a handful of cilantro, the leaves more than the stems
a pinch of oregano fresh is better but dried works fine
and as much salt as enjoyed (a spoon or two)
“Cilantro appears to be grown in sand...”
Parsley has a lot of grit as well. Here is a trick that works: Fill the sink with water and table salt. Remove the band and swirl in the water. I even let it soak for a minute or two. For some weird reason, salted water removes sand/grit much better than regular water. Oh.. rinse the cilantro bunch (or parsley bunch) with plain water to remove any added salt flavor.