Homemade Salsa

A little treat you can make in minutes tonight for Cinco de Mayo tomorrow!  This is some seriously good salsa.  It tastes exactly like the freshly made salsa served at a local Mexican restaurant that Dave and I love.  I probably make this salsa at least once a month.  We eat it all year round (it's great in the winter when you want to clear your sinuses).  The combination of tomatoes with the cilantro, garlic, onion and jalapeno, seasoned with a bit of salt, sugar, cumin and lime, makes for far superior salsa to anything you can get in a jar. It's perfect for dipping with tortilla chips and is a light and clean flavor perfect for celebrating.

A good salsa is hard to find and I was intrigued that this recipe uses canned tomatoes rather than fresh.  Could it really be that good?  A resounding yes, and I put my faith in Michelle from Brown Eyed Baker yet again for this amazing recipe.  It makes a LOT (I filled 2 quart-sized jars), but you'll definitely go through it.  You can customize this recipe for heat--when slicing your jalapeno, the more seeds and white membrane you leave in, the spicier your salsa will be.  I take out half the seeds and membrane and usually have a good amount of heat.  But beware--every jalapeno is different, so results and heat might vary just based on the pepper you use. Only small alterations to Michelle's original recipe: My food processor doesn't hold much liquid, so I use a blender for this recipe, but I need to make it in two batches. So I just divide all the ingredients in half.  I use half a red onion (instead of a quarter cup), two cloves of garlic (instead of one) and the juice of a whole lime (instead of half).  And I may or may not use more cilantro--I don't really measure it out, just a rough handful.  Be sure to let the salsa sit in the fridge and marinate to get all the flavors mingled together--consider it the cooking time, it makes a huge difference.  Delicious and fresh flavored, you'll want to try this right away.



Homemade Salsa

Ingredients

28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
2 10 ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
juice from one lime

If you can fit all the ingredients in a food processor (at least 11 cup), add them all together and pulse about 10 pulses or until desired consistency.

If you need to work in batches, divide ingredients in half--half of the whole tomatoes with juice and one can of diced tomatoes in the blender or food processor.

Divide the garlic, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, sugar, and cumin into two bowls.  Add one of those bowls to the tomatoes.

 

Squeeze in the juice from half of the lime.  Pulse about 10 times or until desired consistency.  Transfer salsa to jar or other container.

Repeat with remaining ingredients.  Refrigerate at least one hour to all flavors to mingle and develop, then serve with tortilla chips.

Makes about 2 quarts.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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