Winning first and second place fueled my fire to enter again this year. I was all gung-ho to make different salsa recipes and try them out on my family and friends throughout the year. Good intentions... Sigh. Anyway, I came up with three recipes this weekend. Canned Fresh Salsa, Roasted Salsa Verde, and Triple Pepper Salsa were the pithy names that I settled on. My family was no help at all so if you think they are silly, blame them.
Here are the recipes:
Canned Fresh Salsa
4 pint jars with rims and seals to fit
14 ripe tomatoes (I used tomatoes off the vine)
kosher salt
1.5 large onions
4 cloves of garlic
1/3 pound Jalapeño Peppers
14 ripe tomatoes (I used tomatoes off the vine)
kosher salt
1.5 large onions
4 cloves of garlic
1/3 pound Jalapeño Peppers
2 poblano peppers
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1 tablespoon cumin
½ of a 6 ounce can tomato paste
PER JAR 3 tablespoons lime juice
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the tomatoes by dropping them in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes. You will need to do them in batches. Transfer the tomatoes to a sink or tub filled with cold water.
Peel the tomatoes, and chop them coarsely. Layer them in a large strainer - such as comes in a set for cooking spaghetti - with the salt. Much of it will run out with the water. Let the tomatoes drain for several hours to overnight, in a cool spot (but not in the fridge.) Don't forget to keep them a little raised from the bottom of whatever pot you strain them into, so they are not sitting in their own water.
When you are ready to proceed, put the canning jars into a large canner with water to cover them by one inch at least, and bring to a boil. Boil the jars for 10 minutes.
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1 tablespoon cumin
½ of a 6 ounce can tomato paste
PER JAR 3 tablespoons lime juice
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the tomatoes by dropping them in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes. You will need to do them in batches. Transfer the tomatoes to a sink or tub filled with cold water.
Peel the tomatoes, and chop them coarsely. Layer them in a large strainer - such as comes in a set for cooking spaghetti - with the salt. Much of it will run out with the water. Let the tomatoes drain for several hours to overnight, in a cool spot (but not in the fridge.) Don't forget to keep them a little raised from the bottom of whatever pot you strain them into, so they are not sitting in their own water.
When you are ready to proceed, put the canning jars into a large canner with water to cover them by one inch at least, and bring to a boil. Boil the jars for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and then chop the onions in a food processor, de-stem and deseed the Jalapeños (wear gloves – not kidding – the voice of experience here!) and poblano peppers, and peel and mince the garlic.
Take the strained tomatoes, and chop them to the texture you would like - a food processor is fine for this. Mix them with the chopped onions, garlic, and chilies in a large canning kettle or other large, deep pot. Chop the cilantro and mix it in, along with the cumin.
Mix the tomato paste with a cupful of the salsa, until it is lump-free. Mix it into the pot of salsa. Taste the salsa, and add some salt if you think it needs some more. Bring the salsa to a boil.
Lift the sterilized jars from the boiling water bath and empty them. Half should be emptied into the sink, and half should be emptied back into the pot to keep the boiling water level up.
Add three tablespoons of lime juice to each jar. Fill each jar with salsa, with a wide mouth funnel to within 1 cm of the rims. Wipe the rims with a clean paper towel dipped in the boiling water, and seal according the manufacturer’s directions.
Return the jars to the boiling water bath and boil them for 20 minutes, well covered in water. Remove from the water bath, allow to cool, check seals and label the jars with the date and batch number.
Adapted from here.
Roasted Salsa Verde:
5 tomatillos husked and cut in ½
½ Walla Walla Sweet Onion
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pinch Kosher salt
1 Anaheim Pepper
1 jalapeño pepper
½ cup cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup water
Kosher salt to taste
Toss the tomatillos and onion in olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Place tomatillos, onion, Anaheim pepper and jalapeño pepper on a hot grill and roast. Turn frequently so that all sides of the vegetables get roasted. When the tomatillos and onions soften remove from the grill.
Grill the peppers until the skins are blistered. Steam the peppers in a covered bowl until the skins easily come off. Peel off the skins and remove the seeds and ribs from the two peppers.
After all the vegetables cool to room temperature, put them all in a blender with the cilantro, cumin powder, and garlic powder. Pour the water in and blend until smooth. Season the salsa with salt to your liking.
Chill and use as a salsa, topping for enchiladas or burritos, or on scrambled eggs.
Triple Pepper Salsa:
½ Anaheim pepper, seeds & ribs removed
½ Poblano pepper, seeds & ribs removed
1 Jalapeño pepper, seeds & ribs removed
½ White onion, diced
4 Tomatoes on the vine, vine removed and chopped
1 Clove of garlic, minced
¼ Cup cilantro chopped
½ Teaspoon cumin
Juice of one lime
Salt to Taste
Mix in a bowl, chill for at least two hours, and serve with tortilla chips.
So there you go. I'll report back tomorrow and let you know how I did. I'll post the winning recipes from last year, too.
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