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Recipe and photos courtesy of Rick Rigler of Houston,
TX.
Rick says, "I
should sell this stuff and make a little extra money. I know I could
because it gets rave reviews every time I bring it to work! But I know I
never will, so I guess I will go ahead and share the recipe. I cannot
take complete credit because I got the basic idea from my wife's aunt a
few years ago. Thank you Debbie!"
Check out more delicious
Appetizer Recipes,
Salsa Recipes,
and
Tomato Recipes
for more
great cooking ideas.
Rick's (soon to be famous) Salsa Recipe
Recipe Type:
Appetizer,
Salsa,
Dips & Spreads,
Tomatoes,
Chile
Peppers
Yields: serves
many
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients:
3 large (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes*
1 medium
onion
6 cloves garlic
1 bunch fresh
cilantro or to taste (I use about 1/2 bunch)
2 medium jalapeno
chile peppers**
6 medium Serrano
chile peppers**
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cumin powder or to taste
2 large bags tortilla chips
* I use canned
tomatoes because it is easy and it helps keep the salsa fresher longer. I
usually end up using all the tomato juice from all three (3) cans when making
the salsa.
** How hot you make your salsa depends on the kind of chilies and the
amount you use.
Preparation:
In a large pot over medium-high heat,
add chile peppers and enough water to cover them. Bring just to a boil;
reduce heat to medium and let
the chile peppers simmer several minutes until they soften up. Remove from
heat, drain and remove cooked chile peppers from the water, set aside and
let cool.
I use fresh peppers
and boil them to get them a little soft and mellowed somewhat. Roasting
or smoking the peppers will develop better flavor, of course. I started
making the (basic) recipe with one (1) jalapeno and three (3) Serrano
chile peppers. Don't ask why, it just works! Different peppers will, of
course, give different flavor and results.
Lately, I have started
doubling the basic recipe, mainly because my daughter, Allison, loves it
so much and it makes an easy, not very fattening after-school snack. I
also usually bring some to work to share. The last time I prepared my
salsa, I made four times the usual amount. The serrano chile peppers
were much larger than usual, so it was hard to judge how many to use. I
ened up using ten (trying to judge for the larger size), and the salsa
came out much hotter than usual. Edible, of course, but too hot for
timid folks.
Coarsely chop the onions, garlic, and
cooled chile peppers. Pull the cilantro leaves from the stalks (discarding
the stalks).
Into the bowl of your blender or food
processor, add the chopped onion, garlic, chile peppers, cilantro leaves,
salt, and cumin. Drain the tomato juice from two (2) cans of tomatoes
into your blender. NOTE: You will need enough of the
canned tomato juice to cover the vegetables being added and create a
semi-thick slurry - but not too runny when done.
The consistency of the salsa is to your preference -
so adjust to your tastes. Add the third can of tomato juice as
necessary to fill the blender near the top.
Blend the ingredients well. After blending, pour the mixture into a large
pot.
Into the now empty blender or food
processor, add the drained tomatoes; pulse on and off quickly to loosely chop
the tomatoes, depending on the size of chunks desired.
NOTE: This usually takes one 3 or 4 pulses. Add the chopped tomatoes
to the pot with the vegetables. Stir to thoroughly to mix together all the
salsa ingredients.
Over low heat, slowly simmer the
pot of salsa ingredients for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally (longer simmering
will develop better flavor).
Salsa may be served either hot or cooled with corn chips, tortillas,
tacos, burritos, tostadas, etc., or let cool and serve.
To store the salsa, let it cool and
then pour into jars and store in the refrigerator. It will keep in the "fridge" several days.
NOTE: I have kept it much longer than a week before
and it still tastes fine. Probably, the best way to store it is in a glass
jar. I usually use a canning jar with a lid.
Serves many.
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