Monday Recipe
Mmmmmm....
The Best Homemade Salsa
Like it a little hot and sweet? You’re immune so the heat pings off your GI tract like birdshot fired at a cast iron kettle? Or somewhere in between?
Put down the ketchup, white bread. With eight ingredients of various proportions we can dial it from from rocket hot to angel smooth. And back again. Hang on…
You’ll need:
- 1/2 cup Cilantro
- 1 Lime, Juice of
- 1 Pinch Oregano, dried
- 1/2 Red onion, diced
- 2 Jalapeno or 1 Serrano chiles, chopped with ribs, seeds, and stems removed
- 2 Tomatoes (1 to 1 1/2 pounds chopped), medium sized fresh
- Salt&pepper
- 1 Pinch Cumin, ground
You’ll do:
In a non-reactive vessel, add, mix and cover. Let rest a day or so if you can, and taste.
Well, it didn’t blow you out of your socks. A little zip, maybe, but certainly a “ten” ring hit in the mild category.
Now wait a minute, there’s something else going on here, try it again.
Yep, it’s fresh! A clean, clear flavor burst that jars lost many years ago, never to see again. And damn is it good! More heat? Less? No problem, see the list compounded by the good Pharmacist Wilbur Scoville, and roll your own.
The scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville, and is a measurement of the pungency (spiciness or “heat”) of chili peppers, as recorded in Scoville Heat Units (SHU), based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is the predominant component.
So, am I saying you should reconsider whipping up a batch of Strawberry and Carolina Reaper salsa for next weekend’s soiree?
Yes I am.
Category: Cooking
Always liked a combination of jalapenos and seranos for things like this. And, yes, this looks/sounds very good.
Question: If this is how you make salsa, how do you make pico de gallo? Seems like “salsa” is cooked while “pico” is raw/fresh, or at least that’s how it’s always been served to me. Both good but somewhat interchangeable.
Love ’em both, and they are quite similar. I know the differences in my mind, but here it is from a professional:
Fewer ingredients, too. red tomatoes, white onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime (and salt).
Classic Pico de Gallo
Sounds about right. The addition of the oregano (Mexican, of course, right?) and cumino would likely define it as a salsa vice pico. Seems like the only herbage I’ve ever been served added to pico is cilantro.
Was hoping this didn’t become another beans or no beans in chili discussion…
Will have to forward this one on out. Peppers don’t like me anymore. Never was a fan of ketchup. Prefer my ‘maters, this time of year, chilled, sliced, and in between 2 slices of light bread smeared with Duke’s Mayo,slated and black peppered. Graybeard prolly having some real good ‘mater sammiches lately.
“slated”? Served with a piece of sedimentary rock?
Ohhhhhhhhh………you meant “SALTED”.
“Ever mind”
Other than the typo, agree, the bestest and mostest tastiest use of a big, fat, round, juicy, vine ripened, (heirloom or hybrid) ‘mater is in a sammich, with mayo, salt & pepper. Ummmmm………..
Pass me a towel, quick, I’m drooling.
Saddest part of it all, Tox, is I have gotten in the habit of proofing before posting. I thought, that is. In my defense, the caffeine level was low and I was shoveling spoons full of cheese grits over scrambled eggs into my mouth while posting that one.
Wasn’t able to put my garden patch in this year, was going to depend on the farm to table place right down the road. It’s an organic greenhouse that’s was doing real well till that whole Chinesecommunist Originated Virus Infecting Disease of 2019 showed up. Their commercial business went to hell starting in April, laid off a buncha folks. They’re trying to reboot now. I’d commit serious crime right about now for a real good vine ripened better/beef/best boy, you know, the one that the slice overhangs the side of the bread slice. ‘scuse me, I think I just had an involuntary vascular reaction.
And for those who like to cook under pressure….
Instant Pot Salsa
Ingredients
12 large tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded and diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 large green bell peppers, washed, stem and seeds removed, and diced
2–4 jalapeños (depending on how spicy you want it), washed, stem and seeds removed, and diced (leave some seeds in if you like it spicy)
4–6 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. salt (use canning salt if you plan on canning the salsa after making it)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
Place all ingredients except the cilantro into the pressure cooker.
Secure the lid and turn vent to seal.
Turn on high pressure for 10 minutes.
Once the timer is complete, natural release for 10 additional minutes*.
Release any remaining pressure, then safely remove the lid from the pressure cooker. Stir in the cilantro.
Allow to cool, then transfer to containers with airtight lids for storage (i.e. glass mason jars for canning). If not canning, store in the fridge for up to 7 days.
As a side note, if you like hot (spicy) things, take a hot pepper (like a ghost pepper or Carolina reaper, cut it up and put the pieces in a Mason jar with sea salt. Shake every few days for a couple of weeks.
The salt will draw out the heat from the peppers and in the end, you have spicy salt that can be used like regular salt. It is very hot and very tasty on things that you would not consider putting a pepper on, but would consider salting. (It is also great at the end of the growing season because you can use the peppers instead of canning them or freezing them.)