©M. Sedutto 2000
5 lbs plum tomatoes
2 large onioins
2 red bell peppers
2 green bell peppers
˝ to 1 cup white vinegar
2 tsps salt
Spices:
4 tbsp chopped Cilantro
Notes on spices:
1. ALWAYS WEAR LATEX OR PLASTIC GLOVES WHEN CHOPPING THESE PEPPERS!
2. Do not use seeds or inner white pith. Use only the flesh of the pepper.
2. If using canned or jarred Jalepenos you can usually increase your peppers about 25%. This is of course very subjective, your tastes may vary.
3. DO NOT use the canned Jalepenos in Adobo sauce (a.k.a. Chipotle) . It will add a very undesirable burnt flavor to the salsa. Use only peppers jarred in vinegar/salt/sugar type packing.
4. Some people like the roasted flavor of dried chili powder. This is optional, if you think you’d like to try that I would suggest buying the whole dried Ancho Chilies. They will need to be soaked in cold water overnight and cleaned and chopped like the rest of the peppers except you may want to scrape the meat from the skins which can sometimes be tough even after soaking.
5. See rule No. 1.
6. Double check rule number one and don’t touch any part of your body or anything that will come in contact with your body until you’ve trashed the gloves AND washed your hands well. (Men! Observe this rule carefully if you’ve been drinking beer while cooking. Trust me on this.)
Hot:
2 finely chopped Habanero peppers
OR 4 finely chopped Jalepenos
Medium:
1 finely chopped Habanero
OR 2 finely chopped Jalepenos
Mild:
1 finely chopped Jalepeno
Directions:
Discard all seeds and pith from Bell and spice peppers. Discard stem and green from tomatoes and onions.
Dice all vegetables about ˝ to 3/8 inch pieces. Larger if you like it chunky.
Add all ingredients (only 1/2 cup vinegar and reserving half the spice pepper) into large saucepan and simmer uncovered to reduce. Final reduction will be about one half or until desired consistency. I prefer to have little juice remaining, as solids will settle and it tends to run when served as a dip otherwise.
While reducing, add additional salt and remaining vinegar and spice pepper to taste as desired. Warm salsa tastes a bit spicier while cooking. When adding spice pepper allow at least ˝ hour of simmering before tasting. Without any oil in the recipe it takes a while for the “hot” to diffuse into the salsa.
Refrigerate if you are not using canning jars.
If canning for long term storage at room temperature, boil and seal canning jars as you would for any vegetable. The salt and vinegar are sufficient to prevent spoilage.
Serving suggestions:
As a dip I like to coarsely grate a mound of sharp cheddar over the top and heat in the microwave to just melt the cheese.
Very good served over yellow rice, roast chicken, burritos, tacos and fried cheese ravioli.
Low in fat and salt. Enjoy.