This recipe for salsa is my favorite. I came across it a few years ago and now make it every year. I’ve made it with and without the hot peppers and we liked it both ways. We also have added corn and cooked red or black beans a couple of times to this same basic recipe. It tastes great and you can add as much or as little as you like, make sure you have extra jars ready, as adding the corn and beans does increase the volume. My family likes it better than the commercial salsa. I hope you like it as much as we do.
Traditional Salsa
7 cups diced, seeded, peeled, cored tomatoes (about 5 pounds)
6 green onions, sliced
2 jalapeño peppers, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced
cilantro
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup vinegar, 5% acidity
2 tablespoons lime juice
4 drops hot pepper sauce
Instructions: Prepare your canning jars according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Carefully ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch. Wipe rim clean. Place lids on. Screw down evenly and firmly just until a point of resistance is met – fingertip tight.
Process 15 minutes in a hot water bath. Yield: about 4 pints.
If you have extra tomatoes after you make your salsa, you might want to try this next recipe.
Fresh Tomato Soup
1 qt Tomatoes
3 sm Onions; chopped
1 pt Water
Salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbl Butter
Saltine crackers
Instructions: Put tomatoes, onions and water in a kettle and stew for about an hour. Remove from stove and strain through a sieve. Put back into kettle and add salt, pepper, and butter. Bring to a boil. Crumble in crackers and serve.
You could simply open a can of commercial soup, but this is really better.
If you grow your own tomatoes, you may have an abundance of green ones. Ours haven’t been ripening very early this year. Next week we’ll have a couple of recipes using our green tomatoes.
Keep writing, have a great week, and we’ll talk more next time. Please contact
me at susieqcooking@ainop.com or c/o Pioneer Times, P.O. Box 456, Houlton, Maine 04730.
