Author Topic: Need a salsa recipe pronto!  (Read 4801 times)

Melissa

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Need a salsa recipe pronto!
« on: September 26, 2012, 05:36:41 AM »
I don't think I have ever seen so many ripe tomatoes in one place.  You can't even see the table at my mother's because it is laden with beautiful ripe roma tomatoes.  And there are even more in the garden waiting to be picked, along with hot peppers as well.

I have made fresh salsa before and my family loves it!  However, given the amount of produce I have to work with I was thinking of preserving salsa to enjoy during the winter months.  I have canned and preserved food using the hot water bath method before, so I know what is involved.  What I am missing at this point is a recipe.  I have looked up several on the web but was hoping someone here had a recipe that was tried and true. 


Matt K

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Re: Need a salsa recipe pronto!
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2012, 07:11:07 AM »
I made this fresh last week, but haven't canned it yet (I'm canning a big batch of it this friday).

One 'batch', multiple this for however much stuff you have:

2 cups fresh tomatos
1 cup fresh tomatillos (can also use canned)
1 large onion
1 Jalepeno pepper
1 Poblano hot pepper (or whatever you like, depending on how strong you like it)
1 sweet red pepper
1/3 bunch of cilantro
1 TBSP vinegar (I use rice vinegar)
1 TBSP white sugar
1 TBSP minced garlic
1 TSP ground cumin

Dice everything, throw it in a pan and simmer it for 10 minutes (to soften the onions and mix the flavours), can it and enjoy. If you just throw the tomatos and tomatillos in the blender, it'll be pretty watery, so you may want to sive out some of the water, or remove the seeds and juices when dicing the tomatos. That's a lot of work though.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2012, 07:13:36 AM by Matt K »

Zaga

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Re: Need a salsa recipe pronto!
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2012, 07:20:52 AM »
I'm a tomato scientist (yes, there is such a thing!) and my advice to get your salsa to be nice and thick is to make sure that as soon after cutting the tomato as possible get them up to about 190 F, that's a little below boiling.  This deactivates the enzymes that will break down the viscosity if you puree and allow the tomatoes to stay cool.

Matt K

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Re: Need a salsa recipe pronto!
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2012, 10:10:03 AM »
I'm a tomato scientist (yes, there is such a thing!) and my advice to get your salsa to be nice and thick is to make sure that as soon after cutting the tomato as possible get them up to about 190 F, that's a little below boiling.  This deactivates the enzymes that will break down the viscosity if you puree and allow the tomatoes to stay cool.

That is a fantastic bit of advice! Now I have a tonne of questions.
How long do they need to stay at that temperature?
Can you do it before cutting/dicing them?
Does that also work with tomatillos?

You meet the neatest people on the internet.

Zaga

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Re: Need a salsa recipe pronto!
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2012, 10:18:35 AM »
I'm a tomato scientist (yes, there is such a thing!) and my advice to get your salsa to be nice and thick is to make sure that as soon after cutting the tomato as possible get them up to about 190 F, that's a little below boiling.  This deactivates the enzymes that will break down the viscosity if you puree and allow the tomatoes to stay cool.

That is a fantastic bit of advice! Now I have a tonne of questions.
How long do they need to stay at that temperature?
Can you do it before cutting/dicing them?
Does that also work with tomatillos?

You meet the neatest people on the internet.
Not long, just a few minutes.
Yes, in fact one of the ways I have seen it done is a quick zap in the microwave.  This might damage the flavor though, so do this with caution.
No idea, I haven't worked with tomatillos.  I'd bet you could find out by doing a small experiment.  Cut one in half.  Puree one half and microwave the other half before pureeing.  Put both in the fridge for a few hours, then see which is thicker.

And thank you, I do have an interesting job!  Not very often of practical day-to-day use though!  :-)

zinnie

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Re: Need a salsa recipe pronto!
« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2012, 01:29:43 PM »
My favorite easy salsa is just: tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, a hot pepper or two of any kind, teaspoon of honey, lime juice, white onion. Blend or chop, depending on what consistency you like.

I too have way many tomatoes right now! We've done a couple of batches of salsa, tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato bisque, a few curry dishes, and still have dozens left over!

Melissa

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Re: Need a salsa recipe pronto!
« Reply #6 on: September 26, 2012, 07:03:10 PM »
Next big question-is it really necessary to go through the process of removing the skins first?

Zaga

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Re: Need a salsa recipe pronto!
« Reply #7 on: September 26, 2012, 07:12:58 PM »
I would.  The skins add an annoying texture IMO.  They are perfectly safe to eat though, so leaving them on isn't that big a deal.

 

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