Homemade Salsa

If you’re like me then you could eat chips and Restaurant Style Salsa every day of your life. Since I can’t hit up my local Mexican restaurant every single day for chips and salsa, I started making salsa at home years ago.

This is one of the many recipes that my family loves. This particular Homemade Salsa doesn’t used anything canned and doesn’t make too much so I’m not tempted to eat an entire bag of tortilla chips. There are only two of us eating at home right now, so this was enough for 2-3 days of snacks and topping leftover enchiladas.

I cook the vegetables, to include the garlic, for a few minutes. This tames the garlic a bit, so if you prefer the flavor of raw garlic in your salsa then leave it out of the pot of veggies and instead add it to the blender raw. Remove the tough core stem portion of the tomatoes and score them with a small X at the base to make them easier to peel. I also remove the stem from the jalapeno. The skin can be removed from the garlic after it’s boiled or before. I find it easier to peel after it’s cooked, so I wait.

We had this Homemade Salsa for dinner one night along with my Enchiladas Verdes, which are chicken enchiladas in flour tortillas topped with green enchilada sauce and sharp cheddar cheese. The Restaurant Style Homemade Salsa was amazing with the Enchiladas and helped to mimic my favorite Enchiladas Divoricadas, which are covered with a red and green sauce on top to appeal to those of us who can’t decide which sauce is better.

I hope that you will try this salsa on your favorite Mexican dishes or as a snack with tortilla chips. Also, for daily updates follow @lifeabovethecafe on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest using the social media icons found on this page.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 large Roma tomatoes
• 1/4 of a white onion
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1 large jalapeno (or 2 for a spicier salsa)
• 1/4 cup of cilantro
• juice from 1/2 of a lime
• 1 tsp. of cumin
• 1 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 tsp. of black pepper
• 2 tsp. of sugar

Directions:

Cut small x shaped slits in the bottom of the tomatoes to make peeling them easier and remove the woody stem portion.

Place the whole tomatoes, 1 garlic clove, and the jalapens into a pan and cover them with water.  (Note – if you prefer cook your onion, I like the raw onion flavor.  Also, this is a mild salsa so add more jalapeno if you prefer a spicier salsa).

Bring the fresh veggies up to a boil and then simmer it for about 10 minutes.

Remove the vegetables from the heat and drain the water.  Once cool enough to handle, peel the tomatoes and the garlic clove.

Cut out the seeds and veins from the jalapenos for a milder salsa.

Add the cooked veggies to a food processor or blender along with a handful of cilantro without the stems, the raw onion, lime juice, sugar, and all of the spices.

Blend to the consistency that you prefer, chunky or smooth.  Refrigerate and wait to serve it chilled or serve immediately.

Leftovers should be refrigerated.

*Note – if you’re not a fan of cilantro leave it out, and if you like a spicier salsa try using more jalapenos.  For a really mild salsa leave out the jalapeno and cook the onion.

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