With Father’s Day on the near horizon, I know many of you will be celebrating by entertaining or having a Bar-B-Que. It is always nice to have something tasty to munch on in either of these settings, so I thought I would share a wonderful salsa with you.
Over the years, I have tried a number of variations with my Tex-Mex Salsa. I have landed on the following version and rarely stray far from this formula. The key to good salsa is the use of a flavorful mild pepper, such as an Anaheim Chili. Yes, Jalapenos are used, but more peppers in the mix brings a solid foundation and chunkiness to the end product.
This recipe is from “Cook Live Learn”, found in the Sauces chapter. Enjoy!
Anaheim Pepper about 5 inches long
Remove the seeds and white veins
- 3 Large Red Ripe Tomatoes, Quartered
- 1 Medium Anaheim or other Mild Green Chili Pepper
- 1 Fresh Medium Jalapeno Pepper, More or Less
- 1 Clove Garlic, Peeled and Tough End Cut Off
- 1 1” Thick Slice of Medium Yellow Onion, Quartered
- 3 Tablespoons of Minced Fresh Cilantro
- 1 Pinch of Chili Powder
- 1 Dash of Ground Cumin
- 1 Dash Seasoning Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Dried Whole Oregano, Crushed
- ¼ Cup Water or Tomato Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
- 5 Twists of the Black Pepper Grinder
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 3 Ice Cubes (Scant Hand-full)
- Cut the stem area out of all tomato quarters; put tomatoes in blender. Trim the stem area off of the green pepper and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut out the white-ish veins and scrape away the seeds from both halves; put in blender. You can always add jalapeno later; so start with a half. Trim off the stem end, cross cut in half, toss in blender. Add all remaining ingredients to the blender.
- How do you like your salsa? Pureed? Chunky? I like mine in between. Pulse/run and scrape down the blender until you get the consistency you want. The ice does not need to be finely crushed ... it is there for moisture and to assist in the blending. Correct for salt and any other spice you feel needs adjustment. Store covered in refrigerator.
Tips: 1. This salsa can be no better than the tomatoes. If the ones you can get are not fully ripe, set them on your kitchen window sill and wait until they are for best results. If you just cannot wait, make sure to use tomato juice instead of water. 2. The heat brought by the Jalapeno will cool after the salsa has a chance to sit for a while. So, do not fret if you think it is too hot at first. In the alternative, you may want to add more jalapeno before serving. For this reason, it is a time-saver to refrigerate the salsa in the blender container for the first several hours. In this way, you can add more easily. 3. The ingredient that makes this salsa different from most is the mild green pepper. Try to find an Anaheim or other mild, slender green pepper about 5” long. In a pinch, a small Poblano may be substituted. If the only green pepper available for use is a Bell Pepper, wait until something more suitable can be found. If you just have to have salsa NOW, use one-half of a medium green Bell Pepper.
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