Salsa, easier than you may think

It doesn't really take that much time to make a big batch of salsa, and the way I make it, it seems to keep pretty well (over a week in the fridge). The recipe I use is pretty basic, and it can be changed to suit any one's tastes. Here's what I start out with;

5-6 fresh tomatoes
1/2 a bunch of cilantro
1/4 of a medium onion
1 small clove of garlic (it's really easy to overdo the garlic)
2-3 jalapenos
1 Lime
Salt (you need to figure that out for yourself)


I generally use my food processor, but a blender will work as well. If you use the blender, you may wish to chop the ingredients smaller to begin with for a more consistent salsa.

Start by getting a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. While you're waiting for that to happen, you need to blister the skin of the jalapenos. You can do this on the grill (pretty fast) or in the toaster-oven (not so fast). Simply cook them until the skin begins to blacken and blister (it takes a while in the oven, so be patient. There's lots to do while you're waiting). Chop up the onion and cut up the cilantro. Crush or mince the garlic as well as you can (be careful not to use too much. It's easier to add more at the end, so be pretty stingy to start).

Put all of this in the food processor. By now, the water should be boiling vigorously. Put the tomatoes in there and let them boil until the skin starts to split. You don't want to cook them, you just want the skins to start peeling back. How long it takes depends on the tomato. I've seen some split as soon as they hit the water, and some take a few minutes. If they take more than five minutes, it's OK to poke them with a sharp knife to help 'em along.

As the skins split, remove them from the boiling water and place them in a bowl of cool water (you can even add ice to the water if you want. You want to serve the salsa cool, so this'll help get it there). Peel and chop the tomatoes into chunks. I generally discard the woody core as well.

By now, the jalapenos should be very well blistered. You want to get them into the cold water now and remove the cellophane-like skins. You don't need to get it all off, but it helps a lot to get most of it off. A combination of peeling and scraping seems to do the trick. Don't rub your eyes. I always do, but I'm not a pussy so it doesn't bother me. The rest of you may wish to wear gloves or something. Discard the stem portion and dice up the chilies and add them to the food processor. Now, squeeze the juice of one lime into the whole thing and run the blades until it's the consistancy you like. Taste it and start adding salt until it tastes right (generally a couple of tsps. does the trick.

Because of the lime juice (pretty acidic) and the cooking of most of the ingredients, I don't see this stuff spoil even after a week in the refrigerator (I keep it sealed in an airtight container). I generally make a batch of this every week or so. Most times, it doesn't even last the whole week because it gets consumed pretty quickly.

Like I always say (or I should always say), this is a basic recipe. There are any number of variations you can try, and you shouldn't be afraid to experiment. Use less jalepeno or more tomato if it's too hot, add roasted garlic for a more garlic-y variation, or try other ingredients. There's no "Salsa Police" out there to tell you not to.