I have been honing my salsa-makin' & cannin' chops for a few years now, and have decided that simpler has turned out not only to be cheaper, but better. Starting out, I would have many different herbs, spices, veggies, trying to make a complex salsa (avocado, tomatillo, tomato paste, lime, cilantro). Now, I won't say those salsas weren't delicious. They were pretty good; however, as the grocery store would run out of certain ingredients, or as I would be weary of taking extra prep-time, I began to include fewer things, and I found that I liked the salsa better. Very surprising to me was that I liked my salsa more without cilantro, even though I love cilantro. Adding cilantro certainly doesn't make it taste bad, by any stretch. Here's a side by side of what my ingredients looked like, and what I pretty much use these days as my go to:
vs
Basically, it's a tomato-light, chile dominant salsa. The chiles used are mostly non-hot but high-flavor chiles. The counts truly different every time I make them. I mostly eyeball amounts. The basis is lots of Anaheims and Poblanos, a few tomatoes, 3-4 garlic cloves, salt, and -if you want heat- many many fresh serranos.
20 Anaheim peppers
15 Poblano peppers
4-5 tomatoes (I usually use the "Tomatoes on the vine," but above were some Romas)
3-4 cloves of garlic
Salt (desired amount)
Serranos or Jalapenos (desired amount - for the amounts listed, I would probably throw in about 25-30 serranos)
Instructions:
1. Broil the Anaheim and Poblano chilis until charred on each side. Set aside.
2. While the chiles are roasting/broiling, in a food processor, chop up the tomatoes and mince the garlic to desired consistency, and add the jalapenos/serranos if using them. Put that in a separate large bowl.
3. After emptying the food processor, chop up the roasted chiles to desired consistency. Add to the bowl of tomatoes and garlic.
4. Stir that til all is mixed well.
5. If you're planning on canning it, can it.
6. If it's for serving soon, put it in a sealed container, and let it sit several hours in the fridge (I usually make it at night and let it sit in the fridge all night)
If you make a smaller amount, and have a big enough food processor, you can likely chop all the ingredients up at once. I usually make large amounts, and can it.
Basically, it's a tomato-light, chile dominant salsa. The chiles used are mostly non-hot but high-flavor chiles. The counts truly different every time I make them. I mostly eyeball amounts. The basis is lots of Anaheims and Poblanos, a few tomatoes, 3-4 garlic cloves, salt, and -if you want heat- many many fresh serranos.
20 Anaheim peppers
15 Poblano peppers
4-5 tomatoes (I usually use the "Tomatoes on the vine," but above were some Romas)
3-4 cloves of garlic
Salt (desired amount)
Serranos or Jalapenos (desired amount - for the amounts listed, I would probably throw in about 25-30 serranos)
Instructions:
1. Broil the Anaheim and Poblano chilis until charred on each side. Set aside.
2. While the chiles are roasting/broiling, in a food processor, chop up the tomatoes and mince the garlic to desired consistency, and add the jalapenos/serranos if using them. Put that in a separate large bowl.
3. After emptying the food processor, chop up the roasted chiles to desired consistency. Add to the bowl of tomatoes and garlic.
4. Stir that til all is mixed well.
5. If you're planning on canning it, can it.
6. If it's for serving soon, put it in a sealed container, and let it sit several hours in the fridge (I usually make it at night and let it sit in the fridge all night)
If you make a smaller amount, and have a big enough food processor, you can likely chop all the ingredients up at once. I usually make large amounts, and can it.
