Salsa is a staple in this house. We love it. Though we’ve been eating it for years, I never really gave much thought to its origin or story. I just know I need it, I love it, I crave it and will eat it on almost everything, and must always have it on hand.
So, I thought since I am posting this yummy salsa recipe, maybe I should do a little homework and see how it came in to being. So here’s a little History lesson for the day…the Spanish term for salsa is “sauce”~derived from the Latin salsa (salty). From what I learned, “pre~blender” era, Mexican salsa was prepared using mortar~pestles (we have one, but I love my blender). It dates back to the Aztec, Inca and Mayan civilization (the Aztecs used a mixture of chili peppers, ground squash seeds and tomatoes). The Spaniards were the first to come across tomatoes, after they succeeded in taking over Mexico~1519-1521. It has evolved over the years and there are countless ways to prepare it.
The great thing about this delectable condiment/sauce is that you can make it any way you like. Hot, medium, mild, with “this”, without “that”, etc. So, whip up a quick batch, grab some tortilla chips, a beverage perhaps and start dipping (double dipping is really ok)!
This concludes today’s lesson. Thank you for attending class and for your attentiveness. You all get an A+.
Sláinte!
- 4 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
- 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
- 4 jalapeños* (cut lengthwise, seeds removed, roughly chopped)
- 1/4 cup Cumin
- 1/4 cup garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/8 cup lime juice
- 1/8 cup salt
- 1 cup Cilantro (leaves removed from stems)
- Add one can of tomatoes to blender and purée (there will not be room for all four).
- Then, to purée in blender add onion, jalapeños and remaining ingredients. Pulse in "mix/chop" mode to desired consistency, place in large bowl.
- To blender, add remaining cans of tomatoes and purée, add to large bowl and stir until mixed well.
- Can be eaten right away, but all of the flavors really come out after setting in refrigerator overnight.
- Store in quart~sized Mason jars, or any container of your choosing.
- Keeps well for two weeks in the refrigerator.
*I ALWAYS wear latex/vinyl gloves when handling jalapeños. They can be found in most stores in the pharmacy section
This is a little spicy so you can adjust any above ingredients to your heat tolerance. This is just a base recipe.
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