My nephew Timothy Barnett has been after me for some time to post my salsa recipe; now that I have fresh ingredients from the Project Growth gardens with which to demonstrate, here you go:
UNCLE DAVID'S SALSA FRESCA
1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes, or the equivalent in fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes
1 fresh small to medium jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded
- (or for the faint of heart and/or palette, substitute twice the quantity of fresh bell pepper)
1 medium green onion, cleaned and peeled (or any other equivalent amount of fresh onion)
2 to 3 healthy sprigs of fresh cilantro (remove the thick stems)
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Salt (may not be needed depending on sodium content of canned tomatoes)
1 to 2 tsp. Minced garlic
1 to 2 tsp. Chili Powder
Cumin, either whole seed (1/2 tsp.) or ground (1/4 tsp.)
The secret to this salsa is in the preparation. Use a large blender. Begin by pouring the juice from the canned tomatoes into the blender, or if using fresh, blend about 1/3 to 1/2 of your total tomatoes until they are fairly liquid. Add the spices and minced garlic and pulse the blender two or three times, just enough to blend the spices. You can taste at this point and adjust your spice ratios. Next, add the onion and cilantro and pulse another few times until they are sufficiently chopped up. Next, add the jalapeño and pulse three or four times, just enough to rough-chop the pepper. Finally, add the remaining tomatoes and pulse again just enough to chop the tomatoes and blend the entire salsa together. The great danger with this recipe is overblending. If you do so, you'll have runny, watery salsa instead of thick, chunky salsa. And if you overblend after adding the peppers, you will release the full fury of their heat and ruin the flavor balance. Better to be a little too chunky than too thin and watery. Serve with tortilla chips.
Enjoy the food!
UNCLE DAVID'S SALSA FRESCA
1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes, or the equivalent in fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes
1 fresh small to medium jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded
- (or for the faint of heart and/or palette, substitute twice the quantity of fresh bell pepper)
1 medium green onion, cleaned and peeled (or any other equivalent amount of fresh onion)
2 to 3 healthy sprigs of fresh cilantro (remove the thick stems)
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Salt (may not be needed depending on sodium content of canned tomatoes)
1 to 2 tsp. Minced garlic
1 to 2 tsp. Chili Powder
Cumin, either whole seed (1/2 tsp.) or ground (1/4 tsp.)
The secret to this salsa is in the preparation. Use a large blender. Begin by pouring the juice from the canned tomatoes into the blender, or if using fresh, blend about 1/3 to 1/2 of your total tomatoes until they are fairly liquid. Add the spices and minced garlic and pulse the blender two or three times, just enough to blend the spices. You can taste at this point and adjust your spice ratios. Next, add the onion and cilantro and pulse another few times until they are sufficiently chopped up. Next, add the jalapeño and pulse three or four times, just enough to rough-chop the pepper. Finally, add the remaining tomatoes and pulse again just enough to chop the tomatoes and blend the entire salsa together. The great danger with this recipe is overblending. If you do so, you'll have runny, watery salsa instead of thick, chunky salsa. And if you overblend after adding the peppers, you will release the full fury of their heat and ruin the flavor balance. Better to be a little too chunky than too thin and watery. Serve with tortilla chips.
Enjoy the food!
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