My Picante Sauce

[isuhunter]

I take care of one of my wife's coworkers driveway in the winter with snow removal. He pays me in picante sauce (salsa) and cookies. Finally he gave me his recipe and I made it. We love the stuff.

12 cups peeled, chopped, seeded tomatoes
2 cups chopped bell pepper
6 large onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup hot peppers, chopped (jalapeno)
3 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
12 oz tomato paste

20 min waterbath for pints
45 min waterbath for quarts

[Father'sDaughter]

Thanks for sharing the recipe. Quick question -- how much does it yield?

[Worth1]

Picante sauce= hot and spicy sauce.
Tabasco sauce is picante sauce.
Properly said, salsa picante.
What you have would be more like salsa cruda.
What happened is when Pace made picante sauce and now everyone in the US thinks it has to be like the stuff Pace makes.
To me Pace tastes like hot ketchup.

For me it needs less onion no sugar no paste and a LOT more peppers.
Nice job.

Worth

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by Worth1

For me it needs less onion no sugar no paste and a LOT more peppers.
Nice job.

Worth

I think for many of these recipes they are tweaked to suit the person making them. I would leave out the onions altogether due to an intolerance of them for a family member. and I would use more or hotter peppers or a blend of peppers and no green bells. must be red or orange. So it isn't always a "right or wrong" it is what pleases our palate individually. I would also just call it salsa but I think we have different words regionally for recipes. Some of us just need a basic recipe to start somewhere.

[isuhunter]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

Thanks for sharing the recipe. Quick question -- how much does it yield?

I boiled it for 45 min to get the consistency I was looking for and I had 7.25 pints. I hope to repeat 2 more times this summer. My tomatoes are in waiting mode right now.

[isuhunter]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Picante sauce= hot and spicy sauce.
Tabasco sauce is picante sauce.
Properly said, salsa picante.
What you have would be more like salsa cruda.
What happened is when Pace made picante sauce and now everyone in the US thinks it has to be like the stuff Pace makes.
To me Pace tastes like hot ketchup.

For me it needs less onion no sugar no paste and a LOT more peppers.
Nice job.

Worth

Worth - My plan for the next batch is more peppers and less sugar. Its a very sweet recipe for sure.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by isuhunter

Worth - My plan for the next batch is more peppers and less sugar. Its a very sweet recipe for sure.

I wouldn't put any sugar in it and add lime.
The product still looks good though.
Worth

[whistech]

ISUhunter, thanks for posting the recipe. It sure looks great to me and I will be making it this fall.

[Gerardo]

Great job! Sounds and looks like a winner, although for my taste buds it would probably be too sweet.

As Worth suggested, lime juice can bring it all together flavor wise, experiment with key vs Persian vs Mexican, each has its attributes/shortcomings.

Perhaps a pinch of cumin and a pinch of oregano could also contribute. Shallots can be substituted for onions and the results tend to be great.

And finally, if you purchase dried whole Guajillos, Poblanos, Arbol, etc (most MX-themed aisles or supermarkets carry them), you can rehydrate and throw them in for additional pepper flavor tones. To my palate, bell peppers and jalapen~os are a bit one dimensional in their contributions. Serranos tend to be the more common choice rather than Jalapen~os here in the land of peppers.

So in short, outstanding job and a great starting point. Perhaps a few additions here and there might surprise your source for the recipe and they'll complement you on having run with it.

Thanks for sharing your results.

[Worth1]

I was at the store yesterday and got the wild idea I was going to make salsa fresca.
I got to the limes and they wanted 18 cents for one frigging little lime.
It ticked me off so much I lost all interest in making salsa.
I came home, pouted and had soda pop and ice cream for supper.

Worth

[Jeanus]

Looks like a great recipe to each their own. I have my own which is very similar taken from the OHIO extension office or I would use it. I substitute lime for lemon when I can find it and I do not like mine hot hot. Some family members can not take the heat at all so I make mine mild and add heat later. The thicker the better, I like to dip my chip in and have some stuff stay on it not run off and I like a little texture but not stringy globs. I do not buy Pace so do not know what it tastes like, and I do like to use mine in place of ketchup sometimes. No sugar though, diabetics in the family cut those pesky carbs where ever you can. Off to can some more sauce this batch is bright orange, with the darkest peppers I can find to set it off.

[SueCT]

OMG, Worth, I just paid .69 for one lime a week ago. I would kill for an 18 cent lime, lol. I forget how much we are soaked for everything around here until I read what stuff costs in other places.

[salix]

What Sue said! When I find limes under $1 each, I buy lots... (and they are kinda scrungy, too)

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by SueCT

OMG, Worth, I just paid .69 for one lime a week ago. I would kill for an 18 cent lime, lol. I forget how much we are soaked for everything around here until I read what stuff costs in other places.

Originally Posted by salix

What Sue said! When I find limes under $1 each, I buy lots... (and they are kinda scrungy, too)

I normally get mine for 8 or 10 for a dollar at the Mexican market one mile from my house.
Nice and fresh too.

These are more then likely a Persian lime which is the most common lime and seedless.
They are most likely a cross between a key lime and a lemon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_lime

Worth