Secret Ingredent for Salsa? - Page 2

dmforcier · October 13, 2016

Okay Cheryl, recipe time.

Cheryl2017 · October 13, 2016

Haha. Well I never measure but ingredients are approximately
6 pounds of tomatoes, 1-2 onions, 6 gloves of garlic,one handful cilantro,3 -6 habanero's, dash of comino 1/4 cup beer and couple tablespoons sugar. Salt to taste and if I need a little more of something I'll add it at the end depending on my mood.

edited to add squeeze a lime over the finished product

Zeedman · October 14, 2016

Like several other posters, I add lime jiuce. Although I generally use bottled juice, I try to use fresh if there are good limes available. Good vinegar too, but the lime juice reduces the amount of vinegar needed.

LOTS of heirloom peppers, almost double the amount called for in the original recipe. The tomatoes I use vary from year to year, as do the peppers to some extent... but Beaver Dam is usually the backbone of the pepper mix. I let them ripen for several weeks, until they turn deep maroon & begin to shrivel. That gives the salsa both body, and a deep red color.

Cilantro sometimes... but depending upon the flavor of the tomatoes, I sometimes substitute dill seed. If I have a secret ingredient, that's it.

Taste test while cooking, sometimes add a little sugar or celery salt to balance the flavor.

When the salsa has cooked & is ready to can, I insert a conical strainer into the mix, and ladle out broth until the salsa is the consistency I want (I like it thick). That hot broth can be poured over ramen noodles... it can be pretty spicy, depending upon the peppers used.

mcool61 · October 14, 2016

I use garden tomatoes if I have them, if not I use stewed tomatoes from save a lot. Chop them up a bit. I use all the stuff everyone else mentioned except I also use some celery salt. I may add a little tomato juice but not too much. Must have minced garlic, cilantro, diced onion, lime juice, a bit of chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, lime basil, pinch of oregano, diced candied jalapenos if I have them, diced green chilis, black pepper, & a little sugar.
Also a must to have good corn tortilla chips made from nixtamalized corn.

Gerardo · October 15, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by oakley

This batch had fresh roasted corn.

Very nice. Heated on top of a tortilla with a slice of ham and egg is happiness.

oakley · October 15, 2016

Roasting/smoking a 5lb box of hatch chilis tomorrow. First for me, (not the smoking part as i do that all summer), but ordered hatch from NMexico picked tuesday, on my door yesterday. Still fresh and green with a bit of blush red/pink on just a few. Now i will have two chili smoked batches to pull from, all winter, for salsa. At least 5 dozen smoked frozen 1/2 pint packages...
28 10 inch Hatch chilis.

oakley · October 15, 2016

I should add it is very hard to grow any peppers in my climate at altitude over 20 years...but always try...had two plants give me a dozen minor peps this year but had 12 healthy plants, then 6 , then 2...just not my climate.

whoose · October 15, 2016

I am at 6000 feet in the Northern Rockies and have no problem growing peppers. Start early and put in either the greenhouse of a low tunnel. What is your altitude?

terrazoon · October 16, 2016

I use black tomatoes instead of red tomatoes. Actually, I try to use black tomatoes instead of red tomatoes for everything.

Down_South · November 21, 2016

Add a chipotle pepper along with a spoon full of the adobo sauce it comes in.

matereater · November 22, 2016

"Add a chipotle pepper along with a spoon full of the adobo sauce it comes in."

I love that stuff, I use it in everything now since I ran across it.

Worth1 · November 22, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by matereater

"Add a chipotle pepper along with a spoon full of the adobo sauce it comes in."

I love that stuff, I use it in everything now since I ran across it.

Put it in your next pot of chili.

Worth

KarenO · November 22, 2016

Chill powder, lime juice and zest. Chopped picked peppers gives more reliable heat. I find often that fresh peppers can be very unpredictable.
Never put cilantro in before processing. Cooked cilantro has a terrible funk to it. Add it fresh, when serving. Infinitely better.
Canadian Salsa.

add black beans and corn for a nice chunky dip.
KarenO

Down_South · November 22, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

Put it in your next pot of chili.

Worth

+1

I make an old traditional Texas Red Chili using dried guajilla and ancho peppers that has no tomatoes in the recipe (except what's in the adobo sauce). No beans of course. I took the recipe with me to competition. I placed in the top 15 out of 56 teams. Not bad right? The chipotle peppers give it a "something smokey."

dmforcier · November 22, 2016

Not bad at all, especially given how seriously Texans take their chili. Care to post the recipe somewhere? Or is it a closely guarded secret?

... but then I'd have to kill you.

October 13, 2016	#16
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	Okay Cheryl, recipe time. __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

October 13, 2016	#17
Cheryl2017 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: san antonio, texas Posts: 174	Haha. Well I never measure but ingredients are approximately 6 pounds of tomatoes, 1-2 onions, 6 gloves of garlic,one handful cilantro,3 -6 habanero's, dash of comino 1/4 cup beer and couple tablespoons sugar. Salt to taste and if I need a little more of something I'll add it at the end depending on my mood. edited to add squeeze a lime over the finished product Last edited by Cheryl2017; October 14, 2016 at 09:43 AM. Reason: forgot ingredient

October 15, 2016	#23
whoose Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Bozeman, Montana Zone 6b Posts: 333	Alitude and Peppers I am at 6000 feet in the Northern Rockies and have no problem growing peppers. Start early and put in either the greenhouse of a low tunnel. What is your altitude?

November 21, 2016	#25
Down_South Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 93	Add a chipotle pepper along with a spoon full of the adobo sauce it comes in. __________________ ~Aaron

November 22, 2016	#26
matereater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: S.E. Michigan (Livonia) Posts: 1,264	"Add a chipotle pepper along with a spoon full of the adobo sauce it comes in." I love that stuff, I use it in everything now since I ran across it. __________________ Steve Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

October 14, 2016	#18
Zeedman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 313	Like several other posters, I add lime jiuce. Although I generally use bottled juice, I try to use fresh if there are good limes available. Good vinegar too, but the lime juice reduces the amount of vinegar needed. LOTS of heirloom peppers, almost double the amount called for in the original recipe. The tomatoes I use vary from year to year, as do the peppers to some extent... but Beaver Dam is usually the backbone of the pepper mix. I let them ripen for several weeks, until they turn deep maroon & begin to shrivel. That gives the salsa both body, and a deep red color. Cilantro sometimes... but depending upon the flavor of the tomatoes, I sometimes substitute dill seed. If I have a secret ingredient, that's it. Taste test while cooking, sometimes add a little sugar or celery salt to balance the flavor. When the salsa has cooked & is ready to can, I insert a conical strainer into the mix, and ladle out broth until the salsa is the consistency I want (I like it thick). That hot broth can be poured over ramen noodles... it can be pretty spicy, depending upon the peppers used.

October 14, 2016	#19
mcool61 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Central Illinois Posts: 40	I use garden tomatoes if I have them, if not I use stewed tomatoes from save a lot. Chop them up a bit. I use all the stuff everyone else mentioned except I also use some celery salt. I may add a little tomato juice but not too much. Must have minced garlic, cilantro, diced onion, lime juice, a bit of chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, lime basil, pinch of oregano, diced candied jalapenos if I have them, diced green chilis, black pepper, & a little sugar. Also a must to have good corn tortilla chips made from nixtamalized corn.

October 15, 2016	#22
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	I should add it is very hard to grow any peppers in my climate at altitude over 20 years...but always try...had two plants give me a dozen minor peps this year but had 12 healthy plants, then 6 , then 2...just not my climate.

October 16, 2016	#24
terrazoon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: California Posts: 9	I use black tomatoes instead of red tomatoes. Actually, I try to use black tomatoes instead of red tomatoes for everything.

November 22, 2016	#28
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	Chill powder, lime juice and zest. Chopped picked peppers gives more reliable heat. I find often that fresh peppers can be very unpredictable. Never put cilantro in before processing. Cooked cilantro has a terrible funk to it. Add it fresh, when serving. Infinitely better. Canadian Salsa. add black beans and corn for a nice chunky dip. KarenO Last edited by KarenO; November 22, 2016 at 12:39 PM.