Lets talk Salsa!

[Crissyb]

I will be making your salsa in a few days, just need a day off from work. I overlooked the paste tomatoes this year so will have to drain the tomatoes like you suggested. Next year I will be planting Costoluto Genovese as you recommended in a different post to make sauce. Do you use the same for your salsa? I've grown Amish Paste and Opalka paste tomatoes but wanted to try some different ones next year.

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by ChrisK

Have you tried the internet famous Annie's Salsa? It's our favorite.

I'll definitely be looking for those peppers. Sound like a good type for hot pepper jelly too.

Chris, my salsa recipe is basically Annies except for lime juice and fresh cilantro...And I agree, it's always really good.

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by Crissyb

I will be making your salsa in a few days, just need a day off from work. I overlooked the paste tomatoes this year so will have to drain the tomatoes like you suggested. Next year I will be planting Costoluto Genovese as you recommended in a different post to make sauce. Do you use the same for your salsa? I've grown Amish Paste and Opalka paste tomatoes but wanted to try some different ones next year.

My favorites for salsa are Zapotec (which is the tomato they use here in Mexico) and Russo Sicilian Togeta...neither have much moisture or a lot of pulp. Costoluto Genovese or Costoluto Fiorentino should also work equally well as they are of a similar type. I brought all those seeds to Mexico where they were unknown and now all my neighbors grow all of the above and mostly, they use them all for salsa. The exception is Zapotec which grows wild in Mexico.
I like it because it is the largest of all of the above. My Husband likes to stuff Zapotec with crab or lobster salad both of which, I am unfortunately allergic to (&$&!!#(@()$)

One of the absolute best things about living in Mexico is being able to drive down to the docks every morning if we want to and buy fresh fish and sea food coming right off the boats...nothing beats it. We eat a lot of fish. Had big grilled Tuna steaks last night and they were pretty yummy..

My Son also grew Santa Fe Grande in Wyoming this year and he says they have really done well and are filled with peppers and lots turning red as of last week.

[ChristinaJo]

Thanks for posting! I always enjoy seeing your recipes. I always save them. I am also jealous that you have fish right out of the ocean with yor fresh veges. Yum

[Salsacharley]

Brokenbar you are an ace!

Thanks for another great recipe. I am building a Brokenbar recipe book.

I might suggest if yellow, orange or bi-color tomatoes are used for the salsa, cutting back on the sugar is advisable.

Charley

p.s. Santa Fe Grande is my #1 pepper too. I usually use habanero for more heat because it also has great flavor. Serrano is also a nice hottie.

[Ken4230]

Originally Posted by brokenbar

I only make fermented pickles anymore...It is the only way I got consistently crisp pickles. I soak them in cold water and drain about 4 times to suck out all the salt. They are just like the old-fashioned brined pickles we ate as kids.

A short primer on fermenting pickles would be appreciated, especially the solution you store them in. It's been many years since i have done this and i have forgotten a lot of it, but i am fermenting a gal. of finger size cucumbers now.
I started them on the 21st and tasted one today. They are just now starting to lose the cucumber taste.

How long do you soak them in ice water. I seem to remember ours being soaked overnight the first or second time. I think my grandmother kept them in quart jars of water with a pinch of salt and pickling spices in it.

I've been collecting your salsa and dried tomato recipes. That picture of the tomatoes in the wine was tantalizing, to say the least.

[Stowaway]

I'm also a huge fan of Santa Fe Grande! I love spicy food, but like brokenbar says, less spicy just means you can use more of a delicious ingredient. I recently had a Tabasco vs Crystal debate in which I was accused of being a wimp for preferring Crystal, which is slightly less hot. Same reasoning applied there, too.

The one thing I wanted to add is that the run-off from letting your tomatoes sit for a few hours in a colander is fantastic for making soups, especially gazpacho. A traditional Spanish gazpacho is made with stale bread, something most recipes you see in the US don't have. Take that watery tomato juice, soak some quality bread in it until it's a paste, add a tablespoon of sherry vinegar or balsamic before adding all your chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions etc. I've followed many Americanized gazpacho recipes and loved every one of them, but it wasn't until I made it the traditional way that it became my single favorite dish.

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by Stowaway

I'm also a huge fan of Santa Fe Grande! I love spicy food, but like brokenbar says, less spicy just means you can use more of a delicious ingredient. I recently had a Tabasco vs Crystal debate in which I was accused of being a wimp for preferring Crystal, which is slightly less hot. Same reasoning applied there, too.

The one thing I wanted to add is that the run-off from letting your tomatoes sit for a few hours in a colander is fantastic for making soups, especially gazpacho. A traditional Spanish gazpacho is made with stale bread, something most recipes you see in the US don't have. Take that watery tomato juice, soak some quality bread in it until it's a paste, add a tablespoon of sherry vinegar or balsamic before adding all your chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions etc. I've followed many Americanized gazpacho recipes and loved every one of them, but it wasn't until I made it the traditional way that it became my single favorite dish.

I was amazed at how much water comes out, even from my dry-ish varieties of tomatoes. I think when you have to reduce a liquid too long, it does effect the taste and you lose that "freshness" that un-canned salsa has (un-canned...probably not a real word!) And I too have eaten the old fashioned gazpacho and there is a world of difference. I will never forget the first time I ate it was in Cadiz, Spain and I could hardly believe it was gazpacho!

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by Ken4230

A short primer on fermenting pickles would be appreciated, especially the solution you store them in. It's been many years since i have done this and i have forgotten a lot of it, but i am fermenting a gal. of finger size cucumbers now.
I started them on the 21st and tasted one today. They are just now starting to lose the cucumber taste.

How long do you soak them in ice water. I seem to remember ours being soaked overnight the first or second time. I think my grandmother kept them in quart jars of water with a pinch of salt and pickling spices in it.

I've been collecting your salsa and dried tomato recipes. That picture of the tomatoes in the wine was tantalizing, to say the least.

I just soak mine in cold water and change the water 3-4 times in 24 hours. This removes most of the salt because they are really salty dudes but that's what ferments them.
This is the brine I store them in (and NO WATER is why it's okay to store them like this.)
6 cups white vinegar
¼ cup sugar
4 tablespoons dill seed
1 Sprig fresh dill per jar
1 tablespoon sea salt

DO NOT leave garlic in jars if you use any because unprocessed, it is not safe. Too many layers for bacterium to dwell in. Of course, if you loath your relatives, add the garlic...

The measurements above are for 4 quarts..you do the math for more than that.


This is my original fermenting brew recipe


DILL PICKLES
Use the following quantities for each gallon capacity of your container.
4 lbs of 4-inch pickling cucumbers
2 tbsp dill seed or 4 to 5 heads fresh or dry dill weed
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup vinegar (5%)
8 cups water and one or more of the following ingredients:
2 cloves garlic (optional)
2 dried red peppers (optional)
2 tsp whole mixed pickling spices (optional)

Here is the procedure I use as per the USDA:

Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slice off blossom end and discard. Leave 1/4-
inch of stem attached. Place half of dill and spices on bottom of a clean, suitable container (glass, crock or food grade plastic, NO METAL)
Add cucumbers, remaining dill, and spices. Dissolve salt in vinegar and water and pour over cucumbers. Add suitable cover and weight. Store where temperature is
between 70° and 75°F for about 3 to 4 weeks while fermenting. Temperatures of 55° to 65°F are acceptable, but the fermentation will take 5 to 6 weeks. Avoid temperatures above 80°F,
or pickles will become too soft during fermentation. Fermenting pickles cure slowly. Check the container several times a week and promptly remove surface scum or mold.

Caution: If the pickles become soft, slimy, or develop a disagreeable odor, discard them.

Fully fermented pickles may be stored in the brine I posted above.

I don't care how you do it, just like peppers, if you process pickles in a boiling water bath they are never crisp.

It also really matters what variety of cucumbers you use...I tried a gazillion before I settled on "Parisian Pickler". Nice and firm, get about 6 inches long, slow to "fatten and yellow", easy grow and prolific as all get out. My Husband says they are also a decent cuke for fresh eating.

[brokenbar]

Santa Fe Grande...is a must grow for anyone who does salsa. Most of us are not people who will eat the "fry your tonsils" varieties anyway. Also, they just out produce jalapenos 2-1, are much larger fruits and seem to produce well no matter where you live. So much more colorful than Jalapenos as well. If you have not grown these, see how many folks in this post grow them and love them! Hard to get gardeners to agree on anything as we all have our favorites! I also forgot to say they they have lots and lots of leaves so there was little if any sunburn.

[Ken4230]

You have earned a place on my bookmark bar right next to kath's 2012/2013 tomato pictures.

I only used 2 tbsp. of vinegar in my brine. Everything else was the same as yours. I would have messed up big time on storing them ,so i am glad i ask.

Thanks again,
Ken

[kevn357]

Originally Posted by ChrisK

Have you tried the internet famous Annie's Salsa? It's our favorite.

I'll definitely be looking for those peppers. Sound like a good type for hot pepper jelly too.

Do you pressure cook it? I heard about it and want to try it out.

Looking into these different peppers now. I have no luck with bell peppers in my garden.

[brokenbar]

No..because of the lime juice it can be boiling water bath.

Bell peppers are a pain in the butt.
Even in Mexico with a long growing season, they do not perform well some of the time. I mostly am growing the long types like Big Bertha, Aconcagua, Giant Marconi, and my favorite roasting pepper, Nu Mex Big Jim Legend. I have grown most of the New Mexico University Big Jim's and this one is the finest of the lot. 10+ inches long, 5" circumference at the top and just a slight bite to it. The seed was tough to find. I stuffed some with some Spanish rice and it was terrific. Karma also does well for me and has some size. I am also fond of the Ancho Poblanos and the dark one, Mulatto Isleno has a completely different taste.

Here is one we tried this year and we thought it was very good. The link also has pictures for each step for folks who have never made salsa. We just kept the jars in the refrigerator until it was all eaten. I didn't want to process it for preservation in the pantry because most preserved tomatoes seem to separate into solids and liquids for me when I cook them.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2...t-style-salsa/

Ted

[WVTomatoMan]

Originally Posted by Ed of Somis

I think what we make is really called pico de gallo. I am not sure. Do you have to cook salsa? What is the difference?

I think this is one of those things where the difference isn't clearly defined and "experts" disagree. I suppose the most commonly agreed upon definition is salsa is cooked while pico de gallo is fresh. Also, pico de gallo can contain ingredients you wouldn't normally find in salsa such as cucumber, radishes or fruit. I make what I call salsa fresca (aka pico de gallo). Like I told a friend, I make it so I get to call it whatever I want.

Mine is the classic ingredients of tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, cilantro and onions. I also add Regina's white wine vinegar, Lowry's seasoned salt and pepper and a little white sugar. Quite a bit of liquid is generated from not de-seeding etc. Scoop the good stuff on your chip or food and leave the liquid behind. Strain the liquid and mix with vodka for the best Bloody Mary ever. Seriously.

Randy

p.s. My salsa is a pretty popular item. I've made 5.75 gallons so far this year - that number will double or triple before the year is done.