Condiments/Sauces

[Woodyend]

Fire Roasted Salsa (from Blue Mesa in Dallas)

This salsa gets its smoky flavor and rich color from smoking the tomatoes and blistering the other vegetables on the grill. The vegetables may be skewered and blackened over a gas range at home, or use soaked mesquite wood chips spread over heated coals in your barbecue.


Approximately 4 cups salsa
7 medium tomatoes, cored
6 green onions, trimmed
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 TB. vegetable oil
4 Serrano peppers, stemmed
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and very finely chopped
Juice of one lime
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground white pepper
½ tsp. ground oregano

Place the tomatoes and green onions on a hot grill - over hot coals, not high flames. Pile cilantro on top, so that it does not touch the grill. Remove the tomatoes when they begin to blacken. Grill the remaining vegetables for a few minutes until they wilt.

Heat oil in sauté pan and sauté Serrano peppers until soft.

Remove cilantro stems. Place Serranos, tomatoes, onions and cilantro leaves in food processor and pulse until just coarsely ground. Transfer to a bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix well."

[PNW_D]

The salsa rates four forks - although I have yet to try it myself due to lack of ripe tomatoes

http://www.epicurious.com/cooking/me...oknow/tomatoes

[akgardengirl]

Looks real good except for the added sugar. I don't see why a good salsa needs sugar...as if one has to enhance the taste of the tomatoes. Just my opinion
Sue

[barkeater]

I love Annie's Salsa, but that's for canning. Has anyone adjusted the recipe for fresh salsa? Or do you have your own tried and true recipe?

[montanamato]

We make oodles of fresh salsa...
I chop and seed toamtoes, add about 1/4 as many chopped onions and a combo of peppers from my garden...usually a Fresno, Serrano , and a few sweet bells or pimeto types from the garden. Mince a few cloves of garlic, pinch of sea salt,juice 1/2 a fresh lime. I add a few tablespoons of cilantro if I have it, and a pinch of cumin sometimes....It is best about 2 hours after mixing at room temp...Drain if too juicy. I find if it isn't going to be eaten at once, reds, with some bite work best...When I make it with creamy, sweeter pinks, the flavor is off the second day...We eat gallons of this each summer on eggs, fish, steaks etc.

Jeanne

[gssgarden]

Hey Montanamato,
That recipe is gooooood !!!!!
EXACTLY the way I like my fresh salsa.
Might try Annies if I find the time, but for now, this works.

Thanks.

Greg

[ddsack]

That's exactly the way I do fresh salsa too! In fact, I have a hard time going back to canned salsa with cooked thick tomato sauce flavor after enjoying the fresh all summer. Wish there was some way to preserve that uncooked flavor!

[JerryL]

I’ve made Annie’s salsa several times and have eaten it without canning.

The only thing I do different is reduce the Tomato Paste in half. I don’t cook it, I put it in the frig until cold then serve. I only make enough to last a few days at a time.

[angelique]

I love making roasted veggie salsa. I use a combination of chopped (in large chunks) heirloom tomatoes, sweet & medium peppers from the backyard, torpedo onions and a head of garlic cut in half.

First, I put all of the chopped veggies in a very large ziplock type bag. I add a good mild olive oil and shake well. I then dump the veggies onto cookie sheets and sprinkle with smoked salt (alder from Whole Foods), fresh ground pepper, dried thyme and lots of cumin.

I let the veggies carmelize in a 375 oven for 40-60 minutes. Once the veggies are cool, I dump them into a food process and pulse a few times (I like my salsa chunky (don't forget to pop the garlic from the skins).

At this time, I readjust the seasonings to taste (usually more cumin, pepper and thyme). I also add in ground chile de arbol for a nice kick. Refrigerate until cold. Enjoy with chips.

[felpec]

Here's what I do when the countertops runneth over...

Get out a big bowl...this recipe expands to fill the volume of the bowl you choose. Gather up fresh, ripe tomatoes from the garden, the windowsills, the countertop, etc. and chop them up. Slightly bruised (just cut those parts out for the compost pile) or slightly overripe tomatoes are great for this. Drain the chopped tomatoes in a colander and save the juice. Heat juice in a saucepan and reduce to half or one third. Just let it gently simmer away while you go do something else outside. Then let it cool. Chop and add to the tomatoes (to taste) any or all of the following: purple onion, canned green chilies, jalapeno peppers (optional), minced fresh garlic, fresh chopped cilantro.

Add a couple of pinches of salt and the reduced tomato juice. Drizzle lime juice and/or red wine vinegar and olive oil over it and mix thoroughly. Let stand at room temperature at least an hour. Taste again – add more lime juice, salt or other ingredients if needed. Store in jars in the refrigerator. Add fresh diced cucumber just before serving, otherwise the cucumber gets mushy.

[coronabarb]

VGary's Pepperonata served at CHOPTAG

4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, halved and finely sliced
2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
2 green bell peppers, cut into strips
2 yellow bell peppers, cut into strips
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 14oz cans chopped tomatoes, drained
2 tbsp of fresh or dried herbs, I used Dried Basil and Italian Seasonings
2 tbsp chopped pitted black olives
salt and pepper

Heat oil in large frying pan. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring until just beginning to color. Add bell peppers and garlic to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Cover pan and cook vegetables gently for about 30 minutes or until the mixture is dry. Stir in pitted black olives and serve.

This makes about four servings and can be used as a spread on breads, over pasta with Parmesan Cheese, or over your favorite meats/fish.

[brokenbar]

Ingredients (makes 2 cups)
1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican variety preferred), crumbled
2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, seeded
1 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce (from the canned chiles)
1 handful cilantro sprigs (largest stems removed)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients:
On a comal,(*see below) or in a heavy dry skillet (preferably cast iron), roast the tomatillos, over medium heat, turning frequently, until they are barely tender and the skins are covered with black and brown spots.

At the same time, put the garlic in the skillet and roast the cloves until they feel slightly tender when pinched. The pan roasting will take about 15 to 20 minutes. The skillet may be covered for the last 2 to 3 minutes to steam the tomatil1os if they don't feel a little tender when lightly pinched.

Peel the outer paper skins from the garlic. Put the roasted tomatillos and garlic into a, blender jar. Cover the jar and blend about 6 to 8 seconds to a coarse mixture.

In the same skillet used for roasting the tomatillos, heat the oil, and saute the onion 3 to 4 minutes, until softened and beginning to brown. Stir in the oregano and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Scrape the onion and oregano into the blender jar. Add the chipotle chiles and adobo sauce. Blend until &mooth. Add cilantro and salt. Blend briefly. (There should still be a bit of texture.) Adjust seasoning.

Transfer the salsa to a bowl. Serve at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.

Note: Sauce will thicken as it sits. Stir it well to bring it together, and add a bit of water, if needed.

*A comal is a griddle or grill typically used for cooking foods based on a tortilla, including quesadillas, a folded tortilla filled with cheese and/or meat heated on the comal. The history of such cooking methods dates back to the pre-Columbian era when maize was ground by stone, made into tortillas, then filled with whatever was available and heated on a comal over an open fire.

[Salty_Dog]

Tomato Relish

Ingredients
2kg proudly homegrown tomatoes, chopped
2 small apples, peeled, cored and chopped
750ml vinegar
500g sugar
4 small onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 tbls salt
1 dessertspoon mustard powder
1 dessertspoon curry powder
1 tbls cornflour
extra ½ cup of vinegar

Instructions
Place the tomatoes, onions, apples, garlic, 750ml vinegar, salt, mustard, curry powder and sugar into a large pot. Bring to the boil, stirring- boil for one and half hours.

Mix the cornflour to a paste with the half cup of vinegar, add to the mixture and stir till thickened. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

[rhynes_boomer]

Hi Everyone!

I would love to try out some of the salsa recipes. But, I am weak! as in a weak stomach, the hotness will tear me up. Does anyone have a great salsa recipe that is extra mild to mild?

Kat

[newatthiskat]

I am a wuss. I take Annies salsa and make it for me then add more peppers for family. I usually use Fooled you Jalapenos and maybe a Tam Jalapeno. Then after I can a few jars for myself I go in and add all the other hot ones to the pot.
Kat