Recipe for Salsa

Well, I've just finished making almost 15 gallons of mostly "Out of My Garden" Salsa. That ought to get me to next Summer. Many have asked for my recipe and I give it without any qualm. I don't know of any who have followed it, but here it is. By the way, if you want a sample, drop by and pick some up.

“Like so many other things in life, your opinion of a good recipe depends totally on whether you’re stirring the pot, or you’re what’s in the pot.”

Salsa "Snowyowl"
This is my system for making my Salsa "Snowyowl." I will note any shortcuts that might be taken without sacrificing quality.

Everything will be better if it is home-grown in your backyard, but if that is not possible, at least home grow the tomatoes. The best I have found are “SUPER FANTASTIC” or “CELEBRITY.” I have trouble growing onions and have found that “TEXAS 1015" or “VIDALIA” onions are best if you have to buy them.

The recipe calls for 30# of Tomatoes. What you are looking for is about 25# of skinned, cored tomatoes. To skin a tomato, blanch (Par Boil) it for approx. 2 min. then dunk it in very cold water for about 5 min. I do this with about 10 tomatoes at a time. The skin should come off with ease. Then take out the stem area along with about an inch beneath. Quarter the tomatoes and run them through the blender for about 5 sec. at high speed, but don’t over do. If you don’t grow your own tomatoes, make friends with someone who does. If you have to resort to store bought tomatoes, don’t bother, stop now. Your Salsa will be of such poor quality that you will receive a “CEASE AND DESIST” order from the Mexican Embassy.

Hand chopping onions seems to work best. Onions are too soft and “Mush” too easily in the blender or processor. I have found that a high quality 8 or 10 inch chef’s knife works best. You will note that the recipe calls for 14 cups of chopped onion. If you have more, don’t sweat it. People who eat salsa don’t usually worry about too many onions. Besides, except in pies and cakes, you can’t have “TOO MANY ONIONS.”

Home grown Jalapenos are the best. I have found that Peters 20-20-20 is the best fertilizer for both tomatoes and peppers. Remember that the first few crops of jalapenos are not as strong as those that will come in late July and August. So you might use more in the beginning and fewer as the season goes on. If you have to buy jalapeños at the store, get medium sized peppers with no more than two splits in the skin, no splits are best. Trim off the stem and about 1/16th in. below it and then cut pepper into short sections. In a small electric chopper, mince the peppers in short bursts. Usually three or four one second bursts does well, shake peppers down into the blades between bursts. It is best to work with jalapeños while wearing latex gloves. If you don’t use gloves, make sure you wash your hands several times when finished. One time will not do the job. No matter what, don’t rub your eyes, pick your nose, or if you are male, don’t go pee until you wash thoroughly. All these activities involve sensitive tissue onto which you may not wish to rub jalapeño juice.

Apple cider vinegar is best, and to me salt is salt. If you prefer “SEA SALT” or “KOSHER” salt, go for it. And, if you have nothing but “ALWAYS SAVE” salt, that is fine too. I have a friend that grows garlic, but most people have trouble growing it here. I have found that “Polander” chopped or minced garlic works fine.
Cilantro is the Mexican name for Coriander. When you go to the nursery in the early spring to buy your tomatoes, peppers, onions, and various other stuff, and they say that they don’t have cilantro, go over to the coriander and tell them that they do have it and that most people will ask for it as “Cilantro,” not coriander. The guy will think you are a smart ass, confirming what others have thought of you for years, but you will be doing the folks that follow you a favor. Cilantro is what gives Mexican food the Mexican flavor. Rub some between your thumb and index finger and you will recognize the smell and flavor. Mince the cilantro finely with the chef’s knife and make sure the stems are removed just like you do with some of your other “herbs.”

SALSA SNOWYOWL
30 Lbs. Tomatoes
14 cups Chopped Onions
7 cups Chopped Jalapeños
3 cups Vinegar
12 Tblsp. Salt
6 Tblsp. Minced Garlic
12 Tblsp. Minced Cilantro
1 CUP Corn Starch

Bring the tomatoes, jalapeños, and vinegar to a boil in a 22 quart or larger pot. Add the salt, garlic, cilantro and onions then bring to a boil again. Then simmer on low for 40 minutes, stirring as close to constantly as possible. The last thing to do is to thicken the Salsa slightly so that it sticks to your corn chips better. To do this we need to dissolve the corn starch in 15 ounces of COLD water, then add it to the still simmering Salsa and stir well for about 2 minutes. As the Salsa cools, it will get thicker and will stick to your ribs better.

Fill quart jars as per canning procedure and “Hot Bath” for 10 minutes. Put on the counter till the lids all “POP,” then let it all cool. This should make approximately 4-5 gallons of Salsa. If you need to halve it, that is not a problem. If you have some that don’t quit fill a quart jar, be thankful, break out the chips and a few beers and have a Salsa party. Otherwise fill a pint jar, go to bed and dream of what could have been. Then about 3 am, when you can’t stand it any more, get up and open the pint jar and watch the late, late, movie and eat till your tongue cries for help and your gut cries for Tums. Remember, if you are not used to the heat, you’ll get to enjoy it again in about 8-10 hours.

Now that all of the instructions are done, you will note that there are no preservatives or unpronounceable chemicals added to Salsa Snowyowl. I have assumed that you have done some canning before and have at least a passing knowledge of basic canning procedure and know of what I speak when I say, “HOT BATH.” If this sounds foreign to you, or you do not have the equipment to can, you might want to reassess this project. On the other hand, this might be something new and interesting to learn.

Early in 2000, I opened a jar of Salsa Snowyowl I had canned in 1995. It still had the same bright color and great taste of this year’s “BREW,” without any preservatives. If you don’t have canning equipment, your first batch of Salsa Snowyowl is going to cost you about $250, and if you don’t have a chef’s knife, add another $70. But after that it will just cost you time, trouble, and depending on what produce you have to purchase, the cost will be from $10 to $50 more. Also, because Tomatoes ripen in July and August, you are gong to have a very hot house for a couple of days. But what the hell, anything worth while is worth a little sacrifice, or at least that is what the cannibals told the guy in the boiling pot.