How to Make Homemade Salsa

Tomatoes are a staple at our house. I dehydrate some tomatoes for use in pizzas and tomato sauce, but I use them au naturale for salsa.

It's very easy to make salsa and I'll show you the way my mom and dad taught me.



You'll need fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro, garlic, onion and salt. Gather your ingredients and have them ready for processing so you can dive into your salsa while it's still nice and warm.



Step 1: Coarsely chop up a medium onion, a handful of cilantro and 3 bulbs of garlic. I like mine garlicky, but you can skip this if you don't like garlic.

Step 2: Boil your water



Step 3: make an X on each tomato



Step 4: Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water until the skin starts to come off. It won't take long. You can roast the tomatoes too if you prefer.

.Step 5: Roast your peppers by blistering the skin of the pepper on an open flame. This is very fast and easy.



Step 6: Get your tomatoes out of hot water and carefully pull off the skin.

Step 7: Do the same with the peppers. I like to scrape the blistered skin off with a sharp knife.

Step 7.5: ALWAYS wear rubber gloves. There's nothing worse than accidentally touching your eye after you've been seeding peppers.



Step 8: Add as many (or as few) peppers as you can handle.  Jalapeno is traditional in American recipes, but I think serrano peppers are tastier.  It's also a bit hotter.

Step 9: Toss a handful of each ingredient into your blender or food processor. I like mine kind of chunky, but blend it to the consistency you prefer. Salt to taste.

Step 10: Keep repeating until you've finished using up all your ingredients.

Ta Da! Salsa.

Have some chips nearby. Salsa is best while it's still warm.

Some people like lime juice in their salsa, but that reminds me too much of store-bought salsa. You can always add the lime if you prefer it that way, but try it naked first. (the salsa, not you.)

Have you ever made your own salsa? Do you like it spicy or mild?

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