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Ingredients
- • 5 c. chopped tomatoes
- • 1 c. chopped white onion (or onion of your choice)
- • 1 green pepper
- • 1 red pepper
- • Half bunch fresh cilantro
- • 4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- • 2 Tbsp. light olive oil
- • ½ tsp. salt
- • 1/8 c. of sugar
- • 3 cloves fresh garlic
- • jalapeño pepper to taste
Details
Preparation
Step 1
To chop tomatoes, you can either put them in a processor, which will make a very wet salsa, or go ahead and cut them on a cutting board, which will make your salsa drier.
The best tomatoes for salsa are just barely ripe. They are plump, slightly firm and, of course, red. These will hold up and give your salsa that “fresh from the garden” taste. Tomatoes that are bruised, overripe or have soft spots will turn to mush once cut and prepared
The type of tomato you use does make a difference too. All lighter colored tomatoes tend to be less acidic. Big boy varieties produce a juicy salsa. Roma’s, known as paste tomatoes, are meatier, and therefore contain less liquid. Big beef varieties are a perfect match for salsa. They possess fewer seeds, and are lower in water content.
Next, add one cup of chopped white onion. One medium onion produces 1 cup chopped onion. Be sure to select an onion free of blemishes and bruises. It too should be firm.
The type of onion you select is a matter of personal taste. Typically white or yellows are used for salsas. The red onions have a sweeter taste and will add a splash of color.
Next, add one green and one red pepper, chopped. Here again it’s all about freshness. Since salsa is eaten fresh, you must select the highest quality produce – peppers included. Watch for soft spots or pepper that are wrinkled.
Green peppers are usually found in salsas, and are not too sweet, while yellow, red, and orange peppers offer an array of color, their sweetness can be a tad too much.
Now, take a half bunch of cilantro and chop it up, removing the stems. If you don’t like the taste of cilantro, you can always substitute it with parsley. Careful when picking cilantro – it looks so close to Italian parsley that it’s easy to confuse the two. You’ll need a bunch – it should be fresh and not limp.
An interesting note about this flavorful herb is that depending on its use, its name will change. When the foliage of the plant is used to make salsa it is referred to as “cilantro”, while when it is used as a garnish in food dishes and in salads it’s called Chinese Parsley. To make matters more confusing the seeds from cilantro are called coriander.
Next, add the three chopped garlic cloves. Do not smash the cloves, as they become mushy. Dicing will give you the best end product.
Add four tablespoons of red wine vinegar, then add the two tablespoons light olive oil.
Toss in the ½ tablespoon of salt and the 1/8th cup sugar.
You can add jalapeno for heat, if you want. Mix the ingredients up and pour onto a serving dish. You could serve your salsa with warm tortillas, the staple for good salsa.
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