My Mama’s Salsa

My mother is visiting this week from sunny Arizona! Hooray!
That typically means a week full of some of the best Mexican food ever. Growing up, I sadly wasn’t as appreciative of my mothers cooking skills, but now I take advantage of every minute with her in the kitchen. This week we will be spending a lot of time cooking up some deliciousness and this time I will be taking very good notes.

So, in honor of my mom’s visit, I will post as many recipes as I can coherently piece together. By coherently, I mean that my mom never measures nor uses recipes, but rather “a bunch” of this, or a “handful” of that, and the ingredients are usually a combination of whatever she finds in the refrigerator or pantry, therefore it’s very difficult to get her to actually write out an actual recipe that makes sense to the average home cook. See my Christmas post on green chili turkey for a recipe that took years to finally write down.

The basics:  Salsa

My mom makes dozens of different types of salsa, but this one is my favorite and anyone who ever tastes it will agree that it is definitely a winner.  And this recipe I have down pat and have been making it for years.

What is the secret to this crowd-pleasing salsa you might be wondering?  Canned stewed tomatoes and a whole lot of cilantro.  Yes, canned stewed tomatoes!  Of course we use many fresh tomatoes when they are in season for pico de gallo styles of salsas, but this particular recipe is a fool-proof way to get the same tasting delicious salsa year round, no garden fresh tomatoes needed.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 15oz can stewed tomatoes (any flavor will do, I usually
  select one with Mexican spices or just plain)
• 1 small 4oz can diced green chiles
• 1 bunch of green onions, diced (use all the white part and about 2
  inches of the green, the rest of the green portion you can save for scallions
  for another dish)
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• 1 small jalapeño, diced
• 1 large handful cilantro, roughly chopped (lots and lots of
  cilantro is one of the keys to this recipe so don’t be shy with it)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: Add all ingredients into the blender. Yes, the blender!  This isn’t a chunky salsa.  Pulse just a couple of times, but be very careful not to puree, I didn’t say this was a soup.  Pour into your favorite salsa dish and serve with a smile and your favorite chips.  Nobody will ever know how simple it is.  And you can keep the canned tomato thing a secret.

 

What wine goes well with salsa? Dos Equis!!!
Er… I mean semi-sweet Riesling or sparkling wine!

***Bonus! If you want a fun gift idea for a friend or loved one, why not jar up your homemade salsa and give it to a special someone, along with a bag of chips. Nothing says I love you like some homemade goodies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tagged as: homemade salsa, salsa, Salsa recipe