Raise your hand if you make your own salsa!  I do!  I learned how
earlier this summer, so it still seems thoroughly new and exciting.
Especially since my tomato crop is starting to get ripe now.

Since all the markets are drowning in tomatoes at this time of
year, let's share salsa recipes!

53 responses total.

My salsa is never the same twice.  Usually i start with a couple of tomatoes,
chopped, and a jalapeno or three, chopped finely.  Then i add some of the
following: chopped green pepper, parsley, lemon juice or cider vinegar,
basil, cumin, oregano, chopped zucchini(!), chopped cucumber, or whatever
else seems like it might taste interesting in there.
Mix well, and eat by scooping it up with corn chips.

What do you people use for chips?  I was looking all over for chips that aren't
fried (no fat desired).

I eat Little Bear Blue Corn chips.  They're really good--but I've no idea
whether they're fried or not.  Have you tried "Sun Chips"?  They're baked.

re #2:  I suppose you could cut up tortillas and bake until crisp, but 
I don't think they'll taste very good.

Where do you find them?

re #0:  I did it once or twice.  Your recipe sounds great!

Mike (morel) served a very nice salsa dipping chip the last time
I was at his home.  Not salty, just enough flavor.  They'd make
a good nacho base I'd bet.  What were they, Mike?

re chips: Busch's Valu Land has some interesting no-salt blue corn chips.
The chips are yummy enough that i find i don't miss the salt.  Also, the
people's food coop has lots of different kinds of chips.

I'm attempting to get Nancy to actually log on and enter her salsa recipe,
Mary.  We just canned something like 22 pints of it this past weekend.

  Reportedly salsa has edged out catsup as America's #1 selling condiment.
I find that really interesting..

Anyone else have a good recipe [or what's your favorite jarred salsa]??

 Chi-Chi's makes a very good mild salsa. 

This spring while out on the coast [of NC], we tried jarred salsa that
was actually pretty good!!  It's by Guiltless Gourmet and its
fat-free!!

Denise!  Far out.  John and I were thinking of you just the other
day.  Nice to see you checking in.  Valerie has done a wonderful
job at fostering the Saturday walks; they're just keep getting
better.  Mother/baby at the U has openings again.  Hope all is well.

(I probably should have sent that as mail but I got going and
couldn't help myself.)

The U has openings in mother/baby?? Cool--wish I could afford to move
right now, I don't have the funds to do so,
though [the beast of a car has been eating up my savings...]  Keep
me posted, though!!  :-)

Myself I like to just take some nice gooey nacho cheese, and get a jar
of the really hot green jalapeno pepper sauce stuff you see in the grocers,
and stir enough in till its as hot as I like it when I make nachos. Can get
quite firey, specially if I throw in a little seranno peppers chopped up 
a bit too, which I like on subs as well. (love peppers, hotter the better)

Have you tried habeneros?  Oh, it would help if I looked at who that was.
Hi, DF!

My oldest daughter's S.O. is a Mexican American.  We just got back from 
visiting them for a week in Seattle and eating more Salsa than we ever
have before.  He makes it fresh each and every day and we ate it with
almost everything.  He chops up jalapeno peppers like mad and I had a
persistent case of heartburn each day even though he told me he was making
it "mild" for me.  We ate tamales (homemade from scratch) and enchildas and
Chorizos (spelling?) and salsa, salsa everywhere.

Man that sounds good.  Spent a few days in Santa Fe NM recently and
sampled the Mexican fare in several restaurants.  I've never been all
that big on Mexican food, but I think I could become addicted with
enough exposure to the really good stuff.

My sister said the same, thing, JOhn, after liviving in Santa Fe for
awhile!! [She has also lived in southeastern Mexico and is now back in
Africa again for another year [was there a number of years ago]. Talk
about ethnic variety!!

Try the green chili salsa in The Frontier Restruant across UNM at Alb. NM
dip 'em w/ tortillla,  hum..hot and good!
I do that everyday (used to)

and here i am with my boring pace picante..:)

actually, i just got my hands on a salsa book...lots of good stuff.  most of
most of it seems like chutney, but...:)  made a really great seared pineapple
salsa from the book...they have a lot of fruit salsas, corn salsas, etc.
just an absolute lot of fun, if you like salsa/chutney at all..:)

We need some chips recipes too.

Was at 
Sam's recently and picked up some Vidalia Onion Salsa by Virginia Brand.  I
don't like hot stuff, and this isn't the least bit hot...but boy, it sure has
a wonderful flavor!

re #23:  Chips are easy.  Just slice up some tortillas and dump them into some
hot fat or oil.  Cook until crisp.  Drain on paper towel.

Hi gang!  Chips are really easy to make. Just take a tortilla, slice it into
four or six pie-shaped pieces, and arrange on a baking sheet or aluminum foil.
Spray them lightly with no fat Pam spray and then bake ...or broil until
crisp. I thnk broiling works best. It is quicker, and the Pam will not add
too many fat calories the way that regular oil will. :)  
        Happy Eating!

They're making no-fat Pam spray now?  Weird.  What's it made out of?

We have a reastaurant here in town called The Border. They make a really good
salza. I am usually stuffed by the time the main course arrives! 
How can anybody take a hot pepper, and just eat it like a pickle? Ugh!
I think it's time for lunch.

Sounds good!  What town are you in?

I made salsa today.  2 tomatoes, some onion, some cilantro, and 3 of the
little red hot peppers I'm starting to get from my garden.  Tastes great,
although I'd like to make a cooked hot sauce like a picante (not today,
though, it's 88 and muggy, and the stove stays off on such days).

I made salsa yesterday:  fresh corn, tomatoes, avacado, onions, cilantro, lime
juice, cumin, salt and rice vinegar.  I baked some filet of sole and put
dollops of the salsa on top.  Out of this world.

Re 30: Scott voluntarily ate a tomato?!  Woah, the world is a strange
place.  :)

Well, mixed in with hot peppers and onion, it's not that icky.  Still, I like
cooked sauces better than fresh.

I'm with you, Scott!

good garden this year .. found this recipe ... it works nicely
  
  ---clip
  
ESSENTIAL CHOPPED TOMATO-HABANERO SALSA

YUCATECANS LIVE in a tasty world of bright flavors. The
natural sweetness of ripe tomatoes invigorated with the
ignitable potential of habanero, the aroma of cilantro, the zing
of sour orange or lime, and the resonant crunch of raw radish
and onion. That's xnipec (say "shnee-pek," Mayan for "nose of
the dog" the books say, refraining from further comment). If
you leave out the tomatoes, most Yucatecans call the resulting
mix salpicsn, an enlivened sprinkle for their otherwise quite
simply flavored fare. I doubt you'd think of the tomatoless
version as a salsa (especially one for chips), but its possibilities
as a relish are numerous. Either version is essential in my
kitchen to accompany anything flavored with achiote.


               MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

     1 small (4-ounce) red onion 
     2 tablespoons fresh sour orange or lime juice 
     10 ounces (2 small round or 3 or 4 plum) ripe
     tomatoes 
     6 radishes 
     1/2 to 1 whole fresh habanero chile, depending on
     your personal attraction to the "burn" 
     A dozen or so large sprigs of cilantro 
     Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon 


Very finely chop the onion with a knife (a food processor will
make it into a quickly souring mess), scoop it into a strainer
and rinse under cold water. Shake off as much water as
possible, then transfer to a small bowl and stir in the juice to
"deflame" the onion's pungency. Set aside while you prepare
the remaining ingredients.

Core the tomatoes, then cut them crosswise in half and squeeze
out the seeds if you want (it'll make the sauce seem less rustic).
Finely dice the tomatoes by slicing them into roughly 1/4-inch
pieces, then cutting each slice into small dice. Scoop into a
bowl. Slice the radishes 1/16 inch thick, then chop into
matchsticks or small dice. Add to the tomatoes. Carefully cut
out and discard the habanero's seed pod (wear rubber gloves if
your hands are sensitive to the piquancy of the chiles), mince
the flesh into tiny bits, and add to the tomatoes. Bunch up the
cilantro sprigs, and, with a very sharp knife, slice them 1/16
inch thick, stems and all, working from the leafy end toward the
stems.

Combine radishes, chile, and chopped cilantro with the tomato
mixture, stir in the onion and juice mixture, taste and season
with salt, and it's ready to serve in a salsa dish for spooning
onto tacos, grilled fish, and the like.


ADVANCE PREPARATION -- The salsa is best within a few
hours of its completion, and be forewarned that the longer it
sits, the more picante it will seem.

OTHER CHILES YOU CAN USE -- Jalapeqos and serranos (3 to
5) can replace the habanero. Manzano chiles (1/2 to 1) also
would taste good in this salsa.


      SIMPLE IDEAS FROM MY AMERICAN HOME

Spicy Chicken Salad -- Mix cubed cooked chicken (try
smoked chicken for even more flavor) with mayonnaise until
you get the chicken salad as moist as you like it. Stir in salsa a
spoonful at a time (draining off as much liquid as possible) until
the salad is spicy and nicely flavored. Diced jmcama adds a nice
crunch; a little more cilantro adds liveliness.


Seafood or Asparagus Salad -- As a substantial appetizer for
four, very briefly boil 1 pound of shrimp or steam 1 pound of
asparagus until tender; cool. Mix 2 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil
with 2 tablespoons sour orange or lime juice, stir in a cup or so
of the salsa and taste for salt (it should be a little salty). For
seafood: Combine salsa and cooked seafood, and let stand an
hour or so, stirring regularly, before serving on a bed of sliced
lettuce. For asparagus: Divide the asparagus among 4
lettuce-lined plates and spoon the salsa mixture over them. You
may want a little extra chopped cilantro.


Seared Fish with Tangy Habanero -- In a large, heavy
skillet filmed with oil, sear 4 fish fillets over medium-high heat
until brown on both sides. Remove from the pan, add the salsa
and stir until wilted and the liquid reduces. Stir in 1/4 to 1/3 cup
of heavy cream or crhme fraiche, then nestle the fish back in
the pan. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the fish
barely flakes. Transfer to dinner plates. If the sauce is thinner
than you'd like, boil it briskly to reduce, then spoon over the
fillets.
  
   ----clip
  
i have another somewhere that involves cooking, i think.
  
anyone interested?

  Sure.

  Never, never ever put onions into the processor, unless you want onion
slurry. No one is in that much of a hurry that they cannot slice and dice a
few onions. I mean, isn't is all about presentation as well as how it tastes?

  The salsa is something I'd like to try and something that I'll probably
make in the near future. Thanks, tsty.

/s/is/it

My usual salsa recipe consists of tomatoes, some combination of
Anaheim, jalapeno and serrano peppers, depending on what I can find and
the heat-tolerance of the audience; onions; garlic; cilantro; lime juice;
and whatever assorted vegetables I may have lying around fresh.  Cumin
sounds like a wonderful addition.

The jar and restaurant salsas I like are too numerous to name -- I'm
living in Santa Fe with my boyfriend who has been a chile-pepper fiend
since long before he came here... while living in Wisconsin, he used to
order 20-jar packs from Salsa Express, which is a kind of neat way to try
new salsas if you're living somewhere where there aren't many good
specialty food stores.  Homemade is the best but there are many good jar
salsas out there.

A bit late, but on chips:  I use Tostidos Baked, available at Krogers.

Do any of you use salsa for things other than just dipping or mixing with
cheese? [I've only skimmed this item, so I'll have to go back and reread
sometime for some ideas]. The reason I ask is because a vegetarian chili
recipe I'm trying in the crock pot calls for some salsa in it...  

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