Salsas

Salsa means “sauce” in Spanish and was so named by the discovering conquistadors as they plundered Central America where the tomato and the hot pepper had been cultivated for thousands of years. Today, if there are two items that have altered the distribution of shelf space within American grocery markets, they are salsas and accompanying chips; where once a brand or two of each sufficed, today entire aisles are dedicated to the hundreds. As of the year 2000, salsa supplanted ketchup as the number one selling sauce. This phenomenal new addiction partially has to do with the discovery that we have southern neighbors. Over several decades, the wonderful cuisines south of the border have pushed north until we find these foods completely integrated into our diet today.

Not unlike all that has come before in this volume, using fresh produce always makes the best. Reading the ingredients on jars of store-bought distant cousins will spill the beans: dried this and that, and the word “tomato” is followed by a parenthesis with a list inside signifying that the item has been processed along with the other listed ingredients. Home-produced salsas made entirely with fresh ingredients will be the hit of any game-day get-together regardless of the teams or score, so be certain to make enough for the season, running out only AFTER Super Bowl Sunday.

Within these next several pages, you will be afforded the opportunity to produce something unlike any major grocer has ever carried or ever will carry, or any big manufacturer has even attempted to make. There is nearly a war over shelf space when it comes to salsa, yet nothing beats fresh or home-canned. It makes no sense to purchase. Salsas are simple to produce. Fresh is key, so make them when fruits and vegetables are ripe and straight from the ground when tastes are richest. In the hot section, there are a couple of simple hot sauces. For those seeking a hotter salsa, maybe with deliberate intent, make the salsas palatable for a wider range and have a homemade hot sauce to fire up the mix when demanded.

Salsas

Triple-Six Fruit Salsa

The first time I created this, it was not for canning purposes. It was mid-July and mangos were plentiful among the open-air markets. So much positive feedback followed that I whipped up batch after batch, making this a super summer salsa. As fall approached, the fresh, soft, ripe fruit began fading from the markets, and I vowed I would not wait through three seasons for my summer salsa. I began to work on a recipe that would put up well and remain fresh-tasting. With the pop of a vacuum-sealed canning lid, summer salsa at its near finest could be had. Each time I serve this salsa, even if it’s snowing outside, from somewhere distant and carried on a summer breeze across the seasons, I hear Gershwin’s “Summertime” playing just around a corner. The livin’ is easy!

Canning Notes
Ingredients
6 mangoes, peeled, seeded, and medium-chopped
6 limes, peeled, sliced, seeded, and slices quartered
6 tomatoes, cut in half, seeded, squeezed, and medium-chopped
2 cups medium-diced white onion
1/2 cup finely diced green bell pepper
1/4–1/2 cup deveined, seeded, and minced hot pepper of choice
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Directions

Temperature is the critical measurement here. Like all canned products with a pH below 3.8, final canning must not take place below 182 degrees F. But every degree above that critical number diminishes the freshness of the flavors, especially the savory cilantro, so make sure your thermometer is calibrated (see thermometer section of the introduction).

In a nonreactive pot, place all but the cilantro and bring the mixture to 185 degrees F. Add the cilantro and blend well. Next, ensure the pH is at the 3.8 threshold for canning at 182 degrees F.

Add three degrees for jar cooling (185 degrees F.) before pouring into sterilized jars. Seal and invert for 2 minutes minimum.

Serving Suggestions

Twenty years ago, it might have taken a rocket scientist to figure out that chips go with salsa, but no longer. Salsa and chips, however, are only a first baby step in the beginning journey with salsas. Try ladling some over delicate white fish like perch, over roast chicken, over scrambled eggs, or by adding a touch to salads for a fruity addition. If it works, do it—convention has not a thing to do with good tasting.

Cherry Salsa

Cherry season is a time in summer to remember. One cannot stop eating those delicious fruits. In many parts of our country, it is a time for festival and celebration as the big crops are harvested. In the jams section, I have included a cherry preserve that will heighten a family breakfast, and in the chutney section is a recipe for maybe a spectacular dinner. But cherries are definitely a grand enough fruit to deserve an all-around everyday recipe, and what better way to serve and honor them than with a salsa?

Canning Notes
Ingredients
4 cups pitted and halved sweet cherries
2 cups seeded and squeezed, medium-chopped vine-ripened tomatoes
1 cup medium-diced white onion
1/4 cup seeded, deveined, and finely chopped jalapeño (or pepper of choice)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped, tightly packed fresh cilantro
Directions

Place all of the ingredients except the cilantro in a nonreactive canning pot. Stirring often, bring to 190 degrees F; add cilantro and check pH before ladling into sterile jars.

Lid, seal, and invert for 2 minutes minimum.

Serving Suggestions

As a salsa with chips, this is a hero: unique, using all fresh produce, and blending so many flavors. All will enjoy. Store-bought salsas will become not only a memory but a bad dream.

Aside from the usual suspects that work and are limited only by imagination, chicken salad with cherry salsa over the top makes an out-of-this-world luncheon serving.

Corn and Black-Eyed Pea Salsa

Sometimes referred to as Texas Caviar but always touted as delicious, this salsa is just as comfortable next to a plate of chips as it is on a dinner plate. The traditional salsa tastes of tomato, onion, and peppers are enhanced with the sweetness of fresh corn and given extra body by the peas, making this a special treat that can be used for many different occasions.

Canning Notes
Ingredients
4 cups dried black-eyed peas
4 cups corn (cut off the cob)
3 cups cider vinegar, divided
3 cups seeded and squeezed, medium-chopped tomatoes
1 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup medium-diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup medium-diced green bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red pepper flakes
2 cups sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
Directions

Put the dried peas in a pot, cover with 4 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and allow to stand overnight. Drain, rinse, add fresh water; return to a boil, lower, and heat until peas are softening; drain and rinse well before measuring 4 cups.

Place the peas and corn in a bowl with 1 cup cider vinegar, mix well, and allow to acidify for 1 hour before draining.

Put remaining vinegar and ingredients except the cilantro in a nonreactive pot and bring to a canning temperature of 200 degrees F. Add the cilantro, stir to distribute well before checking pH, and adjust if necessary.

Fill sterile jars, seal, and invert for 2 minutes minimum.

Serving Suggestions

Thus far, this volume seldom mentions red meat. It is not that this writer has an aversion, but the true flavor of steak can be destroyed if not treated only with toppings or sides that truly complement it. If there ever was a salsa that complemented steak, this might be it. It is interesting that such a meat-friendly salsa is referred to as Texas Caviar, not a state known for its herds of chicken; with her longhorn cattle, Texas was the beef center of the Old West.

To complement a steak dinner, try brown rice, a complex carbohydrate. Unlike a baked potato or white rice, the stored energy is released over a prolonged period, making it a healthier choice.

Another little-known substitute for the baked potato is baked Jerusalem artichokes. This starch is a complex carbohydrate as well as a source of excellent probiotic enrichment. Instead of butter, try ladling this salsa over the top of either one. It also complements cooked greens equally well. The rest is left to innate potential. Go for it!

Salsas

Balsamic Vinegar Tomato Salsa

One afternoon in Santa Cruz, while visiting my best friend and his wife, Colleen, I was introduced to this modified beaten-path recipe. I don’t know why, but inside that western edge of America, many think outside the box. It is refreshing! Colleen had made a simple salsa but used balsamic vinegar instead. The incredible flavors haunted as I winged my way east, so much so that I knew it would have to be in this book.

It’s close to a traditional tomato salsa recipe, but where the traditional fresh or canned gets a splash of acid with lemon or lime juice and/or cider vinegar, this salsa gets the flavorful Italian crown jewel. One does not have to spend a fortune on the vinegar used. Prices for quality balsamic can be far higher than prized wines; but for cooking, the lesser priced works just fine.

Canning Notes
Ingredients
9 cups seeded, squeezed, and chopped tomatoes
3 cups finely diced white onion
1 cup medium-diced green bell pepper
1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste (see canned ingredients section of the introduction for special prep treatment)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup seeded and minced jalapeño (or pepper of choice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Directions

Place all of the ingredients except cilantro in a nonreactive canning pot and bring to 190 degrees F. Add cilantro, stir in, and check pH.

Pour into sterile jars, seal, and invert for 2 minutes minimum.

Serving Suggestions

Because of the black vinegar, I like to use the whiter variety of chips to further the mystic of a unique salsa. Try making scrambled eggs with cheddar or multiple cheeses mixed in and serve with this salsa poured over the top. Finishing a baked, broiled, or grilled piece of light fish always works for salsa, so why not try a tuna salad with the balsamic salsa blended into the salad and served on a bed of greens or stuffed into a pita pocket? There is a start, take it from there.

Salsas