Ask any of my friends and they will tell you I’m crazy and was born with a cast iron stomach. I love spicy food, the hotter the better. It doesn’t matter if it’s Thai, Indian, Korean, Mexican or whatever. One of my favorites though is homemade fresh salsa. It’s so much better than anything you can get at the local market and extremely easy to make. Best of all, you can make it with just about anything except the kitchen sink.
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- All of the salsa ingredients ready to chop and measure.
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- Salsa ingredients ready to process.
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- Finished salsa ready to eat!
Today I’m going to make a traditional fresh salsa or actually, pico de gallo. Like I said you can pretty much make your fresh salsa out of just about anything but I suggest starting with the basics, tomato, onion, peppers and then adding the extras to your liking. Now get to the garden, farmers market or grocery so we can get started. Here’s what I’m doing:
4 or 5 ripe tomatoes 1 small onion
4 or 5 jalapeños (or to your heat preference) 1/2 cup bell or sweet pepper
1/4 cup cilantro (or to your preference) 1 rib celery
1.5 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1.5 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar
Mix all ingredients together in a food processor in small batches. Chop fine or coarse until you achieve the texture you prefer. Pour into bowl large enough to handle the batch and stir. Make sure to test and add more seasonings until you get a salsa you can be proud of.
Note: If you add too much cilantro you may get a soapy aftertaste and remember, you can always add or subtract ingredients to your liking. My fresh salsa is often dictated by what I can find fresh, even carrots will make it into the mix at times.
Experiment and enjoy!
