One of the things I really missed when I moved to Seattle from Austin was the lack of quality salsa, which I use like Australians do vegemite (or my kids use ketchup). Many of the restaurants here use something that tastes like tomato paste with oregano (shudder), and store bought generally has a litany of preservatives and questionable additives.
After some trial and error, I've come up with my own recipe (below), which I've used for the last couple of years. A few months ago, I found a pretty good store bought variety by Salsa de Rosa, made in Redmond. Their medium variety is flavorful, fresh, and without preservatives or pastes. The essential difference between theirs and mine is they use jalapeņos and onions, whereas I use the smoky goodness of chipotles, and no onions (I'm not a big raw onion fan). If you like to cook, try my recipe (let me know if you like it). If you don't cook, Salsa de Rosa is available at PCC. Either way, you can't go wrong.
After some trial and error, I've come up with my own recipe (below), which I've used for the last couple of years. A few months ago, I found a pretty good store bought variety by Salsa de Rosa, made in Redmond. Their medium variety is flavorful, fresh, and without preservatives or pastes. The essential difference between theirs and mine is they use jalapeņos and onions, whereas I use the smoky goodness of chipotles, and no onions (I'm not a big raw onion fan). If you like to cook, try my recipe (let me know if you like it). If you don't cook, Salsa de Rosa is available at PCC. Either way, you can't go wrong.
Jim's excellent salsa -- www.jimcarson.com
Time to prepare: about 20 minutes.
Ingredients (be sure to read the notes for the variations below):
3 medium sized, ripe tomatoes (cut the cores* out)
4-6 tomatillos (husks removed; cut the cores* out)
1/4C lime juice
1 or 2 chipotle peppers
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
salt to taste
Notes:
- Roast the tomatillos and tomatoes at 500°F for about 15-20 minutes. Let cool, then pull the skins off the tomatoes.
- Cut the stems off the chipotles and slice the side open to remove the seeds. (They're very hot.)
- In a blender, pulverize the chipotles in the lime juice. (small bits == good)
- Add the tomatillos and half of the cilantro. Mix another 15-20 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and pulse for 5-10 seconds, just enough to chop. (If you're feeling less lazy, you can just chop them manually and stir everything in by hand.)
- Stir in the remaining cilantro and salt to taste.
+ The salsa should be served at room temperature. It will store in the refrigerator for a week.
+ Tomatillo husks are inedible and too small to wrap tamales - throw them away. :-) Wash any dirt or gooey stuff off the tomatillos.
+ Chipotles are smoked jalapeņo peppers and can be found in the "ethnic" section of your grocery store. Use the dried ones instead of the canned variety in adobo sauce. Cut off the stem and split the side so you can pull out any seeds. The seeds are edible, though hot.
+ Limes are poor quality here in Seattle, so I use the lime juice in the green plastic containers (near where the limes would usually be). If you have access to good fresh limes, plan on juicing 3 of them..
+ If you can't find/don't want to use tomatillos, add an extra tomato or two. They really are worth the effort, though.
* or whatever you call the part of the tomato where the vine used to be attached.
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