Good Morning Friends!  I have a fabulous and absolutely delish cooked salsa recipe that I can guarantee will knock your socks off – not from the bite but from the zesty robust flavor. It’s definitely worth of the ”Mmmmmm-Mmmmmm-Mmmmmmm” status!!!  It is by far the best salsa I have ever had or made and I’m known for making one heck of a fresh salsa too….*wink*  I typically don’t like the cooked salsas because the ones I’ve tried always taste bland  and mushy.  I like my salsa to have that “fresh” taste that you normally don’t  get with the cooked salsas…. UNTIL… I came across this recipe that was inspired by “Annie’s Salsa Recipe” I found on several websites.  I originally started following another cooked salsa recipe (which I cannot for the life of me find or remember what it was called) but realized I was missing some of the ingredients so I did another Google and found the “Annie’s Salsa Recipe.”  I changed things up a bit and combined parts of two recipes to make this one and all I have to say is WOW!  It is sooooo good that I am going to make a third batch because I know this stuff won’t last long and I plan on canning more of the 1/2 pint jars to slip into some gift baskets this holiday season.  It’s also nice to have smaller jars to use as thank you gifts and as a hostess gift for all of those parties you’ll be invited to over the next several months!

This recipe can be used for canning or you can just whip up a big batch of it to keep in your refrigeratorbutyou would want to use it up within a few weeks.  This would be a fabulous recipe to use if you’re having a big Mexican Fiesta or hosting a Margarita Night with all of your gal pals! 

Recipe

12 cups tomatoes (since some of us are still getting tomatoes from our gardens this is the way to go BUT if you are without a garden OR it’s in the middle of the winter and you still want some homemade salsa you can use canned chopped/stewed tomatoes) The tomatoes can be chopped with the skins or the skins can be removed.  I did one batch with skin on and one with them removed. They both taste great but the one with the skin on is a bit stringier. Maybe try doing half with skins and half off?

3 cups onions

3 cups green bell peppers (diced)

1 cup yellow banana peppers (diced)

1/4 cup (or more of hot peppers diced)  I made one batch without the hot peppers for the mild version which tastes greast and I made one batch as medium with the 1/4 cup -it’s just right and not too spicy

12 oz tomato paste

12-16 oz tomato sauce (this is optional – I made it both ways and they both taste fine)

1 cup white vinegar (apple cider vinegar can be used also – it just has a bit of a different flavor.  I made a batch using each but prefer the white vinegar)

1/2 cup white sugar

3 tbs canning salt or Kosher salt

1 garlic head minced

pepper to taste

1/2 -3/4 cup Fresh Cilantro chopped

This is optional but I just love the salsa with this added:

2 cans kernel corn (fresh or frozen would probably work too)

2 cans black beans (don’t drain)

Directions:

1.If using fresh tomatoes, clean the tomatoes.  If you plan on removing the skin of the tomatoes you can do this with a knife or you can blanch them.   To blanch the tomatoes you first need to remove the cores and any bad spots on each tomato with a knife.  Prepare a pot of fresh boiling water and prepare another large bowl with ice cold water or use cold running water from the tap.  With a slotted spoon, place 3-4 tomatoes in the water for approximately  one minute or until the skins split.  Immediately remove the tomatoes and place in the ice cold water for another minute and then place on a towel.  The skins will slide right off of the tomato without having to use a knife.  Next, chop the tomatoes to your preferred size.  If you like really chunky salsa leave the tomatoes in bigger pieces.  If you like a smoother consistency, chop into smaller pieces or dice.  The tomatoes will cook down too.  Toss the tomatoes in a large pot.

2.  Wash, clean and dice the green peppers, banana peppers, hot peppers and onions and add to the tomatoes in the pot.

3.  Remove the skin on the garlic and mince.  Add to the pot of tomatoes, peppers and onions.

4. Add all remaining ingredients except for the Cilantro, black beans and corn.

Stir all ingredients together and cook while stirring constantly until it begins to boil.  Turn the  burner down and let it simmer for 2-3 hours.  The last 30 minutes, add the chopped Cilantro.  If you will be canning this salsa make sure to get your jars washed while the salsa is cooking.  It makes approximately 5 1/2-6 quarts.  I like to place my lids in a small pot of boiling water before using – it seems to help with sealing quicker.  Next, you’ll want to prepare  your hot water bath to seal the jars.  So using a large kettle , boil enough water to cover the jars with at least 2″ of water ontop of the jars.  The jars should be completely covered in water when sealing.  The last 10 minutes of cooking the salsa, I brought it back up to a rolling boil, stirring constantly and then poured the salsa into the jars.  Make sure to wipe off the tops of each jar before placing the lids on.  Next, add the lid and tighten.  Carefully place the jars in the boiling water making sure the jars don’t touch.  Leave in the boiling hot water bath for 20-30 minutes.  Carefully remove the jars and place on a towel.  I also like to place a few towels over  the jars and around the sides to hold in the heat -this helps the jars to seal quicker.  (This is something my mom and grandmother taught  me but a lot of people do not do this or have never heard of it).  You should start hearing the seals “pop” this means they have sealed.  Another way to check is to make sure the raised part on each jar’s lid is know flat.  If you find that there are jars that do not seal you can either put those jars in the fridge to use right away or repeat the hot water bath.  I have never had a jar not seal using this method.

I hope you try this and left me know what you think!  I’m telling you it’s the best!

Happy Cooking!

xKim