my salsa recipe

This salsa is herbal-spicy and very tasty. It is my own creation after a great many experiments. I use it more than any other recipe. How have I blogged for so many years without posting this recipe already?

I've eaten the whole batch myself as my meal-of-the-day with corn chips. It also works extremely well as a "relish" to add on top of hot dogs or brats instead of the usual condiments.

Salsa	Safety Rating: 5 Ingredients: 10 Dishes: 7
Wash the jalapeno, cilantro, and tomatoes to remove chemicals and dirt. Remove cilantro leaves from stem by cutting with knife or pulling with fingers. Discard stems. Cut tomatoes into eighths. You may discard the seeds if you find their taste unpleasant. This recipe is made in 3 simple steps: spices, tomatoes, and seasoning. The lime and salt are added away from the metal blades of the food processor, so they do not react with the blades to promote rusting. Add all ingredients (except tomato, lime, and salt) to food processor. Process medium (not fine), then pour mixture into mixing bowl. Add tomatoes to food processor. Process coarsely (not fine), then pour mixture into mixing bowl. Add lime juice (and pulp if available) and salt to mixing bowl. Mix everything well. Serve immediately or chill first. The salsa is very wet and juicy, so it is best to serve it in a bowl rather than on a plate. You may prepare salsa ahead of time then refrigerate for a day or two. Doing so will remove the "heat" from the jalapeno. You may need to compensate by adding an extra jalapeno during the initial creation.
Ingredients: red onion, 1/2 jalapeno, 2 garlic, 2 large cloves cilantro, 10 stems white pepper powder, 1/2 teaspoon (do not substitute black pepper) cumin powder, 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder, 1/4 teaspoon roma tomatoes, 6 small lime, 1 salt, 1/2 teaspoon	Dishes: food processor juicer knife cutting board large mixing bowl large spoon measuring spoon

I almost always use more spices than listed here. I don't measure the exact amounts, but the ratio is always white pepper > cumin > ginger. Also, I sometimes use 2 tomatillos and only 1/4 (instead of 1/2) of a red onion. Remove the dry husk from the tomatillos, then scrub them under hot water to remove the sticky residue. This recipe also works with habenero substituted for jalapeno, but I recommend letting the salsa rest in a refrigerator overnight after making it, so it loses some of its fiery heat.

Here are photos that I took today of steps 1, 2, 3, and final product. Click to embiggen.


I need to find a healthier way of eating salsa than using commercial corn chips. I've experimented over the years with taking plain corn tortillas and baking them in the oven. I get only "acceptable" results, nothing really good. Here are photos from before and after baking today.



I'm open to suggestions, both for baking corn chips and for an alternative that doesn't use chips at all.