Garden Salsa Four Ways
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It’s that time of year – tomato season! My garden is glowing red with plump tomatoes of all varieties. With several pounds of tomatoes on my counter top, alongside a couple dozen sweet and spicy peppers, I knew salsa was gonna be on the menu.
One of the best things about growing your own tomatoes is that they are incredibly versatile when it comes to tomato salsas and sauces. I made four different kinds of salsa, ranging from mild to super spicy.
The hottest salsa was the chipotle salsa, flavored with canned chipotle peppers in an adobo sauce. I included some black beans in this salsa to help cut the heat.
The medium spicy salsa was the chunkiest of all the salsas, utilizing a whole, unseeded jalapeno for it’s heat. If you don’t want as much heat, just remove the seeds from your jalapeno – the heat is in the seeds and not so much in the jalapeno flesh.
My favorite salsa was the roasted garlic salsa – mild in heat but still bold in flavor. I roasted my tomatoes whole alongside a head of garlic, some shallots and a hybrid sweet and spicy pepper. All my peppers get cross pollinated – my sweet peppers are located next to some Tabasco peppers…oops!
The most mild of my salsas was the verde salsa – made from next-day ripe green tomatoes, ones that are plump and full of flavor, but maybe about a day or so away from turning completely red. Mixed in with some jalapeno and sweet peppers, the verde salsa carries just a whiff of heat.
TIP: If properly canned, salsas can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. If kept fresh, chill and eat the salsa within about two weeks. Enjoy!
Garden Salsa Four Ways
Ingredients
FOR ROASTED GARLIC PEPPER SALSA:
- 16 oz fresh tomato e.g. roma, beefsteak, etc
- 1 head garlic
- 2 green bell peppers
- 4 shallots
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red pepper flakes optional, to taste
- 3 tablespoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
FOR SALSA VERDE:
- 16 oz green tomatoes
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 sweet onion
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes optional, to taste
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons cilantro
- 2 tablespoons coriander
FOR CHUNKY SALSA:
- 16 oz fresh tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno
- ½ red onion
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons red pepper flakes optional, to taste
- 3 tablespoons cilantro
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
FOR SMOKY CHIPOTLE SALSA:
- 16 oz fresh tomatoes
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 green bell pepper
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup red onion
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons cilantro
- ⅓ cup black beans drained
Instructions
FOR ROASTED GARLIC PEPPER SALSA:
- Arrange the tomatoes, peppers and shallots on a baking sheet. Trim the top of the garlic so the cloves are exposed. Drizzle oil over the shallots and garlic.
- Broil the vegetables for 25-30 minutes on low – until the tomatoes are splitting and the peppers are charred; the centers of the garlic and shallots are pushing outwards.
- Cool for five minutes then carefully remove the stem and charred skin from the peppers. Squeeze the garlic out of their skins.
- Place the tomatoes, peppers, garlic and shallots in a food processor along with the cumin, red pepper flakes, sea salt and cilantro. Pulse until the salsa reaches the desired consistency for salsa.
- Ladle the salsa into jars and cool to room temperature without the lids, then chill until cold throughout. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
FOR SALSA VERDE:
- Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the salsa reaches your desired salsa consistency.
- Ladle into jars for canning or serve fresh with chips. Chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!
FOR CHUNKY SALSA:
- Use a chop/shred attachment on a food processor. Shred the tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno and red onion. Remove the blade and scrape down the sides.
- Press the blender blade into the food processor. Pour in the white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, onion powder and cilantro. Pulse 2-3 times, until herbs and spices are mixed in well.
- Ladle into jars for canning or serve fresh with chips. Chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!
FOR SMOKY CHIPOTLE SALSA:
- Combine all the ingredients except for the black beans into a food processor. Blend until it reaches your desired salsa consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in the black beans.
- Ladle into jars for canning or serve fresh with chips. Enjoy!
FOR ALL SALSAS:
- Chill at least one hour to fully develop flavors.