I never realized how easy it was to make your own salsa until I ran into this recipe the other day. I found it in one of my new favorite cookbooks- “The New Best Recipes” by Cooks Illustrated. They had two salsa recipes, one that was more of like a fresh salsa using fresh tomatoes, etc, and then a quick fix salsa recipe that comes together in the food processor. I decided to make the quickie recipe. Who wouldn’t?
No real chopping required, this recipe couldn’t be simpler. All you need to do is throw in your jalopeño, red onion, cilantro, and garlic, along with seasonings into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to mince. Throw in a drained can of diced tomatoes and simply pulse to combine. EASY!
And to top it off, the flavor is great. You can make it as spicy as you want, adding the jalopeño seeds for heat or omitting them for a milder salsa. Red onions allow for a the best flavor but regular white would work in a pinch too. And if you don’t like cilantro you can always use parsley, that is usually what I do with most recipes, although the flavor is very different.
Altogether I was especially pleased with this recipe, especially with the use of canned diced tomatoes. I really liked canned tomatoes- lots of concentrated flavors : ) but you can also use 2 small fresh tomatoes should you be so inclined…
- ½ small jalopeno chile
- ¼ small red onion
- 2 Tb fresh cilantro
- 2 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- pinch of black pepper
- 2 small tomatoes (12 oz), cored and cut into eighths, or 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
- Pulse all ingredients except tomatoes in food processor until minced, about 5 pulses, scraping side of bowl as needed. Add tomatoes and pulse until roughly chopped, about 2 pulses. Serve.
adapted from Cooks Illustrated
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
sounds good, however, i would recommend tomatoes in a jar over canned tomatoes because the acidity in the tomatoes causes a nasty reaction with the lining of the can, which means you aren’t eating just the tomatoes anymore.
i always roast my veggies before putting in the food processor, maybe ill try them raw next time, thanks for the recipe.
(found on foodgawker)
You know, I have actually heard that about canned tomatoes before. It’s really not supposed to be good for you. But I have never been able to find tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, etc in anything but cans. I have found tomato paste in tubes, but thats it. Do you know of a common brand that sells in jars? And yes, roasting sounds like a great idea too!