Texas Homemade Salsa

Fresh Salsa

I love summertime and all the fresh fruit and veggies that come with this time of year.  Some friends gave me fresh tomatoes out of their garden!   Let me just say there is no comparison between a grocery store tomato and one that comes straight out of the garden.  I have had vegetable gardens before (not for a while though) and I would love going out and seeing what is growing and getting to pick and prepare something that I grew myself....so satisfying and it always tastes better.  I miss not having a garden but the past few years with the kids in college and buying some land out of town, we find ourselves on the road a lot and a garden requires daily attention.  I am so thankful for friends who share their gift of gardening and "pickings" with me!

This weekend I decided that I better do something with all these tomatoes before they go bad and tried my hand at Fresh Salsa.  I have made salsa for years but with canned tomatoes.  We live in Texas, home of Tex-Mex, and salsa is a pretty frequent staple at our home.  We put it on everything!!  It took a couple of hours to tweak it and get just the right blend of flavors.  But finally, after 20 garlic cloves (and breath that required several arms distance away from anyone I wanted to talk to), I think I found a keeper....the final product.  Hope you enjoy it and try your hand at it.  The health benefits alone are worth it.  It is full of antioxidants!  My friend, Nita, told me that the cilantro in it pulls heavy metals, such as mercury, out of your body!  Who knew?!?!  Try it with chips, on fish tacos, scrambled eggs, dressing for taco salad, or mixed with black beans.  Let me know what you think and how you used it!

Fresh Salsa

10 - Tomatoes, medium-size (about the size of a tennis ball)
  1 - Sweet Onion (about the size of a baseball or a little larger)
  1 - Jalapeno, large
  1 - Bell Pepper or Poblano Pepper, medium size
20 - Garlic Cloves (yes 20 it is not a typo)
1/3- Bunch of fresh Cilantro
1/2-1 teaspoon  Ground Cumin
Salt to taste
Juice of fresh Lime to your liking

Make a small slit in tomato skin.  Drop tomatoes in boiling water for about 1-2 minutes or until you see skin draw apart where the slit was made.  Remove tomatoes from water and place in ice water to stop cooking process.  Remove skins and set aside.

In a food processor, add other ingredients, except tomatoes, until you get the consistency you want.  I did not want a chunky salsa so I pureed them.  Add tomatoes and pulse until all is combined.  Add salt and lime juice to your liking. Enjoy!