This is, without a doubt, my single most requested recipe. It is an onion and cilantro heavy salsa ~ and it is so much better than anything you can buy in the store. It’s a thick, chunky, picante type salsa that is from a recipe handed down from family. You can adjust the heat by reducing or increasing the number of jalapenos you use. It will keep in your refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks in a sealed container.

Recipe

4 to 10 fresh jalapenos (depending on what heat level is desired)

2 medium yellow or white onions

2 bunches green onions

1 large bunch cilantro

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp cumin

2 tsp salt

Tomato sauce (one small can and at least one large can)

Diced tomatoes (at least one large can)

A blender or food processor

Begin by putting all your peppers in a sauce pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let peppers cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cover the pan and let sit for at least 20 minutes. Remove peppers from the water and reserve the water the peppers cooked in.

Pull the stems off the peppers and drop them, whole, into the food processor or blender. Add 1 cup of the water the peppers cooked in as well as one small can of tomato sauce. Cut one yellow/white onion into quarters, cut one bunch of green onions into thirds (after removing the root end) and peel all the garlic cloves and put all into the blender. Add the salt and the cumin and blend until liquified.

This mixture will be slightly green – don’t panic! You should taste this mixture to judge how hot your base is. Funny thing about jalapeno peppers, there is no way to tell how hot they are – I’ve made salsa with 10 peppers in it that was so mild my kids could eat it, and made it with 3 peppers that was so hot no one could eat it. Taste your base here. It will help you determine exactly how much additional sauce and tomatoes you want to add.

Pour your base into a large bowl. Add at least one large can tomato sauce and one large can of diced tomatoes (I use the petite diced). Dice the remaining yellow onion, slice the remaining green onion bunch and add to the salsa. Mix well to combine. The final step is to chop an entire head of cilantro and add to the salsa. The salsa can be eaten immediately, but it will be better if you let it sit for an hour or two to allow the flavors to properly blend.

A few tips:

This makes a LOT of salsa. Be prepared.



As the salsa sits in the fridge, it will kind of thicken like pudding. I believe something in the tomatoes causes this, but I’m not sure what – maybe Alton Brown can come save the day and answer? Alton didn’t answer, but my friend Scot did – it’s the pectin in the tomatoes that causes it to thicken that way. Now you know; knowledge is power! Ha ha! Anyway, don’t worry, just stir it up and it will be fine.

Alton didn’t answer, but my friend Scot did – it’s the pectin in the tomatoes that causes it to thicken that way. Now you know; knowledge is power! Ha ha! Anyway, don’t worry, just stir it up and it will be fine. If your salsa is too hot, you can add a bit more sauce to dilute the peppers a bit – just be careful! If you add too much, you’ll have a bowl of faintly flavored tomato sauce. Ick!

