TOTAL INSANITY OPTION: 2-3 Trinidad Scorpion peppers and/or Naga Viper peppers. You will likely have to order these online or come visit South Texas!

For Dipping: Lots and lots of Blue Corn Tortilla Chips. The best are Central Market Organics Blue Corn Tortilla Chips with Sea Salt. These are non-GMO, too!

30-35 Roma Tomatoes. Please use Romas. These are always the best for preparing most sauce recipes.

Directions

You can use a large blender for the Tomatoes and the Tomatillos. Blend until the result is similar to a fresh marinara sauce. Don’t puree it! If you get to that point, go back to the farmer’s market and get more. =) Skin the cloves of garlic. Roast them at 400F for approximately 12-15 minutes or until they look golden brown. Remove and let cool. Press the garlic into a soft mash. Combine tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, lime juice, vinegar, and ranch mix all in a 10 quart pot. Add the Sesame Chili Oil if you want it. Turn on LOW heat and cover. Walk away and start to prepare the rest of the recipe. Slice open all of the peppers. Remove seeds. Please either use latex gloves when doing this or wash your hands with a mild soap and water every couple of minutes. If you don’t, your fingers will end up burning for quite a while after. Don’t take bathroom breaks!! Very dangerous. ;) Finely chop all of the peppers, the onions, and the cilantro. I use a Cuisinart because I am poorly coordinated and tend to wound myself with sharp objects. Add all of the chopped veggies to the pot and increase heat. Bring to a low boil, and immediately reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes (no longer). If you simmer too long, the salsa will not have a “fresh” taste and the peppers and onions end up “mushy” instead of nice and crisp. We are not making PACE here, friends. Allow the whole mixture to cool for about 3 hours. Add to jars and distribute amongst your friends, family, and neighbors. You will be a hero. Yield: serves 10

Notes: The end-product keeps well in the fridge for up to a month or so with no problem, but several people in my family freeze larger portions for later use. First off, this recipe makes a LOT of salsa. This is a Tex-Mex recipe that I have been using for about 10 years. If you want to prepare a batch, you will end up with about 10-15 large jars of salsa to share with your friends. It goes extremely well with fresh Tamales at Christmas or other holidays. You will need a 8-10 quart pot to cook the salsa. Use organic veggies if at all possible! Finally, I will say this. Please be careful with the recipe. Remember that if you are not sure about the heat level, start with a lower number of the hotter peppers (the Serranos and Habaneros) and increase to taste. Going with the “Total Insanity” option shown at the end is done at your own risk. But man, is it good!



