I have had numerous inquiries concerning the fresh salsa/pico that I make when I am forced into it. So....here's the dope (not a literal term). It is a bit "wordy" for a recipe, but hey...the BEST requires a bit more effort!
Gatekeeper Salsa
I don’t use a recipe, but here’s what I generally do:
· As many roma tomatoes as you want…it is the bulk of the salsa (for a medium size batch I normally use 10-12). Any tomatoes are OK, but romas are more meaty and less juicy.
· A variety of chilies, depending on how hot you want it:
o Jalapenos (2-4, more or less)
o Seranos (2, they are hotter than jalapenos)
o Anaheim chilies 2 or 3 (usually green to yellowish color…also used for making chili rellenos)
o I sometimes use a couple of those heart shaped green chilies they sometimes use for chili rellenos (poblanos, I think)
o Yellow chilies…they are sweeter, and I put them in for the flavor mix if they have them, and they look good and fresh
o A couple of green, orange, or red sweet bell peppers (depending on the color I want to get)
o I have put in a habenero…strictly for the HEAT. That’s up to you. (I’d take out the seeds if you decide use them)
· One, or one half white onion (depending the size and on how much onion taste you want)
· One batch of cilantro (it usually comes with a rubber band around it) I chop it in my food processor. Also, I don’t put in much of stem…normally just the leafy part. Also…a tip: if you put the cilantro in the food processor with a few pieces of chili, it will come out of the processor easier…otherwise, it tends to stick to the sides and is harder to get out.
· Fresh limes: Again, this is however you want, but I LOVE fresh lime juice, so I normally put in about 4 or 5 (larger ones). If you are using key limes, obviously, it takes quite a few more.
· Salt to taste
Here is another tip you may want to use…its up to you. I cut and put everything together before putting in the lime juice. It the tomatoes are pretty juicy, then I drain some of the juice off (save it for your marinade stock). I don’t want the lime juice to be so diluted by the tomatoes that it loses it’s impact. You can save that juice you drain for a number of things, if you want. I want most all of the liquid in the salsa to come from the limes. As you eat it, there will be more and more juice left…it is great to add to what was drained and have it to put in other dishes, or especially as a marinade for chicken to grill or stir fry. It just seems like a shame to toss that good juice from the chilies, tomatoes and limes (it’s almost worth making the salsa just to get the marinade liquid).
I use the food processor to chop the chilies, cilantro & onion… and some of the tomatoes. I do like to chop some of the tomatoes pretty small with a knife just to keep them a bit chunkier. I know you can do it all with a knife if you want more of a pico salsa. This is totally up to the individual…however you want it, and however it looks best to you.
So…there you go. That’s about it. I vary the chilies, etc. depending on how fresh they look at the store. I like to buy the best ones I see.
bon apetite, or as we say in the Southwest, FIRE IN THE HOLE!
Gatekeeper Salsa
I don’t use a recipe, but here’s what I generally do:
· As many roma tomatoes as you want…it is the bulk of the salsa (for a medium size batch I normally use 10-12). Any tomatoes are OK, but romas are more meaty and less juicy.
· A variety of chilies, depending on how hot you want it:
o Jalapenos (2-4, more or less)
o Seranos (2, they are hotter than jalapenos)
o Anaheim chilies 2 or 3 (usually green to yellowish color…also used for making chili rellenos)
o I sometimes use a couple of those heart shaped green chilies they sometimes use for chili rellenos (poblanos, I think)
o Yellow chilies…they are sweeter, and I put them in for the flavor mix if they have them, and they look good and fresh
o A couple of green, orange, or red sweet bell peppers (depending on the color I want to get)
o I have put in a habenero…strictly for the HEAT. That’s up to you. (I’d take out the seeds if you decide use them)
· One, or one half white onion (depending the size and on how much onion taste you want)
· One batch of cilantro (it usually comes with a rubber band around it) I chop it in my food processor. Also, I don’t put in much of stem…normally just the leafy part. Also…a tip: if you put the cilantro in the food processor with a few pieces of chili, it will come out of the processor easier…otherwise, it tends to stick to the sides and is harder to get out.
· Fresh limes: Again, this is however you want, but I LOVE fresh lime juice, so I normally put in about 4 or 5 (larger ones). If you are using key limes, obviously, it takes quite a few more.
· Salt to taste
Here is another tip you may want to use…its up to you. I cut and put everything together before putting in the lime juice. It the tomatoes are pretty juicy, then I drain some of the juice off (save it for your marinade stock). I don’t want the lime juice to be so diluted by the tomatoes that it loses it’s impact. You can save that juice you drain for a number of things, if you want. I want most all of the liquid in the salsa to come from the limes. As you eat it, there will be more and more juice left…it is great to add to what was drained and have it to put in other dishes, or especially as a marinade for chicken to grill or stir fry. It just seems like a shame to toss that good juice from the chilies, tomatoes and limes (it’s almost worth making the salsa just to get the marinade liquid).
I use the food processor to chop the chilies, cilantro & onion… and some of the tomatoes. I do like to chop some of the tomatoes pretty small with a knife just to keep them a bit chunkier. I know you can do it all with a knife if you want more of a pico salsa. This is totally up to the individual…however you want it, and however it looks best to you.
So…there you go. That’s about it. I vary the chilies, etc. depending on how fresh they look at the store. I like to buy the best ones I see.
bon apetite, or as we say in the Southwest, FIRE IN THE HOLE!
