Salsa has been a staple sauce in my family for as long as I can remember. We use it as a dip for chips, a topping for eggs, tacos, and many other dishes on a regular basis. Salsa is originally a Spanish word that means sauce. Here in the United States of America we have a slightly less broad idea of what salsa encompasses. After doing some research I found a report that shows that the first use of the word salsa in American cooking literature was a cookbook written by Encaracion Pinedo that was published in 1898 entitled ” El Cocerina Espanol ” or ” The Spanish Cook ” in English.(1) Salsa seems to have a longer history than American cooking though. Documentation shows where similar recipes and ingredients were used in the Aztec civilization.(1)
If this recipe does not appeal to you, you may enjoy my recipe for a really good smoked salmon dip which can be found at the following link:
Salsa is so easy to make and personalize that there is never a reason to buy any store brand. Some of the top reasons not to buy a brand name salsa are as follows.
One – You can’t control the amount of salt in the brand named salsa. Almost every food company in the world uses way to much salt in their products. Salsa is no exception. You can make a really good salsa without all that salt. If you add any peppers to your salsa your salt will go further because salt and heat spiciness tend to increase the apparent intensity of both flavors in my opinion.
Two – The price of any store bought salsa is tremendously higher than the value of the items in the recipe. Salsa is made from widely available ingredients that are cheaply acquired if you shop your farmers markets regularly.
Three – Store bought salsa has to many preservatives in it. No matter what the label says, to stay fresh in those jars for the length of time that the stuff is in the supermarkets it has some form of preservative in it.
Four – Many products now contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) or some other flavor enhancer. Some salsa brands are no exception to this. Now I’ve read both the pros and cons of MSG and I’ve heard it was unsafe and that it was completely safe as well. I’m of the mind that as long as scientists are studying this chemical with the intent on proving it is not fit for human consumption I’ll avoid it as much as possible. Of course the parent company will always say their product is safe. Its hard to believe someone who has everything to gain by winning your trust.
OK now on to the reason you read this article to begin with, the recipe. This recipe makes a relatively large amount of salsa but it scales easy so feel free to play with the amounts as needed.
Ingredients
3 large tomatoes. Make sure your tomatoes are firm and ripe as this is the perfect tomato to make really good salsa with.
Dice your tomatoes, onion, green pepper, jalapenos, and garlic for your really good salsa. Remember to seed the jalapenos if you want a much milder salsa as the heat of a jalapeno is in its seeds mostly. Place a pot on the cooking stove and pour your lime juice, tomato sauce or paste, and apple cider vinegar in the pot and toss the remaining ingredients in. Bring the mixture to a boil and then allow your really good salsa to simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
You can serve really good salsa at any temperature. Some like it hot, others like it cold, and most anyone likes it at room temperature. American’s tend to serve salsa with corn chips and it makes a great party treat or appetizer. However there is so much you can do with this Mexican treat I’ll leave it up to your imagination as how to serve it.
