Medium-Hot Chunky Salsa

I've made it my goal to finish all the canned goods I put up last year before I start on this year's preserving. It's not difficult - I was lucky enough to give away a good portion of them at Christmas, and since most of my family are condiment-philes like me they're certainly being enjoyed! Because we grow so many tomatoes in our backyard every year, we have a lot of sauces and salsas to get through (some I haven't even written about yet - bad blogger!), but each taste of the homemade stuff reminds us that Summer is coming, and that for the time being we can at least get a hint of sunshine from the pantry.

When it comes to salsas, my mom and I are of the mind that the chunkier it is, the better. Ironically, we don't usually eat salsa with tortilla chips - in fact, our favourite dipper is carrot sticks (but fajitas and tacos get a good dollop too!). Like most things, I favour a good dose of spice in my dip, as long as the peppers aren't so overpowering that I can't taste it! This particular batch really played to my personal tastes, blending fresh Summer tomatoes, four types of pepper and a good whack of garlic into a dippable but still chunky mixture. Not only have we been loving it on our Tex-Mex dinners, but I even incorporated some of it into soup - stay tuned for that one!


Shared with Shaina's "Let's Burn This Candle" and Beat Cancer Recipe Roundup
Medium-Hot Chunky Salsa
Makes 3 1/2 pints, 28 (1/4 cup) servings
8 large tomatoes, chopped
1 large red onion, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
3 hot cherry (or jalapeno) peppers, seeded and diced
1 Thai or serrano chili, seeded and minced
10 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup cider vinegar
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
¼ cup water
3 tbsp minced fresh oregano
3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp kosher salt
pinch raw sugar (optional)

1. Preheat the broiler to HI and line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. Place the tomatoes (cut side down) on the sheet and broil for 5-10 minutes, until the skins blacken. Pinch off the skins and coarsely chop.
3. Combine all the ingredients in a deep pot and place over high heat. 
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Spoon into jars and process in a hot waterbath for 20 minutes.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 20.6
Total Fat: 0.2 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 93.0 mg
Total Carbs: 4.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.1 g
Protein: 0.9 g