Tomato Salsa

"Good homemade salsa; if you can make it with your own home-grown tomatoes it will be even better. I don't think cilantro processes well, so I usually add 1 tablespoon of fresh, minced cilantro to each pint of salsa once I open it. However, if you'd like to add the cilantro prior to processing you can - just add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro after you cook down the tomatoes, when you add the rest of the vegetables. For the green bell peppers, you can use anaheim or poblano chile peppers, or just regular green bell peppers. "Cooking Time" includes processing time. Depending on how quick you are at peeling and seeding tomatoes, this recipe may take longer than the stated amount of time."
 
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Ready In:
3hrs 30mins
Ingredients:
10
Yields:
5 pints
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ingredients

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directions

  • Peel, seed, core, and chop the tomatoes (you should have about 14 cups). Place the tomatoes in a large colander and let them drain for 15 minutes. Discard the tomato juice drained off, or save for another purpose.
  • Place the drained tomatoes in an 8 quart stainless steel pot. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 1 1/4 hours until thickened, stirring frequently. Add the green bell pepper, jalapenos, onion, vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper (if you have chosen to add cilantro to the recipe, now is the time to add it). Return mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
  • Ladle the hot salsa into hot canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with damp paper towels to remove any salsa which got on the rims or the threads. Place the lids and the bands on the jars, just tightening the bands fingertip tight.
  • Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, then remove and let sit, undisturbed, for at least 12 hours before checking seals. It is important to let them sit undisturbed for 12 hours because the sealing compound on the lids is still cooling and hardening, completing the seal. While the jars cool, you will hear a "plink" type sound from each jar - this is the jars completing the vacuum seal as the final air escapes the jar. After 12 hours have passed, remove the bands and check the lids - press down in the center of the lid. If you cannot push the lid down any further, the jar is sealed. If the lid "gives" a bit, and you can push it down, the jar did not seal. You can either put the band back on the jar, and reprocess it for another 15 minutes, or you can just put it in the fridge and use it within 3 months.

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Reviews

  1. I made this exactly as the recipe said & it turned out great! The only thing is the time estimate was way off for me as it took more like 6 hours. Maybe the next time I will be faster. I also saved the seeds/tomato liquid & used the blender to mix with the rest of the can of tomato paste I had left. I will probably use it in soup. Thanks for a great recipe.
     
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<p>I'm originally from Atlanta, GA, but I now live in Brooklyn, NY with my husband, cat, and dog. I'm a film and video editor, but cooking is my main hobby - if you can call something you do multiple times a day a hobby. <br />I enjoy all types of food, from molecular gastronomy to 70's suburban Mom type stuff. While I like to make recipes from cookbooks by true chefs, I don't turn my nose up at Campbell's Cream of Mushroom - I'm not a food snob. <br /> I love foods from all nations/cultures, and I am fortunate enough to live in NYC so I can go to restaurants which serve food from pretty much anywhere on the globe. Because of this most of my recipes tend to be in the Western European/American food tradition - I find it easier to pay the experts for more complicated delicacies such as Dosai, Pho &amp; Injera. I really enjoy having so many great food resources available to me here in NYC. One of my favorite stores is Kalustyan's http://www.kalustyans.com/ <br />they have every spice, bean, &amp; grain in the world. If there's something you can't find, look on their website. I bet they'll have it and they can ship it to you! <br />Many of my recipes are Southern, because that's the food I grew up on. I hope the recipes I have posted here will be useful to folks out in the 'zaar universe! <br /> <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/Adopted1smp.jpg border=0 alt=Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket /> <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/smPACp.jpg border=0 alt=Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket /> <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PACfall08partic.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /> <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/IWasAdoptedfall08.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /> <br /><img src=http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e110/flower753/Food/my3chefsnov2008.jpg alt= /></p>
 
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