Smooth Smoking Spicy Salsa

My son John likes a smooth salsa and he and my Husband like it extra HOT. So this is made smooth and spicy, But I take it over the top and raise the HEAT in 3 of the jars by adding more pureed Chipotle in adobo sauce. You can skip this step by just filling the jars as the recipe calls for,

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 75
• Yields: 12-13 1/2 pint

Ingredients

• 2  cups red bell peppers, seeds and stem removed and rough chopped
• 2  cups onions, rough chopper
• 4 -6  chipotle chiles in adobo, taste before you add more
• 1 -3  teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
• 2  tablespoons sugar, use to taste if tomatoes are sweet can skip
• 2  fresh limes, zest and meat (white pith and seeds removed)
• 1⁄2 cup  packed cilantro, chopped and or 1⁄2 cup  chopped basil
• 6  garlic cloves
• 1  tablespoon cumin
• 10  cups  fresh pureed organic tomatoes (seeds removed and leave skins for on extra benefits before blending)

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients except for the pureed tomatoes in a blender and blend till smooth making sure all the garlic in broken down. Depending on you blender you may have to do in batches.
2. Place all the ingredients in a heavy bottom pot bring to a boil then simmer 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. Ladle into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe jars and adjust lids and process in water canner for 15 minutes. Cool over night, label and store out of sunlight.
4. FYI: An extra step is not necessary but for my family it is! I saved 3 cups to kick up the heat for my son and husband by adding 3 more pureed chipotles in adobo sauce.
5. I did add 2 more tablespoons bottled lemon juice to the remaining three cups. and brought back up to a boil then simmered while the other jars were in the water bath, This is extra hot so no need to do unless you have family members like mine that request it hotter!