Salsa Love

Homemade Salsa

So... As some of you may know, I LOVE Mexican food.  Actually, the word "love" doesn't even explain just how much I ENJOY it!  One of my missions this past summer was to find and create a salsa recipe that not only had some kick to it (spicy food is bomb!) but also encompassed all the fresh and vibrant flavors of some Mexican food.  Here is my favorite salsa that I like to make; I originally found the base for the recipe in a Rick Bayless book but have tweaked it a alot! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 medium Tomatillos
1/2 White Onion
1 T./ pinch of Fresh Cilantro
2 Jalapenos
2 Serrano Peppers
1 Anaheim Pepper
1/4 T. Ancho Chile Powder (this may be a little difficult to find)
3 Cloves Garlic
2 Medium Red Tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper
1 15oz. can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes
Small squirt of Lime Juice or 1 Freshly squeezed Lime

Directions:1. Roast all fresh ingredients until soft and brown.  I like to roast them on an iron skillet (you may score your really nice "non stick" pans if you use those) *hint hint*.  You will know when the Tomatillos are done because they will begin to caramelize, turn brown and be extremely soft and limp.

2. Once all of the ingredients are roasted, place all of the roasted ingredients and the rest of the ingredients in a blender and blend until desired consistency.

3.  Allow to chill in fridge about 2 hours before serving.  I will say that salsa always tastes better after it has been allowed to sit for about 24 hours in the fridge; that way all the fresh flavors have time to mix!

Special Notes:

- If you are not using an iron skillet or would just like to keep your pans clean while roasting the fresh ingredients, you can place them on tinfoil and place on the skillet.  That way you have less mess and an easier  clean-up time!

- This recipe is a little spicy!! For a tamer version you could substitute the Jalapenos for more Serrano Peppers, or add an extra Anaheim pepper.
- If you would like to kick it up a notch on the "Scoville Scale" (the heat scale for peppers), add a Habanero pepper or two!!