Homemade Salsa

I’ve tried to make my own salsa before. It was a few years ago, and it didn’t go well. I can’t really remember what went wrong, but I think that overall, the recipe I used suffered from a lack of flavor. I was not impressed, and vowed to stick to the store-bought and restaurant varieties.

Last week, I came upon Annie‘s salsa, and read through her post about it. I figured that if she doesn’t even like salsa but still likes this, then it must be good. We were planning to make another one of Annie’s recipes for dinner on Saturday (I’ll be posting about that later), so we decided to make the homemade salsa to go along with it.

We decided to give homemade salsa another chance.

And boy, we were pleased. You’re supposed to let the salsa sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours prior to serving so that the flavors can all meld together. After I was done mixing this all together, it smelled so good that we couldn’t help but sample it right away. We were blown away! This salsa is wonderfully flavorful, what with the garlic, cilantro, and all the other good stuff. Plus, it’s really easy to throw together.

We’ll surely continue to buy salsa in a jar if a recipe calls for it to be mixed in, but for chips and salsa? Not going to happen. I can’t imagine going back to store-bought salsa now. So what I’m saying is this: If you try this for yourself, be prepared for a lifestyle change! You’ll never buy salsa again. :) Also, this makes quite a bit of salsa, and you should be prepared to eat it. We’ve almost kicked the entire batch already, and will be making more tomorrow!

Annie’s Homemade Salsa
(Source: Annie’s Eats)

Ingredients:
– 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and very coarsely chopped
– 4 cloves garlic, halved
– 2 large vine-ripened tomatoes
– 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (drained or not, depending on how much liquid you want in your salsa)
– 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
– 1 tbsp. cumin
– 1/2 sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
– 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
– juice of one lime

Directions:
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the jalapenos and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

2. Add all other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse in very brief pulses until the vegetables have reached the size you desire (it does not take many pulses so don’t overdo it).

3. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.