Chipotle Salsa - homemade

Recipe courtesy Merle Ann Loman, 2009

Prep Time: 30 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0
Cook Time: 0
Level: Intermediate
Serves: Makes about 10 cups

Ingredients:

6 cups chopped ripe tomatoes or 3 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes, well drained
1 ½ cups corn kernels, fresh, frozen, (or canned, well drained)
1 ½ cups black beans, canned – rinse before using
1 cup diced sweet onions, I like to include some diced scallions
2 Serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced
2 Jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced
3 tablespoon chopped chipotle chiles in adobo (include some of the sauce)
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
Lime zest from 2 medium limes
2 fresh limes, juiced
2 T tomato paste
2 T olive oil
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T cumin
2 T oregano (or basil)
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (use less or chop very finely if you’re not a big cilantro fan)
Salt, to taste

Directions:
Combine tomatoes, corn, black beans, onions, peppers, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, tomato paste, olive oil, red wine vinegar, cumin, oregano and cilantro in a large bowl. Season with salt. Cover and chill until ready to serve. I use Kerr pint jars, load them quite full, secure the lids tightly, and put them in the coolest place of my fridge. It will keep at least a week. Make a smaller batch or give a jar away as a gift if you can’t eat it all in a week.

ALL INGREDIENTS CAN BE ADJUSTED TO TASTE – it is your recipe now, create it the way you and your family like it.

Variations:
To add a roasted flavor, in a small dry skillet heated over medium-high heat, roast the corn kernels until slightly caramelized and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

You can also roast peppers by placing them on gas stove or open flame. Make sure to turn peppers to char evenly. When pepper skin is black, remove peppers and place them in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes or until cool. Remove peppers and peel off black skin. Remove seeds. Dice the peppers and add to the salsa.
Try different peppers such as Poblano, a larger and milder pepper.

Merle’s notes:
We like our salsa thick. If you want more liquid, add some of the drained liquid, or tomato juice to make it the desired consistency.


As I said above, all ingredient amounts can be adjusted to taste. Peppers, for instance, vary in how hot they are and the seeds are the hottest part. When I begin chopping the peppers, I taste a small piece so I can judge how hot they are. If they are REALLY hot, I add less. If they aren’t so hot, add some of the seeds, red pepper flakes, or drops of your favorite hot sauce. Be very careful, either wear plastic gloves or wash your hands thoroughly after handling the peppers. To learn more, visit this site I found this site - “All About Chiles” http://www.tasteoftx.com/recipes/chiles/peppers.html. If in the end your salsa is hotter than you like, just add more tomato.

To my family and me, the lime zest and juice is what makes this salsa so flavorful. It may sound like a lot, but the acid of the juice and vinegar help keep the vegetables fresh longer. All the flavors blend and day by day, the flavors mellow.

If you are thinking of freezing the salsa, you can, but it becomes mushy. If you freeze it, use it in a recipe that you will be cooking.

You will find the chipotle chiles in the mexican section of your grocery store.

Click here for a printable PDF version of Chipotle Salsa.