Simple, Spicy Salsa

I’m off to visit these weirdos for the next couple of days, leaving behind Biceps and two very needy kitties. I think Biceps might be stressed out a little about the kittens’ extreme cuddle needs-I’ve set the bar pretty high for cuddles around our house. Pray for him…

But, I love you dear readers and didn’t want to leave you without something simple and yummy to make this weekend. After all, it’s Memorial Day Weekend and I bet most of you are cooking up a storm, heading out to your yachts and tanning yourself in your hot little bikinis.

However, I will be going to a feed store and a Holocaust museum. Almost the same thing, right?
And since my garden is in full swing, I am getting excited about making and canning my own salsa once more. When life gives you tomatoes, jalapenos and other assorted peppers, what else do you do, but make Simple, Spicy Salsa!

(I originally posted this back in 2010, but not many got to see it before my site went belly up. So, it’s back for your viewing pleasure.)

Here’s what you’ll need to make this Simple, Spicy Salsa:

Food Processor
5+ Beefy Tomatoes-I used several different varieties
1/2 Bunch Cilantro
3 Garlic Cloves
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
2-3 Jalapeno or Spicy Chili Peppers
3 Banana Peppers

You’ll want to balance these with….

…with these nice fellas to make your Spicy Salsa. Now, let’s get to work.

Throw whole tomatoes into your food processor and set it to ‘Puree’.

I know most people would tell you to seed them, take the cores out, etc. But, I promised you “simple” and you are getting “simple”. Plus, it doesn’t taste any different, so there.

It should look like this when you are done beating the puddin’ out of it.

Now, see those little unassuming jalapenos and that red pepper? Take the stems off of the tops and throw them in-you may seed them if you want it to be less spicy.
Hit the ‘Puree’ button once more and laugh evil-like for good measure.

Add the Chartreuse (Banana) Peppers and do the same. You may “evil laugh” at your own discretion.

Toss in your cilantro and turn the ‘Puree’ button down to a nice ‘Chop’.

Mince 3 cloves of garlic and add it to the  mix.
‘Chop’ this for a few seconds, using the ‘Pulse’ button if you have one.
Add the lime juice and hit the ‘Mix’ button for a few more seconds.

Hello, yummy. This stuff is a little spicy, but oh so good. If you need to tone it down for daintier pallets, seed the spicy peppers or add a tad bit of sugar.

Now, grab yourself a bag of chips and get busy. Chef’s orders.

Linking up here, along with other parties:

Pickled Jalapeno Peppers

After making enough Jalapeno Pepper Jelly to feed a small army, I still had more jalapenos than I could handle. I then dehydrated a large freezer bag full and then blanched another freezer bag full.
But, I still had at least six more pounds of jalapeno’s to deal with. Since you can pickle cucumbers, okra and just about anything else, I decided I would try it on my jalapenos. So stinkin’ glad that I did.

(This tutorial may look like a lot of steps, but I am also showing the canning process that is applicable to any type of water bath canning-just in case you aren’t familiar.)

 

Pickled Jalapeno Peppers are tasty, a little hot and still crunchy. Throw a few in your chili, on top of nachos, hot dogs or even a pizza to add a little pizzaz. (If you don’t want them to be hot, simply remove the seeds and membranes).
The best part? They look fancy inside a mason jar and make inexpensive gifts!

 

Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own Pickled Jalapeno Peppers (this recipe makes the 4 quarts shown):

3 C Water
9 C Distilled White Vinegar
2 TBS Kosher Salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
8 cloves of Garlic, peeled and left whole
6 Lbs Jalapeno Peppers-green & red (that’s about 180 small peppers or 60 large)

4 Quart Jars with lids and rings
Canner & canning utensils
Gloves

 

First things first, wash your jars, rings and lids in soapy water.

 

I am super particular about bacteria, so after I wash my jars, rings and lids-I put them in a large pot of boiling water, turn down the heat and let them simmer while I am making the jars’ contents.

 

Slap on your rubber gloves and de-stem the jalapenos. At this point, if you want less hot jalapeno’s, cut out the membrane and the seeds.

 

Slice the jalapeno’s to be about 1/4-1/2″ thick.

 

Peel the garlic gloves and apply slight pressure to each clove with your thumb. Don’t smash them to smithereenes-this is just to release a bit of flavor.

 

Now for the brine: Pour the 3 cups of water into a large stainless steel pot. Place the pot on a large burner on the stove.

 

Add the 9 cups of vinegar to the pot.

 

Add the 2 TBS of Kosher salt.

 

Finally, add the 1 1/2 tsp of ground Cumin.

Whisk all of these ingredients together and bring to a boil. Stir until the Kosher salt dissolves completely.

 

While you are waiting on the brine to boil, remove the hot jars, lids and rings with tongs.

 

Also, while you are waiting on the brine to boil, fill the canner up with water, about 3/4 of the way up. Turn the burner on high, set the canner lid loosely on top-don’t screw the lid on as pictured here!.

 

Put a clove of garlic (or two if the clove is small) in the bottom of the sterilized jars.

 

While wearing gloves, pack each jar completely full of jalapeno pepper slices.
 

Place the canning funnel over each jar. Fill the jar full of the hot brine, leaving a 1/4″ at the top of the jar.

 

Use a knife to remove any air bubbles.

 

Remove any excess liquid from the mouth of the jar with a clean cloth.

 

Place the lids on the jars and hand tighten the rings.

 

Using tongs, place the jars inside of your water bath canner.

 

Place the canner lid and process the jars for 10 to 15 minutes.

 

Remove the jars with the tongs, and set on clean dish towels on the counter. As the jars cool, you can hear a ‘ping’ which tells you the jars were processed correctly.

 

Store for 3+ weeks in a dark area. This allows all the flavors to get to know each other, mingle around, have some alone time and in turn-makes your jalapenos super yummy.

Keep opened jars for 6 months in the fridge-use only clean utensils to remove peppers. No fingers, please.
Keep unopened jars for a year.

This means you can make Pickled Jalapeno Peppers this summer after the jalapeno harvest and give to that special someone as Christmas gifts months later.

Easy, peasy, cheap and pleasy.

Canning & Making Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

This year, the garden produced more jalapeno’s than I knew what to do with. I dehydrated a large bagful, blanched another bag, and then gave some away. With the rest, I wanted to make as much Jalapeno Pepper Jelly that I could afford and then pickle the rest (I’ll share the pickling tutorial later on, don’t you worry your pretty little head.)

Today, let’s focus on this tasty Jalapeno Pepper Jelly recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own Jalapeno Pepper Jelly:
12 Cups of White Sugar
4 Cups of Apple Cider Vinegar
4 packets of Liquid Pectin (I use Ball’s-they come two packets in a box)
24+ medium sized jalapeno peppers
8-9 pint Canning jars, lids and bands
Canner
Blender

 

You’ll want to invest in a nice set of canning instruments, too. A set usually includes a wide mouth funnel, tongs, magnetic tipped lid retriever, and a jar lifter.

 

First things first-wash your jars, lids and bands in hot soapy water. Rinse well. Add the jars, lids and bands to a large pot of water.

 

Bring to water just to boiling, then decrease the temp to allow the pot to be constantly hot (low to medium low) while you are making the jelly.

 

Fill your canner halfway with water, loosely place the lid on top and bring the water to boil. Turn the heat down to medium with the lid still loosely covered.

 

While wearing GLOVES, slice the stems from your peppers. Slice them in half and remove the seeds.

 

Place the seeded peppers in the blender with half (2 Cups) of the vinegar.

 

Puree until it’s smooth. You’ll have chunks of peppers floating around still. Don’t worry. That’s normal.

 

Measure the 12 Cups of Sugar and dump it all into a large pot. Add the remaining 2 Cups of Vinegar, and the pureed peppers.

 

Turn the heat to high, bringing to a boil. Stir constantly, bringing the sugar up to the top and blending the ingredients together. Boil for 10 minutes, bringing to a rolling boil.

 

While you are waiting for your jelly to boil, retrieve your lids and jars, placing them on a clean dish towel.

 

After the mixture has boiled for 10 minutes, pour the four packets of Pectin into the center of the pot.

 

Stir the pectin into the pepper mixture, returning the mixture to a hard boil for one minute.

 

Pour the mixture into your hot jars using the wide mouth funnel. Fill the jar until it’s 1/4 inch away from the top. Wipe the top of the jar with a clean cloth, removing any drips.

 

Hand tighten the lids and bands on the jar. Don’t get crazy and over tighten.

 

Place your sealed jars into the canner. Put the lid of the canner on tight and bring the water to a boil.

 

Boil for ten minutes and have a glass of wine.

 

After ten minutes of boiling, carefully remove the canner lid away from your face and using hot pads over the handles. Turn the heat off and let the jars sit for five minutes or so.

 

Remove the jars with the jar lifter and place on a tea towel. As the jars cool, the lids will make a popping noise, ensuring your worrisome brain that there is a seal in place.

Add some cream cheese on a plate, dollop the pepper jelly on top and scoop it all into your mouth with a wheat thin. This, my dears, is heaven.

My Neighbor’s Garden

I have neighbors that are really there for me when I desperately need them.
Like when I desperately need their garden booty to make Pico De Gallo, Bruschetta or Shrimp Pasta Primavera.

This pleasant little harvest came from the neighbor that we are building a front entryway for.

She loves to bless me with tomatoes and I do not want to rob her of this blessing.
I like to eat this blessing.
Home grown tomatoes embarrass the store bought ones any day. They have the most wonderful, full flavor a bruschetta lover could imagine.

Don’t even get me started on the hot peppers she has given me. One of these cute little jalapenos has flavored an entire bowl of Pico de Gallo. The gentle spiciness mingles with the lime juice, onions, cilantro, green peppers and tomatoes oh so well.
I am in love.

These mild peppers have graced everything from my salads, to grilled sandwiches (which we call ‘sandies’), and taco meat.
So yummy.

I have never met a tomato I didn’t like. Unless of course you count the days when I was less than fifteen years old.
I was stupid then. I didn’t know the pleasures of a sun-ripened tomato.

This little guy intimidates me. It is a spicy red pepper. He has been staring at me every time I open the fridge door. I mean, just look at him.
Take a really good look at him below.

I think he’s yelling at me.

Here is the Crème de la crème. This fragrant basil grows in my neighbor-to-the-north’s front flower bed.
I cut a sprig of this lovely herb and sniff it for the next five hours.
I know, I am weird. But, it just smells so dang good.

I am so thankful for neighbors. And especially thankful for the neighbors with gardens.