Spiel's Salsa

On my way home from work tonight, I had to console my little sister because she was so upset that Rachel and I had not posted on the blog since the Keys... so this post is for you Amanda - the Salsa is for this weekend....

The best way to explain this salsa is to say that one of Rachel's friends, Keri Smith, gave her a great recipe for "authentic" salsa, and I played with to add a few things (roasted garlic and pablano).  The beauty of this is its simplicity... mix the following in a blender - 8-10 roma tomatoes, 1/2 large sweet onion, 2 jalapenos and a dab of canola oil. (my mother will try to use olive oil with this but I have been lectured that canola oil is the only way to go).  Once blended, throw in 4 cloves of garlic and 1/2 a pablano pepper (both roasted in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes before hand, covered in olive oil - see Mom, I worked in the olive oil). Add the garlic and the pablano to the blender and then transfer the entire mixture to a hot pan with a small layer of canola oil across the bottom.  Cook on medium, stirring often and add salt to taste (it will take about 4 tb of salt ....).  Cook for 15-20 minutes.  Let cool, refrigerate, and serve cold...this ends up more like picante sauce, so don't be worried if it is thin!

The end result is some very rich and flavorful salsa that has a little heat, tons of flavor, and is equally good by itself or with a taco/fajita meal.  Enjoy!