Easy Mexican Salsa

There are a lot of options when it comes to salsa there is "pico de gallo" (the salsa most of the U.S considers salsa) which is chopped tomato, cilantro, onion, pepper etc.. there is  jarred or canned and there is authentic Mexican salsa...  Pico de gallo is the chopped stuff  it is not traditionally called salsa.. salsa is something more of a consistency of bbq sauce or sriracha. It is usually tomato based but can be either red tomato or tomatillo (green tomato) based.  I usually make a chile de arbol tomato sauce concoction I will address later but for now I will show you how to make a pico de gallo/salsa hybrid, the one I know how to make like this involves a molcajete (mole-cah-hay-teh)  a sort of a mortar made out of stone where you can ground spices, peppers, grains etc... But for now I will post this easier  version...

I learned how to make this from one of my best friends.. It's always been a hit on parties she brings chips and her salsa.. everyone always asks "what is the secret?" and I finally got her to tell me.. though it's not  a big deal.. what it is ..is that everyone that makes it adds a different flavor to it.. everyone makes it their own.. even if it's the same ingredients and measurements...

anyway  here it is...

4 fresh jalapeno peppers more or less depending on your  tolerance (or serrano peppers)
2 cloves of garlic
half a fresh cilantro (coriander) bunch
1 can of whole tomatoes
salt to taste

in a skillet or pan toast the jalapenos and the garlic until blackened  a bit.

In your blender's "chop" option, chop the jalapeno, garlic cloves and cilantro, chop half a second, chop again, chop half a second..chop again.  (excuse the side way images I have been trying to figure out why it's doing that , the original images are not sideways)

add the can of tomatoes

chop for a couple seconds and stop, chop for another couple seconds and stop again, you want the salsa to be chunky and not too blended.

and here is the final product enjoy with any Mexican dish or simply with chips! the easiest thing to bring to a party! ... also I like adding chopped scallions to mine as well if you like onions you can certainly add them! :)

enjoy!

post by Tanya E.