Salsa

I found a new way to get my 4-6 daily servings of vegetables - salsa.  Salsa has become my new best friend.  It's good with chips of course, but it's also delicious with fish and on sandwiches.  I've made homemade salsa in the past but I normally make it in the summer when fresh tomatoes and peppers are prolific.  Obviously February is not the ideal time of year to make fresh salsa but I managed to find some really great produce even in the middle of winter.  This recipe came from a friend who makes a big batch of salsa every summer from the vegetables in her garden.  She cans her homemade salsa and enjoys it all winter long.  This recipe makes between 8 and 12 pints of salsa.
I used my new Cuisinart to chop all of my vegetables for this yummy salsa.  The instructions are easy: chop vegetables, combine in a pot and cook until thickened.  (About 1 hour)
Salsa
6 pounds fresh tomatoes

Onions, 1 red, 1 white and 1 yellow (I couldn't find a fresh red onion so I used an extra white onion instead.)

 4 large jalapenos (seeds removed)

1 yellow, 1 red and 1 orange bell pepper

5 cloves garlic

 

3 (6 ounce) cans of tomato paste and 1/2 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 Tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 Tablespoon cumin and 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons lime juice

2 Tablespoons cilantro
Put all vegetables into a stock pot and simmer about an hour. 

Don't be fooled by the overly simplistic instructions, it takes more time that you might think to chop all of these vegetables.  The time that you spend is WELL worth it though.  This recipe makes a LOT of salsa and it is really good.  Seriously, I have been eating it for lunch every day.  I froze some of the salsa in pint size jars just to stop myself from eating it all at once.  (It's that good.)
Thanks Tracy for this fantastic recipe.
Ciao!