Salsa

We just got back from a wonderful week in Texas. We rode in boats, made some new friends and embraced old ones, got a little (ok, a shit ton of) sun on our pale, Northwest skin, and of course, we ate and ate and ate. I'm proud to announce that very few veggies were consumed on this trip. Cheesy enchiladas, ground beef, and Sonic drinks made up the bulk of our diet. Hilda's, in Fredericksburg, is always on our hit list when we're home. And per usual, after a quick stop at Sonic for a crunchy ice drink, we phoned in our order on our way from the airport.

 

I'm pleased to announce that Bubby and I had an opportunity to eat at Tamale King, in Kingsland, for the very first time. How the eff are we just now eating here? I'm wondering the same thing. This place has all the makings of an awesome Tex-Mex joint. Delish margaritas (yes, I would like to upgrade to premium tequila for just a buck more, thankyou), a gigantic menu that primarily rotates items from platter to platter and features an uncle so-and-so's favorite, and my hometown hero brother's picture on the wall. And though service from the awkward, possibly stoned waiter was a bit slow, we didn't really mind because he kept pouring dishes of some really tasty salsa. Yes, poured. From a surplus-sized syrup pitcher. 

Though it wasn't my favorite restaurant salsa (that distinction is still claimed by the smoky, roasted goodness at El Chile), it was fresh. That's the thing about salsa - it's so easy to spot the jarred crap, which doesn't come close to comparing to what you can make at home. So that's my inarticulate segue of telling you to make this at home. I used fresh tomatoes, but you can sub canned ones (whole, peeled). To render tomatoes skinless, score the ends like in the pic below, then drop them into a pot of boiling water for about a minute. The skins will peel right off.

This part is fun: once they've been peeled, squish them over a bowl, squeezing as much juice as possible out. Keep this juice to add to the salsa later, depending on how chunky you want it to be. Then throw the tomatoes into your food processor or blender with all the other ingredients. Taste for salt. Find your favorite syrup pitcher, and pour away.

Salsa

2 lbs. tomatoes (or one 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes)

1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed

4 cloves garlic, peeled

juice of half a lime (about a tablespoon)

1 jalapeno, seeds and stem removed

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce*

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

If using canned tomatoes, use only tomatoes, leave the juice behind. Whir everything together in a food processor or blender for about a minute. Add reserved tomato juice if ya like.

*this is an awesome secret ingredient that lends a little smokiness, a little 'wang' as my father-in-law would say. You get about six or seven of these in a can. I usually only use one at a time, then I stick the rest in a ziploc and freeze them.