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| Doug's favorite salsa |
My husband Doug’s shirt-fronts are frequently decorated with
a drizzle of salsa. He loves the stuff. “The chips,” he says, “are merely a
vehicle to transport the salsa to your mouth.”
I watch in amazement—and sometime, horror—as he breaks his
chips into thirds, loading each third with as much salsa as is humanly possible
before popping it into his mouth—splattering the menu, the tablecloth, and
everything close-by in tomato residue. The better the salsa, it so happens, the
more stained the shirt.
Fortunately for Doug, it’s currently salsa season. Tomatoes
are plentiful, and our friends are generous with their bountiful crops. The
farmers’ markets are also well-stocked with inexpensive seconds—perfect for
salsa-making. This week I pulled out his favorite recipe, given to me by my
amazing friend Linda Marshall, and made a double batch of it.
Salsa and tortilla chips are among those treats that folks
with celiac disease can consume without fear. Most brands of tortilla chips are
gluten-free and are clearly labeled accordingly. I’ve found that most restaurant
chips are GF as well, unless they’re deep-fried in oil that is used for frying
breaded appetizers. Ask before you indulge.
If you have extra tomatoes, try Linda’s recipe:
Salsa
5-6 medium tomatoes, diced
6 oz. tomato paste
2 T. lime juice
¼ C. diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1 T. fresh parsley or cilantro (add a little coriander, if
using parsley)
1 T. fresh oregano
½ bell pepper, diced
½ tsp. salt
1 T. olive oil
If you want to can your salsa, Linda says, heat it until
almost boiling. Pack in jars with ½ inch space. Use a hot water bath to process
for 35 minutes. I never can mine—not even the double batches that I always
make, because Doug gobbles it up immediately.
When I told Linda that I wanted to borrow her recipe for the
blog, she sent me a recipe from her cousin that she calls Lazy Man’s Salsa.
Here it is:
Lazy Man's Salsa
1 can tomatoes
(Linda freezes 1lb. bags from her garden to use for this purpose)
1 can Rotel or
similar
1/4 bunch
cilantro
1 t garlic
powder
1 t. salt
3/4 t cumin
Throw all in
blender and pulse--that's it!
Linda testifies
that Lazy Man’s Salsa is “surprisingly good.” I’ll make some for Doug, and
we’ll give it the old shirt test. I’ll let you know how it comes out in the
wash …
