Scary, scary, Salsa

I've always been a picky eater. Sauces and toppings, not for me! Funny thing though, if I have a couple of cocktails, I become more adventurous. This would be how I came to try mushrooms and green peppers on pizza many years ago. Or black olives and sour cream on nachos a couple of years ago. I'm the farthest thing from a foodie in the world. Except that I love food. Just my kind of food, simple food.

So one night, I was at a restaurant, after a work event and this is how I came to try..... salsa.
I don't like tomatoes. I like ketchup. I like pizza sauce. I like tomato sauce. I like sundried tomatoes. But I don't like tomatoes. I grow them. But I don't eat them, plain, raw, whole etc. Food psychologist referrals can be left in the comments.

While enjoying my margarita, some chips and salsa were delivered to the table. This was not your regular salsa. It wasn't chunky with peppers and onions floating in it. It wasn't overly thick and red like a sauce. It was fresh and light and smooth. So I dipped. Just slightly. Hmmm, this wasn't bad. A slight citrus tang. A kick of spice from cumin. A lingering heat blended in stealthily. Is that a word? As we drank, the chips diminished. The salsa diminished. The chips were refilled. The salsa was refilled. Freshly made chips, lightly sprinkled with salt. My new heaven.

I started making this at home and would bring it in to work and set it in a bowl on the big center island filing cabinet. 6 or 7 of us would stand around munching. The slight heat of the jalepeno wasn't enough to make you stop but rather it just made you want more.

Since then I have tried other salsas. Too thick, too thin, too tomatoey, too chunky. I'm just not happy with
anything else. We tried making salsa from fresh tomatoes and it turned out more pink than red, more like applesauce than salsa. Canned is the way to go for this. And I'll always have the ingredients on hand.

Salsa

• 1-2 jalapenos- depending on how spicy you like it, roughly chopped and seeds removed
• 1/2 medium red onion, roughly chopped
• 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• pinch of sugar

  

Combine jalepenos and onions in blender or food chopper and pulse or lightly process until chopped.

Add remaining ingredients and process until tomatoes are at your preferred consistency.
For best flavour, chill covered in fridge for a few hours before serving.

*Optional* After spooning into serving bowl, add about 1 tbsp diced red onion and a little lime zest to the top as a garnish

In the Ninja chopper

 Serve with Guacamole

If you're scared of any other food, check out Scared Silly over at The Whole Gang. Diane is hosting this month's Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free originally brought to you by Naomi Devlin. Enjoy!!!!!

xo

Kathleen

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