Chunky Tomato Salsa

As anyone living or traveling through Europe can tell you, it's extremely difficult (if not impossible) to find decent salsa.  For a Texan, born and raised on Pace picante (pronounced pi-CON-tee, of course), this is a travesty.  And don't be fooled by the tiny section on the foreign foods aisle at the shops - that bottled mess at the Carrefour and Migros is NOT salsa!  It's an abomination and makes God cry.  So this is a recipe I found on the very last page of the "Taste of Home - Chicken" Aug. 2009 magazine.  It's easy and delicious.  I've had good reviews from the foreign employers (one of whom lived in Texas for a bit), from church friends, and even from my family in Tejas over the holidays -- that's how you know it's legit!

3 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 4 large)

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 Tbsp sugar

2 1/4 tsp salt

1 garlic clove, minced

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1/4 cup white vinegar (I like white balsamic)

2 Tbsp lemon juice
Fresh cilantro (coriander), coarsely chopped (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients (stopping at the tomato paste).  Stir in the tomato paste, vinegar and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring frequently.  Cool to room temperature.  Can be served warm or chilled from the fridge - both are good!  Garnish with fresh cilantro to give it a fancy-shmancy touch.

NOTES:

(a)  I always make a double batch of this because it's really very little extra effort to double the chopping duties and you get fresh salsa for quite awhile.

(b)  Freshly chopped tomatoes are essential to give the salsa the right texture and a fresh taste, but a can of Rotel or regular diced tomatoes can be added if you want more liquid or to give it a little more tomato-y umph (that's a technical culinary term).

(c)  Stirring frequently is NOT a suggestion!  Don't put the pot on the fire and walk away for an hour - if the ingredients aren't mixed around, the salsa on the bottom can get slightly overcooked or burned, giving the entire pot of salsa a sour-ish aftertaste.  And that's alot of chopping gone to waste.

(d)  My Daddy said this was the best tasting ketchup he'd ever had.  My Aunt thought her tongue might fall off after sampling the same pot.  Everyone's tolerence differs, so if you're making a double batch, you might want to separate it into two pots.  Load up the jalapenos in one, and keep the regular version in the other.

(e)  Handling hot peppers.....from experience I can say it's a very bad idea to cut peppers, then try and put in your contacts.  No amount of hand washing will get rid of the pepper resin, so either wear latex gloves to chop or, if the E.R. in your kitchen is running low, dip the fingertips on both hands in oil before handling the peppers.  It makes all the difference!