Fresh Salsa & Guacamole

I know I've bottled salsa - but when you have the time and fresh ingredients it's hard to resist.  As it is, I'm convincing myself to look at ingredients I have in the house so I don't make another trip back to one of my favorite places. . . the farm! I can't promise I won't go there again this weekend :)

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Taken from www.epicurious.com/

Makes about 2 cups.

Ingredients:

 ¾ pound tomatoes (about 2 medium), seeded, and finely diced (1 ½ cups)

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

¼ cup finely chopped white onion

1 small fresh jalapeno or Serrano chile, finely chopped, included seeds (the more seeds the more heat!) It's helpful to wear gloves here remember.

1 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice

½ tsp fine salt, or 1 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Season to taste with additional chile, lime juice, and salt. 

This salsa keeps in the fridge for just a day or two.  Before you serve it, stir it well drained of any excess liquid that has accumulated in the bowl.

Guacamole

Taken from America’s Test Kitchen 2001-2010. 

Makes 2 ½ to 3 cups.

 

Ingredients:

 3 medium ripe avocadoes

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

2 TBSP minced onion

1 small jalapeno chile, stemmed seeded, and minced

1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tsp)

½ tsp ground cumin (optional)

dash of salt

2 TBSP juice from freshly squeezed lime

Directions:

1. Halve 1 avocado, remove the pit, and scoop out the flesh in a medium bowl. Mash the flesh lightly with the cilantro, onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, and ¼ tsp of salt with the tines of a fork until just combined. (see picture for dicing avocado for cubes)
2. Halve, pit, and cube the remaining 2 avocados.  Add the cubes to the bowl with the mashed avocado mixture. 
3. Sprinkle the lime juice over the diced avocado and mix the entire contents of the bowl lightly with a fork until combined but still chunky.  Season with salt, if necessary, and serve
4. This guacamole can be kept in the fridge a couple of days.

Enjoy with some nachos! 

Bottled Salsa

I love farms. I found myself last Sunday driving back to the orchard to get a cart of fresh tomatoes.  I stocked up with about 20 pounds of tomatoes and drove home with a smile on my face.  I reminded myself that I would I need to get cooking or my fridge was going to run out of room! Don't forget, my fridge is still full of apples, although they are beginning to dwindle.

What was my plan? I have always wanted to bottle salsa but never really had the nerve to try it out. Making and bottling salsa was totally worth it.  I'm thinking about trying some different types of salsa! I’ll keep you updated! Something tells me I'll also be stocking up on my nacho chips.

Please don’t be afraid to try this if you’re new to bottling! If I haven’t explained something well enough, don’t hesitate to leave a comment and ask. Also, Youtube is a wonderful resource for “how to” kinds of stuff. I will admit that it takes about a half hour to prep the tomatoes – so make sure you are not pressed for time.

Bottled Salsa

Makes approximately 1500 ml or 6 250ml bottles. Adapted from "Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving" (2010).

Ingredients:

7 cups chopped tomatoes (see note for directions before you start chopping!) I had about 13 tomatoes to get this.

2 cups coarsely chopped white onions It's important not to chop things too finely or it will get mushy later. 

5 jalapeno peppers

3 cloves of pressed garlic

1 can tomato paste

¾ cup white vinegar

½ cup chopped cilantro

½ tsp ground cumin

Directions:

Blanch tomatoes. Take a large pot and set to boil. Prepare a large bowl of cold water and set next to your stovetop.  You will need a strainer or something to hook the tomato out of the water. Here’s what you do:

a.     Cut a small x in the bottom of the tomato (see photo)

Make your X!

b.     Drop tomato in the boiling water for 10 seconds making sure it’s fully submerged

c.      Take the tomato out of the boiling water and submerge in the cold water

d.     Remove the tomato and you should be able to slide the skin off with ease – you may also use a knife to peel if it doesn’t want to slide off easily. Remember to be careful – those tomatoes are super slippery and slimy once the skin comes off!

e.     Only blanch one tomato at a time

Peel, seed and coarsely chop tomatoes.

Wearing rubber gloves (don’t avoid this or you will have burning skin, eyes, or anything else you may accidently scratch!) remove seeds and finely chop jalapenos.

Combine tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, cilantro, and cumin in a large stainless steel saucepan.

Bring to a boil; boil gently stirring occasionally, until salsa reaches desired consistency, about 30 minutes.

Tomato Blanching Station

When you are boiling this on the stovetop, don’t be discouraged if it appears watery. Let it boil for the allotted time – and don’t forget to stir so it doesn’t burn on.  By the end, it ended up being a great consistency.

For bottling, I used the same sanitation technique as the Apple Butter.  Wash, rinse, and put in the oven on a cookie sheet at 300 for about 20 minutes.

Ladle hot salsa into hot jars within ½ inch from rim.  (see Apple Butter section for more details about bottling).

Once all bottles are sealed. Place in large canner pot. Water should completely cover the bottles. Bring the pot to a steady boil for about 30 minutes.

Remove bottles with the bottle gripper and place right-side up and let set for 24 hours.  Store in a cool, dark place.

I was worried that this wouldn’t turn out. I’ve made fresh salsa in the past but didn’t know what bottled would look like. It has more of a smooth than chunky texture. Here are some of the photos from the bottling process.

If you would like to know a Fresh Salsa recipe in addition to the bottling recipe - leave a comment! :) 

 

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Feta, and Mint

There are at least six different types of cheese in my fridge at all times. Extra old cheddar, cambozola or basic blue, mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, goats cheese (likely infused with something fruity or herby), and feta. If I let myself, I would eat cheese on everything.

This dish brings Greek influences with it’s feta, olives, and cherry tomatoes. Having not married a Greek myself, although some of my friends are so lucky, I’ve had to figure out and get words of wisdom from books, online sources, and bug my Greek friends for guarded family recipes.

This one was taken from a great cookbook, “America’s Test Kitchen: Light & Healthy 2010”.

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Feta, and Mint

Makes for 4.  If desired, basil can be substituted for mint. Whole lot of amazing.

Prep time - approximately 30 minutes. 

Ingredients:

Chicken:

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

4 tsp olive oil

Relish:

2 garlic cloves, minced

12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved (about 2 cups)

1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped (fresh ones from the deli section are best)

2 TBSP water

Salt and pepper to taste

1 ounce crumbled feta cheese (about 1/4 cup)

¼ cup fresh shredded mint (can be substituted for basil)

Directions:

For chicken:

Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  

Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any extra.  

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  

Carefully lay the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook well browned on the first side, about 6-8 minutes.  

Flip the chicken and reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the chicken is not pink in the middle and white and juicy.  

Transfer chicken to a platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest while making the relish.  

For the relish:

Add the garlic to the oil (you may need to add a little extra oil) and return to medium heat, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  

Stir in tomatoes, olives, and water, and cook scraping up any browned bits until the tomatoes are just softened, about 2 minutes.  

Stir in any accumulated chicken juice and season with salt and pepper to taste - but remember that feta cheese is salty so not too much salt! 

Plate the chicken and pour the relish over the chicken breasts, sprinkle with feta and mint to serve. 

It must, if at all possible, be drank with a glass of wine while you pretend you are sitting on an island in Greece. Opa!