Great Budget Friendly Salsa in a Flash

#salsa #arlenecoco

My favorite kind of salsa is the smooth kind versus the chunky. Most Mexican Restaurants serve this style of salsa when you sit down to eat with warm chips. I love the fresh chunky pico style, however, for everyday eating and multi-tasking into different dishes, the smooth version fits the bill.

Ingredients used in this recipe

Canned Diced Tomatoes- Any type of canned tomato in the juice will work for this recipe. I like the petite dice, however, the regular dice will work. Canned Rotel tomatoes with chilis and cilantro are the ones I used in this recipe.

Onions- I used 1/2 cup which is about a quarter of an onion. You can use red too.

Garlic Cloves or Garlic Powder- If you are going to eat the salsa in a day or two, fresh works great, if you are using garlic powder which is my preference because if your fresh garlic is old, it will become very strong tasting in a day or two. Granulated garlic will also work well.

Cilantro Sprigs- Fresh cilantro is a must for this dish. Be sure to chop those stems too, they are packed with flavor too. You can add more if you really love cilantro as I do.

Ground Cumin- This spice adds an earthy, smoky flavor to the salsa. Use smoked cumin if you can find it. It will add a new level of flavor.

Salt- Regular table salt is fine for this recipe, sea salt, and pink salt will also work fine.

Smoked Paprika and or Chili Powder- Either one will work here, whatever you have on hand, or you can add a bit of both to equal 1/2 teaspoon. I prefer the New Mexico sourced chili powder varieties but any style will work. Use what you have and like.

Ground Cinnamon- A little bit of this in your salsa will elevate the taste. Put a pinch in and taste it before adding more.

Lime Juice- The lime juice adds a bit of brightness to the salsa. Plastic squeeze lime can be used in a pinch.

Chef's Notes

-Do not skip the step of heating the salsa. It takes the raw taste out and served warm, it is fantastic with chips that are warm.

- Heat gently, no need to boil the salsa, you just want the flavors to marry.

- No need to chop the cilantro before adding, it will get processed enough in the blender or processor.

- Notice there are no additional hot peppers in this salsa because it is a mild version, however, you could add fresh or jarred jalapenos for heat. I do use 2 tablespoons of pickled jalapenos in the video version.