Did you know that salsa is the #1 condiment in America?  How crazy is that?  I'm pretty sure that salsa didn't really make it big until the last couple of decades, and now, it's passed up ketchup in the condiment popularity contest.  I love salsa, but I'm kind of funny about it.  While I'll eat them, I don't really like jarred salsas.  They taste too...I don't know...cooked.  I also don't like to make salsa from store bought tomatoes because store bought tomatoes are poor excuses for tomatoes and make for lousy salsa in my opinion.  I do like freshly made, pico de gallo style salsas in summer from homegrown or farmer's market tomatoes.  Delicious!  I also love Mexican restaurant salsas.  While thin and runny, I can't tell you why, but it works- maybe a little too well after thinking about how many baskets of chips just my husband and I can go through.

Today's recipe is just that- a salsa that can be as thin and runny or as somewhat chunky as you want it.  It's made from, surprisingly, canned tomatoes and other ingredients and then processed in a blender or food processor.  It's great.  Ree Drummond, better known as Pioneer Woman, developed this recipe, and I loved it when I tried it.

It tastes fresher (great command of English, here) than jarred salsas and is a great recipe for those of us who like to play around.  I've found it very adaptable to suit my whims and tastes.  I hope you'll find the same thing.

This recipe makes a large quantity of salsa- we're talking probably 1 1/2 quarts, so it's good for a party or if you have a hungry family who likes to snack.  It keeps well for several days in the fridge and is great with chips and even your breakfast eggs.  I'm including a link to PW's post on her salsa.  If you like very detailed, step-by step instructions with photos, she's an incredible resource (especially when I forget to take pictures and only have one).  I will post her salsa recipe as written and then give you my changes in the notes section.  As they say in Mexico, provecho!

Restaurant Style Salsa
from The Pioneer Woman

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice

2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
¼ cup Chopped Onion
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
¼ teaspoon Sugar
¼ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Ground Cumin
½ cup Cilantro (more To Taste!)
Juice of 1/2 lime

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.


Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Notes

• I am not sure if I've told you before, but I don't like cilantro.  It all stemmed from an overdose in 10th grade when I tried to make homemade salsa the first time.  I didn't include any in this recipe.
• While I like a little heat, I'm not able to handle it like a champ, so I use one mild can of Ro-Tel and one regular can.  I also make sure I remove the white part and all seeds from the jalapeño.  That usually works for me.
• I love lime, so I have put more than half the juice.  It really depends on how pungent the lime juice is.