This delicious, tomato salsa can be made sweet or spicy – mild or hot!
With added herbs for flavour, serve with corn chips for dipping, or with your
favourite Mexican dish, including
enchiladas, fajitas, nachos and tacos.
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Ingredients
for TOMATO SALSA
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Yield: around 4-5 cups
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Yield: around 10 cups
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Roma/Paste
Tomatoes (Firm, Ripe)
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1.1kg (2 1/2
pounds)
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2.2kg (5 pounds)
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Optional:
Capsicums
(Sweet Peppers), Diced
and/or Chillies (Hot Peppers) , Diced
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1 cup (or less)
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2 cups (or less)
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Brown Onion,
Diced
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1 1/4 cups
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2 1/2 cups
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Garlic,
Minced
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1-2 cloves
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3 cloves
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Bottled
Lemon Juice
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1/2 cup
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1 cup
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Balsamic
Vinegar
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1 1/2 tablespoons
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3 tablespoons
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Dried
Basil
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1/2 tablespoon
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1 tablespoon
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Dried
Oregano
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1/2 tablespoon
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1 tablespoon
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Dried
Parsley
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1/2 tablespoon
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1 tablespoon
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Brown
Sugar
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1 teaspoon
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2 teaspoons
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Black
Pepper, Ground
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1/4 teaspoon
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1/2 teaspoon
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Salt,
Finely Ground
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1/2 tablespoon
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1 tablespoon
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METHOD:
1.
Sterilise all equipment by washing in
hot soapy water and rinsing well before use.
2. Wash tomatoes then core. Place upwards on a
lined baking tray. Grill until skins split. Cover tomatoes and leave to cool
for a few minutes until they’re cool enough to handle. Slip skins off and
discard. Remove seeds (optional) and dice tomatoes. We will use the tomato
juice also so place juice in a bowl with the diced tomatoes.
3. If adding capsicums/chillies:
wash, remove stalks, halve and remove seeds.
4. Peel and finely
dice onion.
5. Peel and finely mince garlic.
6.
Wash jars in hot soapy water. Pre-heat the clean jars by covering them
in water and boiling for 10 minutes in a large pot.
Once the time is up, turn the heat off and leave jars in the hot water until
ready to fill.
7. Place lids into a bowl of boiled water. Remove the lids from the water when
you are ready to place them onto the jars to seal.
8. Combine all ingredients in a large pan. Stir gently to
combine.
9. Heat over medium while sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20-30
minutes (or until thickened to your liking). Taste, seasoning if required.
10. Ladle the hot salsa into the hot jars, filling to 1cm (1/2 inch) from the rim.
11. Using a non-metal utensil, remove any air pockets and add more salsa if
required to correct headspace.
12. Wipe rims with a clean, damp cloth to remove any food residue.
13. Add pre-warmed lids and twist to secure.
14. Place sealed jars into a pot of boiling water and boil for the processing
time stated below. Start the timer once the water comes to a full boil.
15. Turn off the heat source once the time is up. Remove jars from the hot
water after 5 minutes. Cool jars overnight on a heatproof surface. Do not
adjust lids during this time.
16. 12-24 hours later: check jars have sealed before wiping down jars,
labelling and dating.
17. Store jars of tomato salsa in a cool, dark and dry place for up to 12
months. Jar lids should not flex up or down when pressed.
Salsa, like
other vinegar-based preserves, are best enjoyed after 3-6 weeks to allow the lemon/vinegar
flavour to subside. Best enjoyed chilled.
18. Refrigerate jars upon opening and consume contents within 1 week.
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Processing
Time for TOMATO SALSA in a Boiling Water Canner
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Jar
Size
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Altitude
≤ 1,000 feet
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Altitude
1,001 -
3,000 feet
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Altitude
3,001 -
6,000 feet
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Altitude
≥ 6,000 feet
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Hot Pack
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≤ 500ml
(pints)
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15
minutes
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20 minutes
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20 minutes
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25 minutes
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NOTES:
o Do not alter the proportions of
ingredients in this recipe to ensure a safely preserved product;
o DO NOT make any substitutions for the bottled lemon
juice;
o Ensure tomatoes are bright in colour
and fully ripe;
o Discard tomato seeds to
remove any bitter aftertaste from your salsa;
o Roma (plum) tomatoes are best for this recipe,
because they’re meatier than regular garden (round) tomatoes, but cherry
tomatoes or regular tomatoes can also be used (salsa will be runnier);
o Choose salt that does not have any
additives (no iodine and no anti-caking agent);
o Adjust dried herbs - try oregano and garlic;
o Leave out dried herbs entirely for a plain salsa;
o Experiment with different chillies, sweet peppers (i.e.
red, yellow, green or combination) or hot peppers, or use dried chilli flakes;
o You could use red or white onion (or a
mixture of both) in this recipe instead of brown
onions, if you like;
o If you have leftover salsa from
bottling, store it in the refrigerator and enjoy it fresh (consume within 7
days).
SERVING IDEAS:
o Burritos
(and burrito bowls);
o Corn/tortilla
chips;
o Enchiladas;
o Fajitas;
o Quesadillas;
o Salad
dressing;
o Serve
with cooked shrimp/prawns and fresh avocado;
o Tacos;
o Taquitos;
o
Tostadas.
Author: Megan Radaich
Image Credit: Megan
Radaich
Publication: www.foodpreserving.org