Yes, this is in fact, the best salsa recipe on the planet. My husband Keith made this salsa for a Mexican themed dinner party we hosted at our place a few weeks ago. I walked into the house after a full day hiking in the Rockies, dunked a tortilla in the salsa and was blown away by subtle flavours of roasted garlic, loud and clear tangy cilantro and smooth Italian parsley. All this wrapped in an rich addictive sweetness. I have named the salsa, “Keith’s (best) Salsa (in the world)” but it was my fellow Fit Frog hikers, Colin and Carol, who gave us this recipe. Colin makes this salsa every year and now I see why. The secret ingredient that takes it from really tasty to “I have to make this salsa and can 20 jars of the stuff right now” is the roasted garlic. As you can see in the photo below, roasted garlic can be mushy and sticky. It is a bit tricky to get out of its skin but well worth the effort so, soldier on and get messy!
Roasted Garlic Recipe
Wrap the entire head of garlic in aluminum foil and bake from 40 or so minutes at 400 F
(or until soft and mushy)
Processing and canning can seem fiddly and time consuming (and yes, it is a bit) but, for this recipe, the effort will pay off. And believe me, I don’t think many recipes are worthy of this extra step. The freezer is my simple way of preserving, however, after making 20 jars of salsa I needed to shelve the stuff. I just don’t have enough freezer space.
The tomatoes are so flavourful right now that I highly recommend doubling the recipe and then savouring the salsa taste sensation this winter while enjoying a glass of wine with friends.
Keith’s Best Salsa in the World Recipe
12 cups of Roma Tomatoes, coarsely chopped (or 4 X 28 oz cans diced or whole tomatoes) (2 kg)
2 cups Spanish onions (or sweet onions) (300 g)
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 cups roasted peppers, coarsely chopped (500 g)
1-3 cups of roasted garlic (we did 2 heads of Alberta, very fresh and strong, garlic) (up to 350 g)
2 cups cilantro, finely chopped (65 g)
1 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped (40 g)
1.5 cups jalepeno peppers, seeds removed and finely chopped (300 g)
Place tomatoes in large dutch oven or pot. Bring to boling. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 25 minutes or until thickened to the consistency of chunky salsa. Skim off excess liquid. Add onion and cook an additional 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and return mixture to boiling. Remove from heat. Can or freeze.
I made a lot of this salsa, 20 jars this fall. I did not have enough containers for it all so some of it is sitting in my fridge, waiting to come with my family and I (and fellow Fit Frog hikers) as we head out camping and hiking in Yoho National Park this weekend. This salsa will help us hike to the top of the Iceline Trail, past glaciers ,above Takakkaw Falls. It’s hard to believe that a simple salsa can make such a difference. sniff…dab, dab
Go on, put aside a few boing chores and make yourself a batch of salsa instead. The flavourful fall freshness is guaranteed to make you happy!
