the salsa recipe that isn't really mine

This week in my daybook I shared a picture of veggies roasting in the oven for salsa and a couple of people asked about the recipe so I thought I'd share it with you today.

First, in the interest of full disclosure, this is not "my" recipe.  My sister-in-law brought this wonderful salsa to our family's new year's gathering at my parents' house.  I could have skipped all the other food and just eaten the salsa ... I'm telling you, this stuff is addictive, so be prepared.  It is a little time consuming to make, but very much worth the effort.

I just knew that Rebecca had spent hours testing and coming up with the perfect recipe since she always has great ideas for new things.  So, she surprised me this time by just giving me the website where I could find the recipe.  I have made the salsa a couple of times, as has another one of my sisters-in-law.  We have each made adjustments to meet the tastes of our family, but the basic recipe is still the same.

I have to tell you that the first time I made the recipe I was too cheap frugal to buy the roma tomatoes that it called for, which was a mistake.  The results were still quite tasty, but just not the same.  I am looking forward to this summer when I can try out the recipe with different types of fresh tomatoes - hopefully some from my own garden.  Until then, if I am going to take the time to make the recipe, I will splurge on the good romas ... which I actually found for a decent price at Sam's Club.

One piece of advice if you are going to make this salsa ... read the comments below the recipe on the website.  I found lots of good information about customizing the salsa to individual tastes.  For me, I don't really like the tomato skins, so I removed some of them before blending.  Another great tip is to cut and core the tomatoes before roasting, this seemed to simplify the process of handling the hot veggies.  I also really like the flavor of cilantro and cumin, so I upped the amounts of these two ingredients slightly.

I happened to be watching one of my favorite chefs on tv last night - Rick Bayless.  (I am sure you were expecting some food network personality, but this show actually comes on Create  ~ a PBS station.)  He was actually talking about salsas and how in Mexico they aren't so much for chips and dip as they are condiments for various dishes or even used as an ingredient in the dishes.  His daughter, who is often on his show, make a mac-and-cheese dish with salsa that actually looked pretty good.  He made another salsa that he used as a topping for grilled fish ... all these ideas make me wish my kids liked actually liked salsa.  I am planning to use some in a baked chicken and rice dish ... I guess the boys will just have to eat PB&J that night.

You can find the recipe for my salsa on the allrecipes.com website. 

Thanks, Rebecca!