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Mexican Salsa

 

 

My mother is always making homemade salsa. She is either using her tomatoes from a grocery trip that need used up, canned, or in the summer fresh. So it inspired me to make salsa of my own. Family loves it and it is EASY, which is my middle name! This is just a base for any type of salsa you may want to make, whether it be fresh, fruit, canned, hot or mild. Experiment with it!

3 jalapeno peppers (more or less depending on your heat level)
1 medium onion quartered
1 garlic clove, halved
drizzle of olive oil
3 14 ounce cans of whole tomtatoes
4 fresh cilantro sprigs
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Quarter the onion and place on a baking sheet with jalapenos and garlic. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Cook until the peppers are blistering. approx. 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and take the stems out of the jalapenos. If the you prefer you can sweat the jalapenos to remove the outer skin. Do this by placing in a bowl while hot and covering with plastic wrap for 20 min.

Place onion and garlic in food processor; cover and pulse four times. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, salt and jalapenos. Cover and process until desired consitency.

Chill and serve with chips.

Note: Jalapenos vary in heat. I usually cook three, and add two. If the heat is not hot enough I add the last one during the tomatoe process.

BBQ Rub Recipe

I was always intimidated about making ribs. I have tried several times but have always had tough, chewy results. So after spending sometime reading, and watching Food Network, I decided to try what I learned. I mixed and matched ideas, and think these came out amazingly good. I will next time let them sit with the rub longer, if not up to 24 hours before cooking. I think the flavor would have penetrated even more.

Cumin Rib Rub Recipe

3 Tbsp. cumin

1 Tbsp coriander powder

2 Tbsp. dried thyme

2 Tbsp chili powder

2 Tbsp. paprika

2 Tbsp fresh ground black pepper or Montreal seasoning

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup kosher salt

Instructions: Mix. Rub into ribs, marinate over night and cook as desired.

Remove the membrane from the back side of the ribs, and rub the ribs generously with mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit overnight or up to 24 hours. Cook as desired.

Note: I put the ribs from saran wrap to foil, and braised them in the oven with orange juice and margarita mix. The foil holds the liquid in if you wrap them good. The cooking time for me was 6 hours at 225. Remove from oven and let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, soak some wood chips in water and place in a pan or foil. Put the chips under your grate on the grill to add that smoky flavor to your ribs.

Remove the meat when the carmalization forms from the sauce, and cut into serving size portions.