“I Forgot The Salsa…”

…I said to myself in disbelief as I was about to start dinner tonight.

So I guess that means it really should have been a $33 or $34 dollar week. I apologize profusely for misleading you.

I contemplated making something else. I contemplated asking Josh to run to the store when he got home.

And then I contemplated asking our Colombian neighbors if maybe, possibly, they might have some extra salsa (I needed a cup and a half.)

They didn’t.

But they knew how to make salsa.

Five minutes later, I left with a can of stewed tomatoes in hand and a vague outline of a recipe in mind. Oh, and a bag of dried jalepeno peppers. (Apparently that is a staple in Colombian kitchens.)

And now I give to you, handed down from the Olde Country itself, my salsa recipe.

(Because it really worked for me. Cheap, quick, yummy, and so close to home.)

I chopped two stalks of celery, half an onion, and half a green pepper and sauteed them in hot oil. While sauteeing, I grated, oh, 3/4 of a dried jalepeno pepper over them, then stirred until the mix was blended and crisp-tender.

I lowered the heat and added the juice from the stewed tomatoes. Then I chopped the tomatoes and added them, too. (They were Italian style, so they had garlic, basil, and oregano already in them.)

Stir until heated through and you’ve got yourself some authentic, fresh, homemade, unbelievably tasty salsa.

And tomorrow, I shall reinvent pizza sauce. No, really. I will.

6 Comments

Teresa on February 27, 2008 at 7:18 am

We have a Colombian food stand run by Colombians across the street and down a little ways. I love their salsa! 🙂 I’ve never made it over the stove- I’d like to try that sometime (I just wish I could get good stewed tomatoes here- they don’t taste that great).