Corn Part III Corn Salsa

This is a great summer salsa with a small amount of sweetness.  Inspired by and modified from Marisa McClellan's Food in Jars book...a great book about preserving in small batches and year round.

Recipe: 

Remember I said I bought 24 ears of corn (8 ears for $1-crazy)?  Sixteen ears went to the stock and 8 into this recipe.  I did grill the corn along with 2 poblano chili peppers

Ingredients: 

8 ears of fresh corn, shucked with silks removed

5 cups chopped tomatoes - about 3 pounds

1 cup poblano peppers ( usually 2)

1 cup chopped red onion  91 small)

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

1/4 cups bottled lime juice (bottled is better for canning- if you make this for quick use or the fridge fresh lime juice is better)

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin ( the fresher the better with cumin)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp coriander seed

Method:

Fresh:

Grill or roast the corn and poblano peppers

When the corn is cool enough cut the kernels from the cobs

Peel, seed and chop the poblano chilis

Combine the corn kernels, tomatoes, peppers, onion, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and coriander in a large pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce and simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced.

Taste and adjust spices.

Canned:

Ladle the hot salsa into the prepared pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace

Wipe the rims, apply sterilized lids and rings*

Process in boiling water for 15 minutes **

This will produce 5-6 pint jars of salsa.  If you are canning and have some salsa but not enough for the jar to be full enough pop this in the fridge if it makes it that far.

You also might want to make a whole batch and only can 2 pints and keep the rest to use fresh.

*sterilize lids and rings by placing them in a small saucepan cover them with water and bring to a boil for 10 minutes.  Jars should be used straight from the dishwasher or boiled in a deep pot for 10 minutes

**Processing time is 15 minutes at sea level (well I wish I were at sea level but not just for processing time) add 5 minutes to altitudes from 1000-3000 ft- add 10 minutes to altitudes 3001-6000 ft.

tomatoes from the garden

zinnias

No don't put any zinnias in but they look like they belong

salsa ingredients

Ingredients before the heat is turned on.

Happy Fiesta!!!

Salsa time - to save for later

This is the end of my garden harvest.  I have about 8 pounds of tomatillos- both green and purple, some ugly but tasty tomatoes, purple and green Jalapeño peppers and some onions and garlic from the garden.  Let's make some salsa; can it up and have it on a cold January day.

ready for a cold January day

I started with my tomatillo salsa

4 pounds of tomatillos- hulled, washed and chopped
1 cup onion- chopped
4 Jalapeno peppers - seeded, chopped
4 cloves garlic - minced
1 Tbs ground cumin
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup bottled lime juice- remember this is going to be preserved so we need the acid
1/4 cup fresh cilantro - chopped fine

mise en place

Combine the tomatillos, onion, jalapeños, and garlic in a large pot.  Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Add the cumin, sea salt, lime juice and cilantro.
Cook and additional 10 minutes.  Taste the salsa and add more salt, cumin, or lime juice if necessary
Ladle the hot salsa into 1 pint jars that have been heat/water processed,* leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Wipe the rims, apply sterilized (boil in water bath 10 minutes) lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.  When the processing time is up, remove the canning pot from the heat and remove the lid.  Let the jars sit in the pot for an additional 5 minutes.
Makes 4 pints

This recipe is taken from Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan - a great little book for small batches of yummy processed food.

NEXT:

End of harvest tomato salsa:

uncooked salsa

So I had a basket of vegetables that I had picked from my garden- the end of everything,  mostly tomatoes, a variety of peppers- mostly Jalapeños,  red onions, a few tomatillos I missed , young garlic I had to dig for- you get it.  I am going to list a basic tomato salsa recipe from "Food in Jars" for the guideline of ingredients but it was basically whatever was left:

makes 4 pint jars:
6 cups tomatoes ( about 3 pounds) chopped
2 cups onions - chopped
1 cup bell pepper- chopped( 1 large pepper)
1 3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
3 Jalapeno peppers, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs sea salt
1 cup fresh cilantro - chopped

Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 --1 pint jars.  Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.

Combine the tomatoes, onion, chopped red pepper, vinegar, sugar, Jalapeños, garlic, lie juice and salt in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the salsa no longer looks watery.  Stir in the chopped cilantro.

Taste and add additional jalapeño, lime juice or salt if necessary.

Ladle the hot salsa into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.  Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

When the procession time is up, remove the canning pot from the heat and remove the lid.  Let the jars sit in the pot for an additional 5 minutes.  This helps to prevent the salsa from reacting to the rapid temperature change and bubbling out of the jars.

NOTE:  I live a mile high and must add 10 minutes to my procession time because of the altitude.

If your last jar is a little shy of salsa place it in the fridge and it will keep a couple of weeks - I didn't say it would last a couple of weeks

Goodbye garden 2016

Pork loin and cherry salsa, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

add the salsa to a delicious pork loin roast.
Bon Appetit!

Quilting and Salsa!!!!!!

corn and black bean salad, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

OK these two ideas don't really go together except at my house today. I "fired" my real estate agent and his broker so I knew I would have no "buyers" coming to my house today so out came the fabric and cutting supplies. I have baby quilts to make for my new "great" niece and my new grandaughter so I got started today. Lots of orange, pink and green! In the meantime I also wanted to make my weekly amount of salad. Here are all of my salsas I made today photographed with some of the fabrics for my upcoming quilts.

Corn and black bean salsa salad
1/2 red onion, "cooked" in
2 Tbs red wine vinegar ( I use William-Sonoma's Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 ears fresh corn, microwave cooked and cut off cob ( any form of corn is good....today I had fresh)
1 bell pepper, chopped
1-2 Heirloom tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 large ripe avocado, chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp hot sauce
cilantro, chopped
I make a batch of this fresh salad every week. It is great fresh or added to lettuces. All of my friends and family have been forced to eat this at least once.

Mango salsa

mango salsa, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

One of my favorite toppings for grilled fish (Halibut tonight). It has a kick with the jalepeno pepper.
1 ripe mango, chopped
3Tbs chopped shallot or red onion "cooked" in the juice of
2 limes
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 jalepeno pepper, chopped fine, no seeds please

1-2 Tbs fresh grated ginger

cilantro

Get the grill going!