Freezable Cooked Salsa

I have to admit this recipe is a bit out of season here in the Northeast, and probably ¾ of the US, but once defrosted you can use it in so many things, or just snack on it with tortilla chips all winter long that I want to share it with you now! Never mind the fact that it snowed for the first time this fall this morning.

I made this salsa in September and ate some immediately, gave some to my husband's cousin, and froze the rest. It made about 10 cups, which I froze in plastic freezer safe containers. I've since used it in my Baked Mexican Omelet, and taco's I'll be sharing later this week, and of course with just tortilla chips 🙂

If you have a food processor, I highly recommend using it to chop all the veggies. You can do it by hand, just be prepared to chop for awhile. Be careful not to process too much or the salsa will be too liquidy ( I know that's not a word). If that happens, just use a slotted spoon to drain some of the juice. I admit I had to do it.

I measured the tomatoes, green peppers, and onions after chopping, and you can use whatever hot peppers you like and control the heat by leaving the seeds out altogether for mild or using ½ to ¾ of the seeds for medium to hot. All of the veggies came from my garden, and I used a mixture of hot peppers (cherry, pableno, and chili peppers).

Cooked Freezer Salsa (adapted from Stop Lookin', Get Cookin')

14 cups chopped tomatoes

1 ¾ cups chopped green peppers

2 cups chopped purple onions

4 hot peppers

2 tablespoons minced garlic

½ cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 tablespoon cilantro (coriander) seed, tied in cheesecloth. You can also use fresh chopped cilantro, adding it at the end of cooking.

Directions:

Chop all of the vegetables and put them in a large dutch oven or stockpot. Stir in the vinegar, salt, sugar, and cilantro tied in cheesecloth, if using. Stir well, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring well often to make sure nothing stick to the bottom, until the mixture reduces by half.

Once the mixture has reduce, move the pot to a sink filled with ice water, and stir continuously until cooled. Ladle into freezer safe containers, seal, and freeze for 6-9 months. Defrost in the refrigerator and use within one week. Or skip the freezing altogether and give a few containers away, and eat a few 🙂