If you would have asked me for this information five years ago, I would have never shared it. But, times change and so do I, so I decided to publish this original recipe for all of you and to secure it properly in the blockchain for future generations.
I had some old hidden recipes stashed away, but this is the only copy of four original salsa recipes that I have. I think I will also post another very special salsa in the near future, so stay tuned for that.
This salsa has been greatly desired by many for years, and one old coworker even wanted us to quit our jobs, plants the ingredients and just make salsa for a living. He seriously thought that some of my recipes were that good. We never actually did that, but maybe he was just in it for the recipes anyway. The world may never know.
It is so rewarding to be able to pull so much food out of the garden and turn it into delicious recipes like this. I cannot wait to grow more of these ingredients next year! I've still got some other great uses for homegrown peppers coming up, but this is one of my all-time favorites, and it is a true @papa-pepper original.
INGREDIENTS
This recipe is to make six pint jars worth of salsa, or three quart jars if you prefer. I like to use the pints for salsas, because I hate it when leftovers get moved to the back of the fridge and perish. Here's what you'll need.
100 Tomatillos
2 Large White Onions
1 Large Handful of Cilantro
5 Limes
5 Ghost Peppers
1 Cup White Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Pickling Salt
WASH TOMATILLOS
Peel and wash the Tomatillos. Their paper husks should come off easily if they are fresh and allow you to rinse any dirt off of the skin. Also, cut away any bruised or cracked parts of the skin.
BLEND
Begin to blend the rinsed Tomatillos, Onions, and Cilantro. "Salsa" technically means "sauce," so I like one that you can use right out of a squirt bottle. Therefore, I really blend the ingredients.
POUR
It'll take a couple of blender loads worth of ingredients, so pour the full blenders into a large pot. I also get an even larger pot full of hot water boiling so that I can use a hot water bath to can the jars.
PEPPERS
Don't forget to add my little friends. By using only five Ghost Peppers, each jar will have less than one pepper in it on average. Really blend these guys, because getting a large chunk of Ghost Pepper on your Tortilla Chip can make for a bad experience if you are not expecting it. My goal in flavoring for this salsa is "hot enough that people know that they should stop, but so tasty that they cannot!" I think that I have really nailed that on this recipe. I make even spicier versions for myself, because I am @papa-pepper, but this recipe should please the masses.
MORE POURING
I like to save the peppers for last because often I will make a "Family Friendly" version of Salsa Verde first and use it as a base for my Green Ghost Salsa. That way the kids and mama-pepper can have theirs and I can have mine. Pour that blender load in as well.
MORE INGREDIENTS
Now is the time to add the Limes, White Vinegar, and Salt. Often I do not use any Salt, because Salt can take away from the heat, and what would life be without the heat? However, to get the flavor right and help prepare the salsa for canning, I add one tablespoon of Pickling Salt to the batch.
STIR AND SIMMER
Now we cook that salsa. I get it boiling and keep stirring it. Salsa can contain a lot of water at this point, so I cook it down and let the excess water evaporate. Cooking the salsa changes the vibrant green color of the salsa into the traditional Salsa Verde color, which may not be as attractive, but it works wonders on the flavor. I'll get to that flavor shortly. Once you think it has cooked down enough, it's time to put it in some clean, sterile jars.
HOT WATER BATH
I fill the jars leaving about 1/2 inch to an inch of open room at the top called "head space." I tighten the jars "finger tight" so that air can still escape from them when they are in the hot water bath. Once all the jars are in, I make sure that they are covered by at least one inch of boiling water. I usually let them sit for about 15 minutes in the hot water bath. After they are done, I carefully pull them out and let them cool.
JAR FUN
The end result should be six wonderful pint jars of delicious salsa stored up to enjoy and keep you warm in the cold winter months. Plus, there should be a little left over for a taste test. Often, I do not even try the salsa until the rest of it is already canned, which is probably a risk for some people. However, I've never been burned yet, at least not by the recipe, just the peppers!
MY SON TESTS THE TASTE
Because of the flavor and the blend, the heat is not insane to the point that women and children are unable to appreciate it. The boy liked it a lot, but it is always important to remember that what goes in, must come out. Therefore, even though a child could eat a large quantity of the salsa no problem, it doesn't mean that their little body can handle the heat when it is time to "sit down in the small room." Just a taste was all this little one got.
@papa-pepper TESTS THE TASTE
Even though I know what to expect, I was still surprised when I tried this batch of salsa. The Tomatillos are a wonderful base to support all of the other flavors with. For not having any sweetener added to it, this salsa has a nice, sweet, zingy flavor complimented very nicely by the heat of the Ghost Peppers.
When I opened a jar today (yeah, I couldn't wait very long could I?) I only had one bite before I wanted to run over to a neighbors house to have them try. It's just that good, that you've got to share, which is why I decided to release this recipe to the general public. When mama-pepper tried it a moment ago, you could see that the flavor surprised and zinged her, and then she enjoyed the pleasant deliciousness. Our oldest daughter "pinkie-pepper" just tried some. Besides making a lot of "Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm" sounds, she commented "Hot" right away and then said, "This tastes just like salsa verde." It looks like I'll have to cut her off because she shows no signs of stopping.
I'll be entering at least one photo of this incredible salsa in the Steemit Photo Challenge put out by @jamtaylor this weekend. Since the category this week is "food" this salsa will fit right in. If you've ever seen any of the wonderful food posts from @gringalicious, you may realize that anyone entering will have some stiff competition. To overcome the odds, I just thought, "*Papa, if you were @gringalicious, how would you take a picture of this food?" I think it worked, but I'll post those entries tomorrow.
Pinkie-pepper just said:
"This salsa is so good I wish that I could eat it all day long!"
In another week or two I should have the next batch of Tomatillos ripening, so I'll release my next salsa post some time around then. The peppers are coming in daily, so I'll have no problem sharing some other great ways of using and storing fresh garden peppers soon!
As always, I’m @papa-pepper and here’s the proof:
proof-of-gringo-eating-green-ghost-salsa
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