The Canning Adventure

i’m not even so sure where to begin. I have so many things to yammer on about but not enough time or motivation to actually sit down and do it. Between planning my wedding and other summer activities, i really don’t have a bunch of time to do the blawg thing.

Well, here it is....the first of a slew of (hopefully) posting that will culminate with my big day. yes, all mine. ed is just an accessory. kidding.

it was a saturday. one of those nice days we have left in summer. well, it was one of the few nice days we had this summer. yes it was a strange summer. anyway, i digress. sara and i had talked about making salsa and canning the said salsa. we did a trial run with some of the “bargain produce” that we brought back from berkeley bowl on one of my errand trips to the bay. it was tasty. so we decided to go whole hog...i mean whole tomaters...and raid the reno farmers market. our booty, i mean bounty, was lots of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and some beater peaches.

 the recipe we loosely followed (from epicurious.com) was as follows:

Roasted Jalapeño-Tomato Salsa With Fresh Cilantro

Yield: Makes 2 1/2 cups
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 10 medium), preferably plum
2 to 3 fresh jalapeño chiles (1 to 1 1/2 ounces), stemmed
Half of a small white onion (2 ounces), sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed
1 generous teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar (we used lime juice instead)

1. Heat the broiler. Lay the whole tomatoes and jalapeños out on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Set the
pan 4 inches below the broiler and broil for about 6 minutes, until darkly roasted — even blackened in
spots — on one side (the tomato skins will split and curl in places). With a pair of tongs, flip over the
tomatoes and chiles and roast the other side for another 6 minutes or so. The goal is not simply to
char the tomatoes and chiles, but to cook them through while developing nice, roasty flavors. Set aside
to cool.
2. Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Separate the onions into rings. On a similar pan or baking
sheet, combine the onion and garlic. Roast in the oven, stirring carefully every couple of minutes, until
the onions are beautifully browned and wilted (even have a touch of char on some of the edges) and
the garlic is soft and browned in spots, about 15 minutes total. Cool to room temperature.
3. For a little less rustic texture or if you're canning the salsa, pull off the peels from the cooled
tomatoes and cut out the "cores" where the stems were attached, working over your baking sheet so as
not to waste any juices.
4. put everything in a big bowl. with a hand blend, BLEND!!!! Blend to desired consistency. Stir in the cilantro.
5. Taste and season with salt and lime juice, remembering that this condiment should be a little fiesty in
its seasoning. If you're planning to use your salsa right away, simply pour it into a bowl and it's ready,
or refrigerate it covered and use within 5 days. or CAN IT!