Richard cooks up his namesake salsa

Easy-to-make salsa

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – I am taking you back...way back...

It was the late 90s and even before culinary school at Western Culinary Institute's Le Cordon Bleu program I did a lot of cooking and experimenting. Some ideas were tasty, others went directly into the trash.

One of the things that my friends and coworkers really enjoyed was a very simple salsa. I sometimes refer to it as my "name sake salsa." It was because of this salsa that I became The Frying Nunn.

Salsas come in many types. Tomato is the most common, but fruit, assorted beans and corn can also make a tasty topping for food or a delicious dip. They also come in different spice levels, consistencies and styles. From chunky to smooth to some that are more like a paste there is a salsa for nearly all palate types.

Today we are going to explore a processor salsa that is full of fresh flavor and incredibly easy to make. You will need a processor or blender for this and aside from that, the heat and consistency is up to you.

Salsa recipe

Ingredients:

Roma tomatoes, I would start with around 10-12
Onion, sweet onion or red onion works best
Jalapeno (I like it HOT so I usually add 2.)
Cilantro (If you do not like it try basil or flat leaf parsley.)
Tomato paste (Let's face it, unless you are growing the 'maters yourself they made need a little help with flavor.)
Garlic, roasted or fresh
salt and pepper
Limes, at least 2 - 1 for juicing one for processing.

  • Rough chop the Roma tomatoes
  • Char roast one Jalapeno. Remove seeds and stems as well as the white membrane and rough chop.
  • Peel a couple of cloves of garlic. Remember the entire thing is called a head and a head is broken down by cloves
  • Juice one lime and peel the other
  • Cilantro, give it a rinse, shake it dry and rip off a small handful
  • Rough chop 1/2 an onion

  • Add tomatoes in batches along with onion, jalapeno (careful - the heat will build) and garlic. Process to a small rough chop. Add some lime juice in small amounts and add more tomatoes. Add the rest of the tomatoes and pulse process a few more times.

    This is where we start to balance the flavor. In small amounts add lime, salt, pepper, cilantro and if you like more jalapeno. Here is where you want to thicken and brighten the salsa with the tomato paste. Add about 1 tablespoon to start and if needed add in smaller amounts.

    Process a few more times once the flavor is to your liking to a smooth to slightly chunky. Serve with your favorite chips or use to top a burger, chicken or fish.

    This salsa is easy to make, lasts about three to five days and is truly versatile as a condiment. I think once you give a bunch of salsa ingredients a spin and add your own Culinary Nunnsense you, too will agree, when it comes to an easy processor salsa, there is Nunn better.