Makes 4-5 cups
Henry Alvarado writes: “Ruth is our mom. She was born in Tucumcari, N.M., in 1930 and has been making salsa for almost 60 years. She and our dad, Alfred, live in El Paso and have been married for 53 years – they have five kids (Fred, Charlie, me, Laura, and Becky). She can make some mean salsas – this is just one of many.”
10-12 fresh jalapeños
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (loosely packed and no stems)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce
2-3 small to medium canned tomatillos (optional)
Salt to taste
Boil jalapeños in water until soft. In olive oil, sauté onions until lightly caramelized; add garlic and continue to sauté until garlic is soft and lightly browned. When jalapeños are soft, remove from water and remove stems.
Place jalapeños, cooked onions and garlic, chopped tomato, cilantro, cumin, and tomato sauce in blender. Blend until smooth. Add tomatillos or additional chopped tomato, and blend to adjust heat level to taste. If salsa is too thick, add just a little water to bring to desired consistency. Add salt to taste, and blend. Better if chilled overnight to allow flavors to blend.
This article appears in August 24 • 2007.