Roasted Butternut Squash and Ginger Carrots

Piping hot out of the oven, or room temperature on a sizzling summer day, roasted veggies serve as a perfect side dish to just about anything.  The variety of flavors you can unearth from diverse spices and oils allow you to adapt your dish to go perfectly with a roast chicken, seared salmon, or simply grilled steak.

The irresistible crunchy, caramelized edges, warm tender center, and rustic quality remind me of Italy.  There’s a time and place for perfectly cut vegetables, but it’s not in my kitchen.  The more time I can spend enjoying the food and less time prepping the better, especially on a busy weeknight. No need to stress yourself over perfect knife cuts – I know chefs everywhere are cringing over that statement – but honestly, as long as they’re all about the same size they will cook evenly and that’s all you need.

The fresh, clean tang of ginger contrasted with the sweetness of the carrots help brighten their natural flavor.  Garlic slowly warmed in the oven with a coating of healthy olive oil; mixed with the deep, creamy earthiness of butternut squash is a blissful combination.  The two together were simply flawless, and set side by side with a grilled steak and you’ll feel like you’re in paradise (or an Italian vacation in the middle of Tuscany).

Garlicky Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 2 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp. extra light olive oil
• 1 tbsp. black truffle infused olive oil
• 1 tsp. coarse ground salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, coarse ground
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Wash and peel squash, and cut it into bite size squares.
3. Place squash in a glass baking dish and drizzle with extra light olive oil.  Extra light olive oil has a higher burning temperature so I find it better for roasting.  Due to valuable antioxidants and ability to help lower total cholesterol, I always use extra light olive oil as a substitute for butter, shortening and other vegetable oils.
4. Sprinkle with garlic, salt, ground black pepper and crushed red pepper and mix with a spoon until the squash is evenly coated with oil and seasoning.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins
6. After 30 mins, remove foil and continue baking for 10 minutes
7. Just before removing he dish from the oven, turn the broiler on high for a few minutes
8. Watch the oven, as the broiler will be hot and will burn the squash if left unattended.  It goes quickly, all you’ll need is 2-3 mins.  Once the butternut squash gets a slight golden color to the edges remove from oven and let cool for 5 mins before serving.

Ginger Carrots

Ingredients

• 8 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 inch piece of ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp. extra light olive oil
• 1 tsp. course ground salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, course ground
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1/4 chicken bullion cube

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Place all the squash in a glass baking dish and drizzle with extra light olive oil.  Extra light olive oil has a higher burning temperature so I find it better for roasting.  Due to valuable antioxidants and ability to help lower total cholesterol, I always use extra light olive oil as a substitute for butter, shortening and other vegetable oils.
3. Sprinkle with garlic, salt and ground pepper and mix with a spoon until the squash is evenly coated with oil and seasoning.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins
5. After 30 mins, remove foil and continue baking for 10 minutes
6. Just before removing he dish from the oven, turn the broiler on high for a few minutes
7. Watch the oven, as the broiler will be hot and will burn the squash if left unattended.  It goes quickly, all you’ll need is 2-3 mins.  Once the butternut squash gets a slight golden color to the edges remove from oven and let cool for 5 mins before serving.

Flip’s Spiced Chicken Sausage Soup

I came back from a business trip with a box of tissues, cough drops, and a sore throat that wouldn’t pass.  By day 4 I developed a hacking cough so I eventually gave in and went to the doctor.  Well, there I was, 2 ear infections and bronchitis and my other half had just left for New Zealand for 2 weeks.  I was miserable.  After a hot shower and a little dusting off, I decided to end my pity party and headed to the store for some key ingredients.

With all my congestion I wasn’t able to taste anything.  I know, my worst nightmare.  So, the traditional chicken noodle soup was going to need a little kick.  I made a twist on the original with a little heat and some Italian sausage.  It’s as if gumbo and chicken noodle soup had a child.  On day 1 I wasn’t really able to taste it, but it did have a great combination of textures from soft vegetables and tender meatballs swimming in a warm, silky broth.  I figured I’d let it stew overnight before adjusting the spice, in hopes my taste buds would make a quick recovery.  Thanks to some antibiotics, prescription strength cough syrup and decongestants, I woke the next morning to the fragrant bouquet of rosemary and Italian sausage seeping through the house.  Ok, I’ll admit it, I had it for breakfast.  I just couldn’t resist!!  The hint of spice and cumin, mixed with the expected aroma of thyme, rosemary and soft tender chicken was a welcome home.  By the end of day 2 I feel like a new person.  It has everything I needed in one bowl to fight back, who can ask for more than that?

I packed up my weeks worth of lunches, and as long as I stop sneaking into the refrigerator for another bowl it should last me until Tuesday.

Ingredients

Stock

• 4lb. raw chicken
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp. thyme
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. peppercorns
• 1 bullion cube
• 1 gallon cold water (enough to cover the chicken and all the contents)

Soup

• Homemade stock (above)
• Chicken from stock, shredded
• 2 tsp. cayenne
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 2 handfuls baby potatoes, quartered
• 5 Italian sausages, casing removed
• 1 bullion cube
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. ground pepper
• Salt to taste
• Cilantro for garnish
• Parmesan cheese for garnish

Method

1. Wash raw chicken with cold water and remove giblets
2. Place in large stockpot and add onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, cumin, thyme, rosemary, salt, peppercorns, and bullion cube.  Don’t worry about chopping anything nicely, this is just to flavor the stock and it will all be strained out when the stock is ready.
3. Fill pot with water until chicken and all contents are fully covered
4. Place on stove on high and bring to a boil
5. Once boiling, bring heat to low and simmer for 2-2½  hours.  The longer to simmer the better the flavor.  You can always make the stock the night before and let it sit overnight in the fridge.  Then you can strain it in the morning and you’re ready to make your soup.
6. Remove chicken and strain stock
7. Place stock back on stove and turn off heat.  Let sit for 10 minutes and then skim some of the extra oil off the top.  No need to go crazy, just skim some of the extra.
8. Let the chicken cool about 15 minutes. Carefully remove and discard skin and bones and shred chicken with a fork.
9. Sprinkle shredded chicken with cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper.  Mix spices into chicken and return to stockpot.
10. In a  sauté pan, cook onions and garlic in a tbsp. of olive oil.  Sauté on medium~high until slightly golden (about 7 mins).
11. Add onions and garlic to stock along with celery, carrots, and potatoes.
12. Use the same sauté pan for the sausage.  Remove sausage from casing and drop small bite size balls into pan and cook until slightly golden.
13. Remove sausage from heat and add directly into stock.
14. Add bullion cube and tomato paste, stir and let simmer.
15. Let soup simmer on medium~low for 1 hour, taste and add salt/pepper if necessary.
16. Serve and sprinkle with cilantro and Parmesan cheese.

I ran out of Parmesan so decided to try it with a little French feta crumbled on top.  Let me say, it’s worth trying!  The salty bite was perfectly balanced with the warm spice of the soup.

Asian Barbecue Chicken Wings

This may sound crazy, but it wasn’t until about 3 months ago that I had my very first chicken wing.  How I went almost 30 years of my life never having enjoyed these marvelous, spicy, tender chicken tenders we call Buffalo wings is beyond me.  I blame it on my British heritage.  I guess you could say growing up eating Shepard’s Pie and beans on toast had its drawbacks, but English mince pies make up for all that.  But I’ll get into those at a later date.

I fashioned this recipe after I my boyfriend went grocery shopping… something he rarely does unattended – as he usually comes home with extra bags of Cheetos puffs, tortilla chips and ice cream.  This time he came home with a bag of frozen wings – I’m not sure how he wandered into this section, by guess was he was looking for corn dogs.   I never buy frozen meat, but decided I’d give this a try since he was so excited over his discovery.   I think he was more excited by how cheap they were than anything else… you can’t really beat $6 for a 4lb. bag of chicken.  We started by looking up recipes online, but inevitably all of them consisted of at lest 3 things we didn’t have.  So, we made it up.  I have to admit I was happily surprised and since then we’ve already made then 4 more times.

You’re probably thinking chicken wings aren’t in your diet, since they’re traditionally fried and then glazed in a thick sauce.  The great this about these is they’re baked!  They come out just as crispy and juicy with less than half the calories.  You also have complete control over the type of sauce and how much you add.  I like this BBQ based sauce, it keep them healthy and they have a great tangy, Asian flair.

Ingredients

• 4 lbs. frozen chicken wings
• 1 1/4 cup BBQ sauce (I use Stubbs spicy BBQ sauce but feel free to use your favorite.)
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. honey
• 1 tbsp. dried onion
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. Habanero pepper sauce (I recommend using a hot sauce that’s not vinegar based, but one that lists chili as the first ingredient.  Depending on level of heat, add more or less)
• Fresh carrots (side)
• Fresh celery (side)
• Ranch dressing (dip)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Lay frozen chicken wings on a shallow baking pan in a single layer.  The pan I use has a rim around the edge to catch the juices.
3. Place in oven to bake for 50-60 mins.  Check the wings every 20 mins and drain the extra fat from the pan.  Turn wings over 40 mins into cooking.  I’ll increase the heat 10° to 385°F for the last 5-10 minutes to get a little extra crisp.
4. While the chicken bakes, it’s time to make the sauce
5. In a small bowl mix all ingredients: BBQ sauce, soy sauce, honey, dried onion, garlic powder, sesame seeds and Habanero pepper sauce.
6. Mix with a fork and taste.  You’ll likely want to adjust some of the levels of hot sauce and honey to suit your own taste.  The combination above is my favorite, but you can pay around and make your own combinations too.
7. When the chicken in cooked through with a nice golden crust, remove from oven.
8. Place in a large bowl and pour half the sauce on the wings.
9. Shake bowl lightly until the sauce covers all the pieces, add more sauce as needed.
10. When the wings ready, I like to sprinkle on some extra sesame seeds.  It looks fancy and I love the taste!!
11. Serve with fresh carrots, celery and ranch dressing.  Any extra sauce can also be serves as a dipping sauce.

I hope you enjoy these healthy wings.  They’re a great alternative to spending lots of money at a local restaurant, and baking the wings helps keep you in shape for spring, or hopefully a fun vacation!  After making these at home I doubt I’ll ever have wings out again.  Half the price and all the flavor!

Texas Chili

When I started dating my boyfriend, born and raised in El Paso Texas, there was one point in our relationship when it was almost over.  It was a chilly California evening, and I was preparing dinner while he opened the latest Netflix (which we have cancelled due to their price increase – bastards!).  Beer in hand, I started to serve up my warm chili, excited as ever to dig in.  This is when the evening turned… I had made the ultimate Texas blunder.  A mistake that could not be rectified… I had put BEANS, yes, I said it, BEANS in the chili!  WHAT?!?  I was then lectured on the fine making of chili and the short list of ingredients that qualify to be a part of this dish (beans was not one of them).  Needless to say, he ate it.

I learned my lesson, and have over the years perfected my bean-less chili with just the right amount of heat and spice.  I’ve experimented with many combinations of chiles, most of which were new to me after moving to Houston, and have been delighted by the variety of flavors I can unearth.  This chili develops a hidden smoky flavor, not like barbecue, but a delicate heat with warmth and spice from Anaheim chilies, cayenne and a touch of jalapeño.  The subtle sweet tomato and flavorful tender meat warms you from the inside out.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs ground beef (80/20 or 85/15)
• 1 tbsp. light extra virgin olive oil
• I yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 3 jalapeño, finely diced with seeds removed (leave the seeds in if you like it hot)
• 2 Anaheim chilies, finely diced with seeds removed
• 3 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 3 tsp. cumin
• 3 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. jalapeño powder
• 1 tsp. cayenne
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt (to taste)
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground pepper (to taste)
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chile and garlic
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp. red pepper paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp. semolina flour (for thickening)
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• Grated cheddar cheese (topping)
• Sour cream (topping)
• Onions (topping)

Method

1. Heat a large, heavy bottom pan on the stove on medium with a tbsp. light extra virgin olive oil
2. When the pan it hot, add in diced onion and cook on medium for 5 mins
3. Add garlic, jalapeño and Anaheim chilies and cook additional 5 mins until onions are translucent
4. Add in ground beef and brown meat, use a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces and turn occasionally until brown on all sides.  The meat will continue to break up as you cook it but this helps it along.
5. Brown meat, then add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, jalapeño powder, cayenne, salt and pepper and stir to coat the meat evenly
6. Add cans of tomatoes, tomato paste, red pepper paste and water and stir
7. Bring the chili to a low boil and reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes
8. Add sugar and flour and stir.  Cover again and simmer for another 30-40 minutes
9. Taste and see if you need to add more salt/pepper.  Be light-handed, you can always add more, you can never take it out. (TIP: you happen to add too much salt, the one thing that might help save your dish is to add some sugar.  It helps to mellow it out and remove some of the acidic flavor)
10. Top with cheddar cheese, onions and sour cream and serve in a large warm bowl

 

Thanksgiving Turkey (with some extras)

There’s one meal I don’t like to mess with, and that’s Thanksgiving.  This is not a place where I tend to experiment.  I threw together some fun appetizers, like prosciutto wrapped dates with balsamic glaze, and homemade hummus, but the main meal was pretty traditional.  I have the rest of the year to play around and make up new combinations, but on the last Thursday of November I go back to my roots with mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, stuffing, gravy, roast carrots, and of course succulent, juicy turkey.

Photographer: Zoltan Sylvester

I have lots to do on Thanksgiving, so the last thing I want to be doing is mollycoddling my turkey every half hour.  Basting, tenting, covering, uncovering.  I really don’t have time for that when I’m also trying to get 6 other dishes out at the same time, not to mention trying to be somewhat social while all this goes down.  I had many willing helpers in the kitchen, but I wanted people to enjoy themselves and relax so I commandeered the stove and told everyone else to beat it.  (With love of course).  Here’s my secret ingredient… bacon.  Tasty, salty, greasy, crispy, meaty, perfect-with-almost-anything bacon. The turkey doesn’t come out tasting like one big pork rind, rather it’s a natural baster keeping the turkey juicy, tender and amazingly moist.  You can leave it alone and let it cook in the oven and you’ll have perfect turkey every time, not to mention some crispy bacon on the side.  Who wouldn’t come back to your house for Thanksgiving after serving this?!?

Ingredients

• 1 18 lb. fresh turkey (or 10, 12, 25… whatever size you need to feed all your friends and family, and leave extra’s for those lovely turkey sandwiches the following day)
• Handful fresh rosemary
• Handful fresh thyme
• Handful fresh sage leaves
• 2 large yellow onions, quartered
• 3 whole garlic bulbs, halved
• 1 large apple, quartered
• 3 stalks celery, halved
• 1 stick room temperature butter
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. freshly ground pepper
• 2-3 packets thick cut bacon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Unwrap turkey in a clean sink, remove giblets and rinse with cold water
3. Pat dry with paper towel and pace breast side up in roasting pan (if you’re using disposable foil pans I recommend double lining it so it holds the weight of the turkey without buckling)
4. Place onions, apple, herbs, garlic and celery inside the bird.  Put as much as you can fit inside, and any leftovers just scatter around the pan around the bird.
5. Mix salt, pepper and butter in a small bowl
6. Spread butter all over bird, making sure to put as much of the butter under the skin to keep the breast moist and juicy.  You may need more butter depending on the size of the bird, don’t be skimpy!
7. Once massaged with butter, take bacon and lay slices over the entire turkey.  They should overlap slightly so that you cover the turkey.  Wrap legs and wings in bacon too so they don’t dry out
8. Cover the breast loosely with foil, don’t cover the entire turkey, just lay a small piece about the size of a dinner plate over the breast to prevent the bacon from burning
9. Place in oven and cook at 400°F for 1 hour
10. Turn down to 350°F and continue to cook for 3 1/2 hours (plus or more depending on the size)
11. Check bird with a meat thermometer, the turkey needs to reach 160°F, if it goes about 165°F remove immediately or it will start to over cook.
12. No need to baste the turkey
13. No need to re-foil it
14. No need to remove foil
15. No need to cover in water, stock, oil.  Just leave it alone.
16. Check temperature and remove when it reaches 160°F and let rest for 30-40 minutes before slicing
17. Enjoy the turkey and don’t forget a piece of crispy bacon; there should be plenty for everyone!

 

Roast Carrots with Fresh Rosemary

Brussels Sprouts Salad

 

Chicken and Dumplins

There comes a time in every couple’s relationship where one person says, “Oh, let’s have    insert dish here    for dinner” with a giddy, child-like smile… and the other person looks at them with a face like their trying to solve a very complex math problem.  Well, this happened to me when my boyfriend asked for “chicken and dumplins”.  Chicken and what?  My parents are British; I grew up eating pot roast, shepherds pie, sausage rolls and bubble and squeak.  I felt like I’d walked into an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger.  I thought it might be something like Matzo ball soup, which is really isn’t, so I got my lesson in dumpling creation through unscripted directions from my boyfriend’s grandmother over the phone.  It was less than vague… something along the lines of “mix a little flour with some Crisco until it looks right”?!?  Regardless, I think I figured it out and I’ve been trying to master it ever since.

Chicken and dumplings, like most southern food, evolved out of necessity and practicality.  In the old days, chicken was a special treat and not readily available like we find today in our grocery stores.  When it was available, chickens were often scrawny little birds without a lot of meat, yet had the job of serving an entire family dinner and lunch the next day.  However, flour was in abundance and an affordable staple found in all household kitchens.  Flour could easily be used to stretch a meager meal so that an entire family would leave the table feeling full and satisfied by making biscuits, dumplings, bread or an assortment of other improvisational meal stretchers.   Today, chicken and dumplings has become an ultimate comfort food of creamy sauce, thick luscious dumplings, and shreds of moist chicken.  I like mine with lots of pepper so the sauce is speckled with little flakes of black and charcoal.

Now I’ll say up front this is a work in progress, I’ll keep you updated on my adjustments but overall this recipe delivered a very satisfying dinner.  I should also mention this is not a weeknight dinner.  It takes a bit of time so I recommend making it over the weekend, or if you decide to do it during the week, split it up into two nights and make the stock the first night and the dumplings the second.

Ingredients

Stock

• 1 whole chicken (remove giblets)
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 3 large carrots, roughly chopped (or 2 handfuls of baby carrots if you have them around)
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• Water (enough to thoroughly cover the chicken and have room for all the flavorings)

Dumplings

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk (add more if mixture is too dry and won’t hold together)
• 2 eggs (This was my first attempt with the eggs, it resulted in fluffier dumplings so if you like them more dense remove the eggs and add a little more milk)
• 3/4 cup Crisco
• Extra flour for dusting

Soup

• Homemade stock (from above)
• Shredded chicken, remove skin (from above)
• 1 tbsp, freshly ground pepper
• Strips of dumplings (from above)
• 2 tbsp. corn starch
• 1/2 cup whole milk

Method

Part 1

1.  Get a large soup pot and fill half way with cold water
2. Add chicken (whole chicken but no giblets), carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary salt, and peppercorns
3. Top up with water if needed, the chicken should be completely covered and the vegetables should have enough room to float around
4. Place on stove top on high and bring to a boil
5. Once it begins boiling, lower heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hours
6. Enjoy your time off, and leave the stove to do all the work.  You don’t need to do a thing!

Part 2

1. Remove pot from stove and remove chicken carefully
2. Place chicken in a bowl and let cool for 20 minutes before shredding (or you’ll burn your fingers)
3. While the chicken cools, take the stock and run it through a strainer.  Hopefully you have another large pot big enough to hold the stock, if not line up a few bowls
4. I usually transfer the stock into a Dutch oven pot so I have more room to drop the dumplings later. I have one from target and I use it ALL THE TIME!  I highly recommend purchasing one of these, you won’t regret it. Kitchen Essentials® from Calphalon® Hard Anodized Nonstick 5-qt. Covered Dutch Oven.
5. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off and discard the skin and bones.  Shred it with your hands and leave it on the side until the dumplings are ready.
6. Return stock to the stove and bring to a low simmer.  I usually reserve some of the stock on the side, I don’t use it all and then I can make another soup later that week.
7. Skim some of the oil off the top before you drop the dumplings, it helps your soup stay creamy and not oily.

Part 3 – It’s dumpling time!

1. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl
2. Cut in shortening using a pastry knife or a large fork.  Pastry makers mix in the shortening using their hands, this is my preferred method too – dip your hands in ice-cold water for a minute, then dry your hands; it helps to not melt the Crisco and the dough doesn’t stick to your hands as much.
3. Add cold milk and beaten eggs, a few spoons at a time, mixing the dough from the outside in with fork until a soft dough forms (do not over mix – about 2 minutes total). You may need to add a small amount of milk or flour at the end to adjust the consistency of the dough.  Add milk if the dough is very dry and crumbly after it’s been mixed; add flour if the dough is very sticky.
4. Sprinkle your work surface with flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
5. Roll dough out thinly, about 1/8″ thick, then slice into strips, each about 2 inches in length.
6. Lightly dust with flour and then gently drop the dumplings into the simmering chicken broth.
7. Stir them gently to prevent sticking
8. Add chicken and 1-2 tbsp of pepper and stir gently.  (Add more or less pepper depending on your taste)
9. Let cook for 15 minutes
10. Check consistency and then add 1-2 tbsp. corn starch to thicken the broth.  You want it to be nice and creamy!
11. Let simmer another 30 minutes until dumplings are cooked through
12. Add salt/pepper to taste
13. Serve in a big bowl so you get plenty of tasty dumplings!

Simply Salsa

I have a few salsa recipes in my repertoire, and I promise I will share all of them with you over time.  This is one of the easiest, and it’s a perfect way for me to use up the peppers in my garden, as I can’t possible add jalapeños to every dish.  Peppers seem to grow like weeds in Houston, they love the heat and humidity, and they seem to survive no matter what I do to them.  If case you didn’t know I’m probably the only person you know who can kill a cactus (yes, I did).

When the peppers are cooked their sharp heat softens, and they take on an unexpected balance of sweetness and deep pepper flavor without the heat.  The cilantro adds a nice freshness and gives the salsa vibrant specks of deep green. This salsa can vary in heat depending on the peppers; so if you have a batch of really spicy ones, only use 4-5 jalapeños.

Ingredients

• 6-8 jalapeño peppers
• 2-4 serrano peppers
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 8 roma tomatoes
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lime juice (half a lime)

Method

• Fill large pot half way with water (one big enough to cook pasta)
• Drop in peeled gloves of garlic, onion, and jalapeños.  There’s no need to chop or dice any of the ingredients, the food processor will take care of that later
• Bring water to a light boil and let vegetables cook for 10 minutes
• Drop in whole tomatoes and boil an addition 5-10 minutes until the skin of the tomatoes start to split
• Remove from stove and pour all contents into strainer.  You aren’t going to save any of the water, so you can do this directly in the sink
• Let cool for 5-10 minutes until cool enough to touch
• Remove tomatoes skins and pepper stems and put all the contents into a food processor.  If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender, but BE CAREFUL!  Blenders don’t have vents so the hot contents will explode if you put it on high.  Take a cloth and hold firmly on the lid while pulsing slowly.  I would also recommend waiting another 5 minutes to cool, believe me, salsa burns are not fun.
• Pulse on high for 15 seconds
• Add lime juice, salt and cilantro and pulse until mixture is smooth
• Taste test, it may need a little more salt and the only way you’ll know is by trying it!
• Serve warm with tortilla chips

Feel free to mix up the pepper combination.  This is one of those salsas that can one day be blazing hot, and others as mild as bell peppers… it all depends on the time of year and the jalapeños.   Feel free to substitute more mellow peppers, which you can achieve with Ancho, Pasilla or Anaheim, all popular varieties you should be able to find in your local store.