Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Peach Salsa

One last salsa recipe for August! This is adapted from a recipe given to me by my friend Amy Mayer.

4 1/2 lbs peaches
2 1/2 lbs tomatoes (red is good)
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
2 red onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1-2 tsp cumin
Salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Prepare the peaches and tomatoes for peeling by dunking them in boiling water for 30 seconds, then into ice water. Then peel - the skins should essentially slip off.

Pit and chop the peaches. Chop the tomatoes, seeding as you go. Drain the tomatoes of extra liquid, then combine with the peaches in a large pot.

Cook the peaches and tomatoes for about 5 minutes, then puree a little bit, either with an immersion blender or by removing a small quantity to puree in a blender then return to the pot. Add the jalapenos, bell pepper if using, and the onions. Add the vinegar, lime juice, and cumin bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add salt to taste and stir in the cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings.

The salsa is now ready to refrigerate, freeze, or can.

Yield: 6 pints

2 comments:

claire said...

How do you assure that these salsa recipes are acidic enough to be safe for canning?

Thanks!

Meggin said...

To assure sufficient acidity for canning, I look at the proportions of ingredients in a recipe I know has been tested and then follow with similar ones. Salsa recipes for home canning always include plenty of vinegar or lime/lemon juice, which gives them an added acidity boost (tomatoes are fairly acid on their own, though it's best to add some lemon juice or citric acid when canning them; fruits like peaches are well into the safe zone). If a recipe calls for a given amount of tomatoes, I know I can safely substitute something more acidic - like peaches - for some of the tomatoes, for example. Lime juice is more acidic than vinegar, so you can always substitute lime juice for vinegar, though not necessarily the other way around.