Author Notes

My nephew Richard introduced me to the fact that you can actually make a darn good salsa with canned tomatoes – so good, most people will never suspect it’s not fresh. Of course, if your garden is overflowing with gorgeous ripe tomatoes, by all means use them. But the rest of the year good canned tomatoes are always preferable to inferior fresh ones. One more bonus -- canned tomatoes actually contain more healthy lycopene than their fresh counterparts. Go figure.

Important Note!
If you plan on making a batch of Spanish Style Rice, be sure to save the juice drained from the canned tomatoes and green chiles in this recipe.

Ingredients

1 can, 28 ounces whole tomatoes
1 can, 14.5 ounces, whole tomatoes
1 can, 7 ounces, diced green chiles
1 medium-large onion, about 1 3/4 cups coarsely chopped
1 to 2 fresh jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped, about 1-3 tablespoons chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, stems removed, coarsely chopped, about 3/4 cup chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Place the tomatoes and chiles in a colander, squeeze out as much juice as possible and set aside for at least 15 minutes to drain well. Press out additional moisture before continuing with recipe. Be sure to catch the juice if you plan on making Spanish Style Rice.

Transfer the drained tomatoes and chiles, along with the remaining ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse about 6 to 10 times – mixture should be well chopped and combined but still have some small chunks for texture. Serve as a dip for tortillas chips.

Variations, Substitutions and Embellishments

• Don’t have any fresh jalapenos on hand? Substitute pickled sliced jalapenos, like those typically served on nachos.
  
• A quarter or half of a pureed chipotle chile (or more to taste) will add smoky flavor and additional spicy heat.
  
• Garlic lovers will want to add a clove or two of minced garlic to the mix.
  
• Cooking for kids or wimps? Leave out all the jalapenos and definitely do not add the chipotle.