Restaurant Style Canned Tomato Salsa

Unlike store-bought chunky salsa, Restaurant Style Canned Tomato Salsa, sometimes called Blender Salsa, is a smooth condiment that lends itself to more than just a dip for chips!

Many times over the years, I have admitted to being a dipper. Both me and my daughter are dippers. We love to dip just about everything in a sauce of some sort. Even though we disagree on salsa brands, Restaurant Style Canned Tomato Salsa just might be the one dip we do agree on!

I’ve heard this particular type of salsa referred to as blender salsa as well. And, it’s pretty self-explanatory why – the salsa is blended until smooth. I have also heard it referred to as restaurant-style salsa too. Most restaurants tend to serve a smoother salsa rather than a chunky alternative.

Do you love salsa? And, do you prefer a smooth or a chunky salsa? How about your spice tolerance? Is your favourite salsa more salty, sweet, or spicy? I like a very balanced salsa with a little bit of kick to it. You can leave the kick out if you prefer.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS SALSA RECIPE:

The one ingredient found in all salsa recipes is tomatoes. This particular recipe will yield 10 jars, so you’ll need a lot of tomatoes. In fact, you’ll need about 1/2 a bushel. That’s about 21-22 pounds of plum (roma) tomatoes.

Salsa works well with a lot of fresh vegetables. In my salsa recipe, you’ll find both red and green bell peppers, as well as onion, and jalapenos. You can leave the jalapenos out if you wish, but to be quite honest, if you take a minute to remove the seeds, the jalapenos won’t be spicy or hot at all.

As I previously mentioned, I do like my salsa to have a little bit of heat, but not too much. There are ten jalapenos in this recipe. I removed the seeds from five of them, but the other five went into the recipe with the seeds intact.

Other than that, you’ll need a little bit of sugar, which will help to balance out the acid from the tomatoes. There’s also tomato paste. The paste adds depth, and colour, and helps to thicken. Just add a few spices and that’s it. Not too bad at all, is it!?

HOW TO USE SALSA

We like to eat salsa with nachos. I would think that’s the most common way to eat salsa. But, did you know there are a million other things you can do with salsa? You can incorporate it into other recipes to enhance flavour and texture.

I love to serve salsa with my Breakfast Sausage and Egg Taquitos. Try adding salsa instead of barbecue sauce to shredded cooked chicken. It makes a delicious sandwich filling. My favourite way to use salsa is as a condiment. Honestly, Dear Reader, salsa is so good on top of scrambled or fried eggs!

You can use it to help make a complete meal too. Brown some ground beef and combine it with cooked and drained pasta. Stir in a jar of salsa and transfer it to a casserole dish. Top with cheese and bake until bubbling and gooey. How’s that for a quick and easy dinner?

Oh – and baked potatoes!!! Bake the potato and slice it in half lengthwise. Fluff up the potato and top it with shredded cheese, salsa, and a bit of sour cream. We just had something similar to this last night for dinner!

PREPPING THE TOMATOES

The most cumbersome part of this recipe is preparing the tomatoes. It’s not hard, but a little time-consuming. With that in mind, I thought I would devote a whole section to it. The best way to prep the tomatoes is to char them in the oven. Not only does it help to remove the skin easily, it partially cooks the tomato, and adds so much flavour!

Place all of the tomatoes in your sink. Fill with cold water. Add about a dime-sized dab of dish detergent to your palm and rub it over your hands. Now, use both of your hands to move the tomatoes around. The soap will help wash the tomatoes. Drain the water and rinse each tomato under running water.

Preheat the broiler in your oven. Next, remove the core from each tomato and discard it. Slice the tomato in half lengthwise. Place each half, cut side down, onto a sheet pan. Pack the sheet pan quite full, but don’t overlap the tomatoes. Place on the middle rack in your oven and allow the tomatoes to char. You want the tops to get really black.

Remove from oven and put the next sheet pan in the oven. To remove the charred skin, use a pair of metal tongs. The skin will come right off. In some cases, a piece of skin might be stuck to the tomato, or the tomato may have blackened under the skin. Don’t worry about it; that char is flavour!

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER:

Add the prepped tomatoes to a large soup pot. Add all of the other ingredients and stir to combine. Over medium heat, cook the mixture for 30 minutes.

Once the mixture is cooked, turn off the heat and blend the salsa together to make it smooth. For this process, I like to use a hand-held immersion blender. If you don’t have one, but you have a countertop blender, you can use that. You will need to blend in batches though. Be careful when blending, because the mixture is really hot. You don’t want to splash it onto your skin.

You can blend it a lot or a little. That will depend on you. For my purposes, I blended it until it was as smooth as I could possibly get it. If you want to leave some chunks, then just blend half of the mixture. Pour that back into the pot and stir it into the remaining chunky salsa.

At this point, you should taste the salsa. Sometimes, tomatoes need a bit more salt. Adjust to your personal tastes and then you’re ready to start the canning process!

HOW TO WATER BATH CAN

STEP 1: PREPARING THE JARS

Some canners say that if you need to boil the jars longer than 10 minutes, then you don’t need to sterilize the jars. I say no! Canning is not as simple and cheap as frying an egg. It takes time, and an investment if you don’t already have the equipment. Eliminate any risk whatsoever by always sterilizing your jars. It’s easy to do and your Restaurant Style Canned Tomato Salsa will thank you! Wash the jars in hot, soapy water. Rinse the jars well under running water to get rid of any soap residue.

Transfer the jars to a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes. Using a jar wrench/lifter, lift the jars out of the water, tilting to pour out the water. Be careful; it’s hot! Stand the jar up on a baking sheet. Once all of the jars are on the baking sheet, place them into your preheated oven at 200 degrees F. This will keep them hot and away from any contamination.

STEP 2: PREPARING THE SEALS AND RINGS

Mason jars are equipped with three parts. The first is the jar. The second and third parts combine to form the lid. The flat disc with the rubber ring on the bottom is the seal. Finally, the circular part that actually screws onto the jar is called a screw band. Depending on the brand or the recipe you’re reading, the names of these things can vary. But, they all do the same thing.

The screw bands never come in contact with the food, so they do not need to be washed or sterilized. But, because I want to eliminate any risk of contamination, I make sure they’re clean. After all, they have been sitting in a warehouse before they got to the store, and then finally, to me. That’s too many germs for my comfort level! I wash them in hot, soapy water, rinse them well, and transfer them to a bowl until I need them. The sealing disk/sealing ring needs a little more consideration.

If you look at the bottom of the lid, you will see a reddish-brown rubber ring. It’s attached to the lid. This ring has a huge job! It is pretty much in charge of keeping your food safe for long-term storage. Place the lids into a glass bowl. I like to separate them so that they are not all stacked. When I’m ready to ladle the food into the jars, I pour a kettle of boiling water over the lids so that they are sterile and the rubber band softens. That’s it. You have now prepared your jars. Next, we need to get the canner ready!

STEP 3: PREPARING THE CANNER

You can buy a canning pot, but you don’t have to do that. Any stock pot will do just fine. Be sure that the pot is tall enough to hold enough water so that your jars are covered by at least an inch of water. Fill the canning pot accordingly. Also, be sure to insert a canning rack or mat into the bottom of your pot. If you buy a canning pot it will come with one. Otherwise, you can buy them for any pot size. Never let your jars touch the bottom of the pot when boiling. They could easily break and your Restaurant Style Canned Tomato Salsa will be lost. Once you’ve done this, bring the water to a full boil.

In most cases, if you’re new to canning, you might notice some white residue on the jars after all is said and done. This can easily be cleaned off once the jars are cool. A few tablespoons of white vinegar in the boiling water helps to eliminate most of it. I use it every single time.

Lastly, it’s always a good idea to keep a kettle of boiling water close by. Depending on how many jars you need to process, you might have to boil them in batches. You will be surprised at how quickly rapidly boiling water can evaporate. Having a kettle of boiling water will allow you to easily top up the canning pot without altering the temperature of the water.

STEP 4: FILLING THE JARS

Depending on the recipe, filling the jars is quite easy. Having some inexpensive equipment on hand can make this process much easier. Invest in a canning funnel. It will help you ladle the food into the jars without making a mess. Remember to pay attention to the recipe’s recommended headspace. This is the amount of empty space from the top of the food to the very top of the jar. Also, it’s imperative to keep the rim of the jar clean to ensure a good seal. You will also need a bubble remover. You can buy these, but I’m not a fan of them. A clean wooden chopstick does the same thing. Removing bubbles will prevent mould from growing.

Lastly, you will need a magnetic lid lifter. Remember how I said the flat sealing lids will be submerged in a bowl of boiling water? Well, you can’t just pick them up with your hands. First of all, it’s hot! Secondly, you will want to eliminate the risk of any contamination. Do not touch the underside of the lid. Period! Using a magnetic lid lifter will allow you to pick up the lid and position it right onto the rim of the jar without ever touching it.

Finally, you will need to screw on the metal screw bands. In most cases, the food in the jars is scalding hot, so you can’t touch the jars to tighten the lids. But, that’s a good thing! You should never over-tighten the lids. Place the screw band over the jar and tighten it with one hand. It should be snug, not tight. Now, that’s it! You’re ready to boil these jars!

STEP 5: BOILING THE JARS OF FOOD

Carefully lift the jars of Restaurant Style Canned Tomato Salsa straight up using a jar wrench/lifter. Lower the jar into the pot of boiling water. Fill the canning pot with jars in this manner. Don’t jam the jars in; leave a little bit of space between the jars. I aim for about a centimetre or a finger’s width. Remember, you can process the jars in batches.

Once the canning pot is loaded, place a lid on the pot, and start your timer according to the recipe you are following. If the water is not at a full boil, do not start timing until it is! When the time is up, use the jar wrench to lift the jars straight up out of the water. Transfer the jars to a flat surface that has been lined with a few layers of kitchen towels. Allow the jars to fully cool – at least 24 hours! Finally, wipe the jars down, label them with contents and date, and store them in a cool, dark cupboard or pantry.

Some people remove the screw bands after the jars have cooled for 24 hours. I remove them just to check if there is a good seal. I put them back on once I’ve checked. It’s up to you if you want to leave them off. If you notice that a jar has not been sealed, you can either discard it or refrigerate it for immediate consumption. Only do so if you are 100% sure the food has not been compromised and that it is safe to eat.

CONCLUSION:

Restaurant Style Canned Tomato Salsa is going to be your newest addiction. Just as it is, right out of the jar, it’s perfect! But, like all good things, you’ll need to wait a bit first. Once the salsa has cooled after being removed from the canner, it’s safe to eat.

Here’s the thing about canning your own salsa. To get the best results in terms of flavour, it’s always a good idea to wait at least two weeks before digging in. That gives the ingredients time to marry together well in that processed jar. Then, it’s just perfect. Now, enjoy!