Roma Tomatoes, Image: amandabhslater, Creative Commons

I developed this recipe when the Austin American Statesman held a salsa making contest in the 90s — the winning salsa would be bottled by a local food manufacturer. I entered under my exes’ name so judges would not be influenced by the fact I was a local radio personality. We didn’t win, but we did come in second. I had a great deal of fun developing the salsa; that year we made batches as gifts for friends.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
12 ripe Roma tomatoes, stemmed and cut lengthwise
1 1/2 cups green onions, white and green parts, chopped
14 ounces tomato puree
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 large ancho pepper, stemmed, seeded
3 large chipotle peppers, stemmed
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 head garlic,  separated and peeled (use more or less as you wish)
2 cups  cilantro, chopped and packed

Instructions

Put olive oil in a heavy 4-qt. pan. When heated, add the stemmed, halved Roma tomatoes. Cook on high heat for 5 minutes. Add the green onions. Cook 5 minutes longer, or until onions wilt. Lower heat. Add the puree, water, cumin, chili powder, peppers, sugar, salt and pepper, and cook until ingredients meld. Add the garlic and 1 c. cilantro and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour mixture into a blender or a food processor, and blend until the mixture is still textured, but not chunky. Return to pan and cook another 30 minutes to one hour, depending on how thick you like your salsa. Add the last cup of cilantro during the final 5 minutes of cooking. Cool and refrigerate.