Salsa Ranchera

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 4 tomatoes (2 1/2-inch to 3-inch in diameter, the redder the better)
• 1/2 yellow onion (2 1/2-inch to 3-inch in diameter)
• 2 dried arbol chiles (3-inch long, stems removed)
• 1 serrano chili pepper (3-inch long, stem removed)
• 1 lime, juice and pulp of
• 1/2 cup of loosely packed cilantro leaf
• 4 garlic cloves (aprox 1 1/2 - 2 tblsp chopped garlic)
• 1/4 cup ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon paprika (for color) (optional)

Recipe

• 1 section the tomatoes and onion into pieces small enough for your food processor or blender to work effectively.
• 2 i use a blender set on it lowest setting (mine says stir).
• 3 **in a blender, slowly add all the ingredients, starting with the tomatoes and onions.
• 4 make sure not to put too much into your blender bowl at any one time, or it will not chop properly.
• 5 once the tomato and onion mixture is nice and smooth, continue to blend and incorporate all the other ingredients.
• 6 **in a food processor, add all ingredients to the bowl and pulse until the mixture can withstand the continuous operation of the food processor.
• 7 process until smooth.
• 8 final instructions-- get some chips and a family member or a friend to help with the final adjustments.
• 9 i usually have to tweak the amount of salt, cumin, cilantro or garlic to make it "perfect".
• 10 if the onion or other seasonings are too much, add another tomato.
• 11 your salsa can be enjoyed now, but it is best after an overnight stay in the refrigerator.
• 12 to make it the way i like it, i add one more tomato, one more chile arbol, at least one more large serano pepper and one more teaspoon of salt.
• 13 i have also substituted the seranos with jalepeños or habeñeros.