Throw a fiesta with homemade salsa

Tomatoes are a passion of mine. I can't resist growing them or eating them. I even drink them -- the juice, that is.

Before I moved to Nevada, I grew 500 tomato plants in the summer on our farm in Oregon and learned how to can them just so I could enjoy home-grown tomatoes in the wintertime. I canned gallons of tomatoes and tomato juice.

I played around with recipes that included tomatoes for sauces and other dishes. I even started making my own salsa. In fact, my salsa became so popular at family events that relatives would beg me for my recipe. I would tell them it was just the home-grown tomatoes that made it taste so good.

But the truth was most everything in it was home-grown -- the cilantro, the jalape-o peppers and the tomatoes. I started calling my recipe "Fiesta Salsa" because of all of the colorful ingredients.

Fiesta Salsa is a simple way to add a splash of color to your lunch or dinners and makes a inexpensive appetizer to serve guests. Plus, it only takes about 15 minutes or less to make, depending on how fast you can chop and still keep your fingers.

If fresh, garden tomatoes are available then I recommend using them over store-bought tomatoes. The flavor is greatly enhanced with fresh tomatoes.

But if your garden isn't producing yet, you can buy yellow, orange and red tomatoes from your produce store, or check out the local farmers market and still make a great salsa.

I use three different colors of tomatoes for fiesta salsa, orange, yellow and red. Each tomato of variant color has a slightly different taste and adds a unique flavor to the salsa.

FIESTA SALSA

2 each medium-size red, yellow and orange tomatoes, chopped or diced

2 jalape-os (1 for mild, 2-3 for medium or 4 or more for hot), minced or chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1U2 bunch green onions, chopped

1U4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1U2 tsp salt

1U2 tsp pepper

1teaspoon lime juice

Combine red, yellow and orange tomatoes, jalape-os, garlic, green onions, cilantro, salt, pepper and lime juice in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Slowly add the crushed tomatoes while mixing to desired consistency.

Serve with chips and warmed refried beans, or use as a topping on tacos, baked potatoes, omelettes or as a baking sauce for a spicy chicken dish.

Remember, as salsa sits, the juice from the tomatoes will rise to the top and need to be stirred occasionally.

Yields enough for 4-6 people and a bag of chips.

OTHER SALSA RECIPES

WORTH TRYING

California

tomato salsa

1 large head of garlic, minced or pressed

4 large onions, chopped finely

2 sweet peppers, chopped finely

5 jalape-o (hot) peppers

28-ounce can tomato sauce

13-ounce can tomato paste

Chili powder

Oregano

Parsley

Olive oil

Trim the ends off the hot peppers and chop them finely, but don't remove the core or seeds. In a large pot, heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom with about 1U8-inch on low-medium heat. Add garlic and saute for a few minutes, making sure it doesn't stick. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add oregano, parsley and whatever other spices you might like (to your own taste). Cook, stirring regularly, until the mixture is quite soft. Chop fresh tomatoes or mash canned ones fairly fine (depending on how chunky you want it).

Add them to the pot. Add tomato sauce and paste. Let simmer a while.

Great for dipping corn chips or to top off rice and beans.

(From www.panix.com/~clay/cookbook)

Mango and Melon salsa

1E1U2 cups diced tomato

1/2 cup diced cantaloupe

1U4 cup diced yellow onion

1U2 cup diced mango

1U2 cup orange juice

1 T. chopped fresh cilantro

1U2 cup finely diced fresh, yellow, hot chilies

Juice of 1 lime

1U2 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients in a bowl. Yields about 4 cups.

(From the Internet)