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Annie's salsa questions - again

17 years ago

I know this has been discussed, but have you tried doing a search for Annie's salsa? A gazillion threads, and I'm not sure which ones have these questions since I know it wasn't in the title. So, I apologize, but can someone please tell me if I'm on the right track here?

Am I correct that I can decrease or omit the sugar?

Can I also decrease or omit both the tomato sauce and the tomato paste? If I omit the paste will it be runny? Isn't the paste rather sweet?

I can use lime juice (bottled) instead of vinegar right?

Do you all drain your tomatoes after seeding? That would then help thicken again.

I think that's all. Can you guess what I'm doing tonight?

Ann

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Comments (5)

Linda_Lou
17 years ago
I don't remove the seeds from my salsa. Yes, you can omit the sugar. I would taste it first before adding the sugar. I like the tomato sauce and paste because it makes it thicker.Plus, it gives it a richer flavor.
Yes, you can use bottled lime juice or bottled lemon juice instead of vinegar.
Just NEVER the other way around if something calls for lemon juice you cannot substitute vinegar. Bottled lemon or lime juice is twice as acidic, but you still use the same amount, do not decrease the amount called for.
readinglady
17 years ago
Just me, but I prefer tomato paste to sauce in salsa. Any sweetness comes purely from the tomatoes themselves, as there's no added sugar, just tomatoes cooked down.

It's thicker than tomato sauce but also more acidic. I don't use any added sugar.

That's the nice thing about making your own. There are certainly boundaries but within them you can do a lot of modification to suit your and your family's preferences.

Carol
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Annie, I served it tonight to my parents, DH and kids. Everyone loved it and I can see that I'd better get comfortable making it! I'm a nervous Nellie as I've never canned before but I bought a BWB canning pot, tongs, funnel and jars this past week. I'm a bit confused about the types of tomatoes, but the local farm stand should help me a bit. Did we use tomato paste at Sherry's? I was off at the Amish market buying other goodies when we finished it off.
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I think you could use stewed tomatoes - if you add other ingredients (for instance celery, sugar, salt), just adjust the fresh ingredients in Annie's recipe to account for those. Our "tomato sauce" is just all the hunks of tomatoes that are left after I have enough for salsa and/or trimmings from bruised ones or I'm just so tired of looking at tomatoes spread all over the kitchen that I throw them in the sauce pot. No seasonings - just cook the tomatoes down a bit to get rid of some of the water. Then I either whiz 'em with a stick blender or leave 'em chunky. Freeze in those 3 cup plastic containers that stack very nicely in the freezer. After a batch or two (and tasting along the way), you'll get to know if you need to add a wee bit more paste or a spoonful of sauce to get the taste and texture you want. Start off on the light side, then you can add more if needed. Have fun!
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I agree completely with Zabby. I've also only done the BWB. I'm a vinegar lover and my BWB is in the house all the time, but my pressure canner is in the garage. I'm lazy. I would just use the 4-5 of your small peppers, simmer with the other ingredients for a bit and taste. That's the only way you're really going to know if it suits your needs (eat the mistakes and don't tell..hahaha). You can add more if it's not hot enough (up to the 1/4 c.), but ya sure can't take 'em out!!! Most importantly........make notes on what you did so you're not like me.........trying to figure it all out again next year!! (grin). I work in a documentation role at my job, you'd think I'd do a better job with my recipes....go figure! Deanna (Just for future reference.....BWB is Boiling Water Bath, HWB is Hot Water Bath. Not sure exactly what you were referring to with HBH)
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Lucky you to have that extra bit. Sure you can freeze it. The texture may be slightly different, but some people on Harvest actually prefer Annie's salsa frozen. You don't have to cook it more than you have or BWB. It's perfectly fine to eat it taken right from the fridge or frozen and then thawed. Carol
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prairie_love
Original Author
17 years ago
Thank you for the quick answers! I'll be off to the garden now, then the kitchen....

Carol, I'm starting to learn that - that I can do a lot of modification. It's fun.

Ann
ksrogers
17 years ago
Of course if you add no extra acid, the would require a pressure canning.
seneca_s
17 years ago
I never put the sugar in and I like half vinegar and half lime juice. I really thought I would like to sub all lime but I tried it once and not as good. I think this salsa is super mild so I subed peppers. Today I threw 1 bell pepper, 2 green chiles and a few hot peppers in the food processor and it came out to a cup and a half. Tasted the salsa after I got that together without the 3-5 jalapenos and it was pretty good, but decided to add the jalapenos anyway. Like the paste and the sauce. Oh yeah, I water bath this too. I tried the pressure can once but I like the bite from the extra vinegar and lime.

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