Canned Tomato Salsa Recipe

To Sterilize Jars:

1. Place the steamer rack in the bottom of a large 16-quart stockpot or canning pot. Place new or clean mason jars on the rack. Fill the jars with water and fill the pot with just enough water to come to the top of the jars.

2. Heat water to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Have a kettle half-filled with water ready to boil to sterilize the jar lids a few minutes before canning.

Chile Peppers:

1. Roast* the Anaheim green chile peppers until blackened all over. Roast directly over a gas flame on the stovetop or broil the chiles or blister them on a grill.

2. Just put the chiles near a heat source until blistered and blackened, and turn them so that they get blackened on all sides.

3. Then place the chiles in a brown paper bag (or in a covered bowl), close the bag and let the chiles steam in their own heat for a few minutes.

4. Then gently rub off the outer skin and discard. Cutaway the stems and remove the seeds and any prominent veins. Chop up the chiles to yield 1 cup. Set aside.

5. Do not use more than 1½ cups of chopped chiles.

Tomatoes:

1. Peel the tomatoes by blanching, grilling, or broiling.

2. To blanch them, score the ends of the tomatoes and place them in boiling water for 1 minute.

3. If grilling or broiling the tomatoes, core them first. Grill them on high direct heat until blackened in parts and the peels are cracked.

4. To broil, just cut them in half and place the cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Broil until the peels are blackened in parts.

5. Remove the tomatoes and let cool to the touch. Remove and discard the peels. Cutaway any cores if any. Chop the tomatoes taking care to save any juices that may come out of them.

6. Starting with 5 pounds of tomatoes, it should end up with about 8 cups of chopped tomatoes and juices. Place them in a bowl and set them aside.

7. Put all of the ingredients into a large 8-quart stainless steel pot.

8. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes.

To Can Salsa:

1. While the salsa is cooking, place the jar lids in a bowl and cover them with boiling water to sterilize.

2. For a smoother salsa, use an immersion blender to pulse it a few times, or working in batches ladle about half of it into a blender and purée.

3. Ladle the salsa into canning jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Wipe the rims with a clean, dampened paper towel so that there is no residual food on the rims.

4. Place canning lids on the jars. Screw on the lid rings.

5. Place the filled and lidded jars back onto the rack in the large stock-pot of hot water used to sterilize the jars. Remove some of the water from the pot to prevent it from overfilling.

6. Cover the jars with at least 1-inch of water. Bring to a rolling boil and process for 15 minutes or 20 minutes for altitudes 1000 to 6000 ft. 25 minutes above 6000 ft. Then, turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the hot water for 5 minutes.

7. Remove the jars from the water bath and let sit on a counter for several hours until completely cool. The lids should “pop” as the cooling salsa creates a vacuum under the lid and the jars are sealed.

8. Serve over dishes, and enjoy!