Red Salsa

If there's one Mexican appetizer I adore, it has to be a good, fiery, lively bowl of red salsa. It's got the heat that guacamole--as much as I love the stuff--just can't offer, and you can eat gobs of it with little to no guilt, depending on how many tortilla chips you consume in the process. And unlike guacamole, it won't go brown on you the minute you turn your back; instead, it keeps nicely in the fridge for a full week's worth of snacking. It's kind of the hero of apps that way.

However, that watered-down, often-tasteless gunk you get in jars at the supermarket won't cut it with me. And it shouldn't with you either, especially considering how easy it is to whip up a homemade batch using just a few ingredients and a couple of whizzes in the blender. This version, made for another football Sunday last weekend, uses canned San Marzano tomatoes, a few jalapeno peppers, some chile powder, and a good handful of cilantro leaves, but feel free to play with the ingredient types and amounts to make it your own. Delicious. Recipe down below. xo

Red Salsa
Ingredients:
1 28 oz. can of tomatoes
1 cup of cilantro leaves
2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chile powder (add more to taste, if you like)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup pickled jalapenos
Salt to taste
Juice from 1/2 lemon

Directions:
Put all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Taste it, and see if it needs any more spices.

Makes about 4 cups. Will keep in fridge for one week.