Salsa

Salsa is fab. It works as a dip or as a side, cheers up left-overs, and spreads happiness all around. It takes only minutes to whip up and tastes so much better than shop-bought. (I will save you a rant on how awful shop-bought salsas are. But they are.)

Tomatoes are good for you so eat this a lot. All the time. As sauce, as salad, as a dip with carrot batons and pepper spears.

Serves: 2-8 depending on how it is used. Prep: 5-10 minutes. Cooking time: 0.
Stores: For a couple of days in the fridge. This doesn’t freeze well – freezing explodes the tomato’s cells and turns the whole thing into mush.

Tools

• Tin opener (optional)
• Chopping board
• Knife
• Tin opener
• Bowl
• Spoon
• Lemon zester (optional)

Ingredients

• 1 tin or carton chopped tomatoes
• 2 spring onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 0.5 chilli
• 1 handful coriander
• 1 lime, juice and rind

Method

1. Empty the tomatoes into the bowl.
2. Finely chop the spring onions, garlic, chilli and coriander and add to the tomatoes.
3. Halve the lime and squeeze the juice into the tomatoes.
4. Cut the green zest (leaving the white pith on the rind) off about half the lime and chop finely. If you have a zester, this is when to get it out!
5. Mix it all together and serve.

Variations

• Add texture: Add a finely chopped pepper to add a bit of crunch, or a small tin of sweetcorn for the same reason.
• Heat it up: Use more than one type of chilli to get a fully rounded heat and flavour.
• Cool it down: Use orange zest and juice instead of lime for a softer, more rounded flavour.
• Thicken it: Sometimes, you want it a little thicker, less wet. Give yourself some extra time and pour the chopped tomatoes into a sieve about half an hour before you need it. Leave over a bowl and a lot of the liquid will drain. This is useful if you’re making nachos, for example, or anything else where too much moisture will cause a mushy mess on the plate.