I Did It.

[Doc]

Start the journey your self and find your own spicy nirvana.

What you need.

Some cast iron cookware. Nothing, and I mean nothing sears better than cast iron. You are going to want this for fire roasting your veggies. Also, a wood burning stove is a plus, but not required. Some woods do contain flavours and smells that are nice though. You will want to burn your veggies black. Not completely black, but nicely toasted. This is important as it brings out flavours and carmelizes the veggies. Always roast them whole and pulverise them later.

GOOD oil. I don't mean that 9 dollar bottle of olive oil you see in the grocery store. It tastes ok, and if you can't taste the difference any way, go ahead and get it. Some people have sophisticated tastes. Find a good import catalog or online site, and get proper olive oils from other countries.

Never, ever, what so ever, let anything metal other than cast iron touch your salsa fixings. No stainless steel bowls, no steel spoons, etc. NO plastic either. These bleed flavours. And metalic tasting salsa tastes like ASS. I have a bowl, a masher, and a spoon all made from wood that I use expressly for this purpose. And store your salsa in a glass bottle with a glass stopper. I have a set of glass bottles with little glass chili peppers for stoppers.

Use fruit! Fruit is sweet. Some pineapple can go a long way in creating a pleasant taste. Sweet and heat go together. Also, I find that sugar causes problems in salsa, but a lot of recipes call for it. I use honey. I find that it sticks to the tongue in a most pleasant way and really allows the burn to really sink in. Sugar also makes the salsa break down and become watery and runny faster. It will spoil quicker. Honey actually preserves the salsa for a bit, keeps it thick, and generally does good things. Fruits can also contain your much needed acid. Like limes. And pineapple.

Dare to be exotic. I have made a batch of salsa on a couple of occasions that used roasted eggplant. Not only did it burn... But it gives that pleasant tingly sensation to your mouth that eggplant does. It was most enjoyable.

Grow your own cilantro. Compost the soil. (I use coffee grounds! ) Love and nurture the plant. It will give you so much in return.

Peppers. Grow your own. Or import them. I do both.

Start off simple. A couple of tomatoes, some peppers, some garlic, a Vidalia onion, etc, placed in a cast iron dutch oven and drizzled with olive oil. Roast over open flames for a bit, checking ever so often. Wait till there are black spots all over your veggies, but they are not completely burnt. Make sure you flip and roll them around a bit. (With a wooden spoon) Smash them. Add your sweet. Add your acid. (I use lime juice. Mostly.) Allow it to sit for a while and the flavours to seep together. Try it and see what it does for you. You can add a touch of bitter to enhance the sweet. Like grating your lime peel into your salsa. Add seasonal fruits and such, like raspberries or blueberries.

DO NOT EVEN TRY TO CAN YOUR SALSA. YUCK. Canned salsa tastes like ass. Make it fresh for crying out loud.

Serve it to people every chance you get. You will know you have done it right when you enter the room with your glass bottle and terra cotta salsa bowl and suddenly people vanish mysteriousy, leaving you all alone with your precious salsa.

Oh, that reminds me. Invest in a terra cotta salsa bowl. No plastic, no metal. And DO NOT WASH YOUR TERRA COTTA BOWL WITH DISH SOAP! Always clean it out with boiling water. Terra cotta "seasons." Hitting it with dish soap will ruin it, just like dish soap ruins cast iron. After you are done cleaning your terra cotta bowl, wipe it down with a clean cloth with some sort of sweet oil just like you would do with cast iron.

There. This should give you a major head start in making real salsa. In no time you should be able to start making salsa that will make grown men weep.