Easy on the Habaneros-- a salsa recipe

Does anyone else ever find produce just too beautiful to leave behind?  Maybe it's just my family (but not just me!).  Recently we came home from the farmer's market with a bunch of GORGEOUS roma tomatoes.  They were larger, redder, and meatier than the ones I am able to find in the grocery store.  What to do with tomatoes?  We don't eat that many sandwiches...  how about salsa?  So I became appointed salsa maker.  When it came time for pepper selection, my dad brought in a handful of habaneros from the garden.  I have often questioned why my family grows a habanero plant; we're not really a spicy-food family.  I was told I didn't need to use all the peppers.  (No kidding.)  I still managed to use too many.  We'll get to that later.  In the mean time, here's a recipe for salsa, correctly adjusted for future use.

Step1: Place in boiling water for 30s

Drunken Habanero Salsa

8 large Roma tomatoes

1 habanero pepper 

1 bottle Corona*

1 onion
1 green onion (scallion)

1 glove garlic

lime juice

Step 2: Plunge into iced water

Begin by peeling, seeding, and cutting the tomatoes.  (See photos, right).  A tip for cutting out that weird stem section:  rather than trying to gouge it out, slice the tomato in half, then in half again, each time making sure that the cut is just to the side of the stem.  This will leave one quarter with the stem in the corner of it.  Just whack that corner off and move on with your life.  I don't have any tricks for getting the seeds out.  I started with a knife, and ended with my fingers.  Whatever floats your boat, really.  After seeding, cut into bite-sized chunks.

Step 3: Slit skin and peel

Cut up the habanero next, and do so carefully.  Those little guys are loaded with capsaicin, a natural irritant that causes the sensation of heat when you eat them.  It will also burn your eyes and skin.  While we're on the topic, capsaicin is even added to nautical paint, because it burns the little barnacles and things that try to attach to boats.  Wow.  So, wear gloves.  When you're choosing peppers, try to handle them by the stems.  Wash your knife and cutting board (don't just rinse) right after you're done.  (I may be overly cautious, but I somehow still managed to get capsaicin on my skin!)  As with the tomatoes, discard the stem and seeds.  Chop up the habanero.

Place the habanero and tomatoes in a saucepan, and add the beer.  It should be enough to cover the veggies (if they didn't float); if it isn't, add a bit of water.  Bring the salsa to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour.  

Slicing the stem

Roughly chop the onion, green onion, and garlic, and place in a food processor.  You will add the tomato mixture to this, but you may need to let it cool a bit first.  You also will need to decide how much liquid you want in your salsa.  I prefer a chunkier, less soupy salsa, so I would drain my tomato mixture a bit, too.  Anyway, put everything in the food processor and pulse until everything is mixed and the desired texture is attained.  Season with salt, pepper, and lime juice.

 If you want a spicier salsa, by all means, add another habanero. But I would taste the finished product first, then add a diced up habanero and let it sit for a bit.  The heat won't be as awesomely distributed, but I definitely that this is a case of better safe than sorry.  I was sorry.  I started with 2 1/2 habaneros.  I tasted the salsa, decided it was yummy, ate a couple bites more, and spent the next 10 minutes trying not to breathe fire.  If this should happen to you, start cooling your mouth with dairy (the fat compounds will interact with the capsaicin and remove it more effectively than just water).  Sour cream is a great anti-heat food.  Also, getting out your toothbrush and scrubbing at your tongue (with toothpaste, of course) can help a lot.

Capsaicin, in case you were wondering

If you should wind up with salsa too hot for you to handle, do not despair.  Dilute! Find more tomatoes and another bottle of beer.  Make another batch of salsa with no hot peppers, and combine it with the first.  (This is what I had to do.)
*The recipe is probably best made with Corona, but we didn't have any, so we used a pale ale.  Still turned out great.
The beer is what I really like about this salsa.  While the majority of the alcohol is going to have cooked off, the beer flavor is still present.  It gives the salsa a depth of flavor that one doesn't usually encounter.  It's delicious, and it makes it a great salsa to cook with (I'll be posting another recipe soon for enchiladas).