Here's a salsa recipe I've been playing around with for about a month or so. Originally, I wanted to "wrap" a salsa around a core of nuoc cham, with a hint of a Cajun hot sauce thrown in for good measure. The end result was a bit of a hybrid, but it seems to have worked out fairly well. Anyway, enjoy-it's a hot one!

Peel (if necessary) and coarsely chop the tomatoes. Place in a saucepan. Add coarsely chopped onion, celery, and jalapenos. Peel and finely dice the garlic, add half now and reserve the other half.

Grind the cumin seed and add it along with the nuoc mam, vinegar, worcestershire, paprika, ground red pepper, and three tablespoons of sugar. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce to a moderate simmer, and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until desired thickness is achieved.

Now, about 5 minutes before the salsa is done, fry the reserved garlic in a little oil until it is crispy and golden. Remove the salsa from heat, add the fried garlic with one tablespoon of sugar, and stir occasionally until the salsa cools (stops steaming).

This should keep for between 1 and 2 weeks at 40 degrees F. The recipe makes between 1.5 and 2 quarts of salsa.

~-Tom Notes

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