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Salsa Ninety Nine

A tomato-based salsa with cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, bell pepper, onion, vinegar, and cornstarch thickener.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Garlic and onion match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Salsa Ninety Nine

Timeabout 30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the tomatoes

  1. Core and peel the tomatoes.

  2. Remove the tomato seeds and pulp.

  3. Put seeds and pulp through a food mill.

  4. Chop the outsides of the tomatoes.

Make the salsa base

  1. In a large pot over low heat, boil the milled liquid and tomato paste for 1 hour, or until the liquid is reduced by 1/3.

  2. In a blender or food processor, puree cilantro, jalapeno, garlic and 1/2 cup of the tomato liquid from the large pot.

  3. Slowly stir this mixture into the pot.

  4. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil while mixing in the green peppers, onions, chopped tomatoes, salt, vinegar and brown sugar.

Thicken and jar

  1. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in water.

  2. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pot.

  3. Stirring continually, boil the mixture until all the vegetables are soft -- about 30 minutes.

  4. Allow the mixture to cool, and place it in sterile containers.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

623Calories
17 gProtein
2 gFat
132 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 12 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Green Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Cilantro1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Jalapeno + garlictop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,700 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  4. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Pepper + garlictop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,090 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Tomatoes
Form the bulk of the salsa and provide its main body and flavor.
Tomato paste
Concentrates the tomato flavor and adds body to the sauce.
Cornstarch
Thickens the salsa as it boils, giving it a looser, spoonable texture.
Vinegar
Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and helps preserve the salsa.
Onions
Add savory sweetness and aroma as they soften during cooking.

The step that matters

Thickening with cornstarch. Cornstarch must be dissolved in cold water before adding it, and the mixture must be stirred continually while boiling. Otherwise it clumps and can leave raw starch taste, and the sauce may thicken unevenly.

Swap the jalapeno

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, pepper, garlic, onion, vinegar, sugar):

  1. Cuminfits better
  2. Corianderfits better
  3. Basilfits better
  4. Jalapenothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, pepper, garlic, onion, vinegar, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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