The Making of Chef Rico's Texas Salsa #8

Now and then I get the bug to put up some salsa and talk my wife Becky into it. She is the one with canning knowledge and has to guide me through the process. So tonight we canned 16 jars of my incredibly delicious and addicting Chef Rico's Texas Badboy Salsa #8.

I am attending a MINI event this Saturday and thought I would bring some jars for a small donation (100% of all donations will go toward the Chef Rico Hot Tub Fund). Really? You thought I was serious? I may take a donation for the salsa but give the funds to a charity or something. Or I may just end up giving it away.

So, the process is very interesting and there is definitely an art to canning (one more just popped). You have to heat the salsa, sterilize the lids and jars, fill the jars with salsa, close the lid tight and boil the jars in water. After 10 minutes you pull them out and when the lid pops in from a vacuum, you are ready to slap a label on. (another one popped)



My wife and I were like an assembly line! Next week we are going to the SHARK TANK for some $capital$ and go into sales and marketing. NOT! So, if you get to see me this weekend you may, just maybe, get a jar of Chef Rico's salsa.

We made 12 batches, one at a time, (2 more just popped) just to make sure the ingredients were just right and the taste was consistent with my expectations of my salsa. Quality control is a high priority here at Chef Rico's place.

Comment? Suggestions?

Disclaimer: Chef Rico's Texas Badboy Salsa #8 is made with Texas ingredients and is highly addicting. We are not responsible for counseling as a result from any addictions that may be formed.

Chef Rico's Perfect Chopped Onion Method

This is a great way to hand chop onions and make them any size you like; fine grade, medium grade, or large grade. You will want different sizes depending on what you are making many times. Plus, this is quick and easy and sets you up for more than one time. Once you slice off how much you need, store the rest in a sealed plastic bag or sealed container.

Start with how you buy the onion at the store. You don't need to peel it just yet!

Take a sharp wide blade knife and cut both ends of the onion off and discard

Score the onion by making  a cut about 1/8 blade deep across the onion

Now peel the onion back to reveal the shinny part like this

Here is where you determine the size of your chop. Slice the onion about 1/4 think and you get large; slice it 1/8 thick and you get medium grade chop; slice it really thin like 1/16 and you get a fine chop.

 Now cut the slice in half and separate to prepare for chopping

As you chop the slice, move it around with your fingers toward the blade. With the onion now in inner circles, when you cut this way, you end up with chopped onion.

Disclaimer: This post is strictly for chopping method purposes only and does not deal with food storage methods or how long to keep foods stored.