Salsa Ranchera

Salsa ranchera, meaning “ranch-style sauce, is a very common salsa in Mexico.

It’s a spicy mix of roasted tomatoes and chiles, typically served warm or used as an ingredient in dishes.

It is the salsa used to make Huevos Rancheros. You can also use it in dishes such as carne asada and enchildas.

You could also use it as a dipping sauce with tortilla chips.

This recipe is from the All New Ball Book of Canning.

The recipe

Jar size choices: Quarter-litre (1/2 US pint / 250 ml / 8 oz) OR half-litre (US pint / 500 ml / 16 oz)

Processing method: Water bath or steam canning

Yield: 4 x half-litre (US pint) jars

Headspace: 2 cm (1/2 inch)

Processing time: 20 minutes

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Salsa Ranchera

4 x half-litre jars (US pint)

Course Salsa

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Yield 4 half-litre jars (US pint)

Calories 56 kcal

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg plum tomatoes (3 lbs. Weight before prep.)
• 350 g jalapeno peppers (3/4 lb. Weight before prep.)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 onion (medium-sized. Around 100 g / 3 oz)
• 75 ml lime juice (fresh. 1/3 cup / 2.5 oz. About 3 to 4 key limes)
• 30 g coriander (aka cilantro. Fresh. 1/2 cup finely chopped. 1 oz)
• 2 teaspoons salt (OR non-bitter, non-clouding salt sub)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 225 C / 425 F.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil.
3. Wash and core the tomatoes, put on baking sheet.
4. Wash peppers, cut in half, stem, place cut side down on baking sheet. (You can also remove some or all of the seeds where a lot of the heat is if you wish.)
5. Peel garlic, put on baking sheet
6. Peel onion, cut into thick (2 cm / 1/2 inch) slices, add to baking sheet.
7. Put tray in oven, bake until garlic cloves are soft -- about 20 minutes.
8. Remove garlic cloves, chop, put in a large pot.
9. Put tray back in oven, and bake until onion is tender -- about another 15 minutes. Peppers should be starting to char a bit and the pepper skins should be getting wrinkled.
10. Remove tray from oven.
11. Let tray also stand 15 minutes to cool a bit.
12. Meanwhile, juice the limes. Set juice aside.
13. Wash and finely chop the fresh coriander; set aside.
14. Take skin off tomatoes, coarsely chop, add to pot where garlic is.
15. Coarsely chop onion, add to pot.
16. Chop garlic, add to pot.
17. Peel peppers. Discard skin.
18. Finely chop the peppers, add to pot.
19. Bring pot to a boil, stirring frequently.
20. Reduce heat, and let simmer uncovered 2 minutes.
21. Stir in the prepared lime juice, fresh coriander and salt.
22. Ladle hot sauce into heated jars, leaving 2 cm (1/2 inch) headspace.
23. Debubble, adjust headspace.
24. Wipe jar rims.
25. Put lids on.
26. Process in a water bath or steam canner.
27. Process jars for 20 minutes; increase time as needed for your altitude.

Reference information

How to water bath process.

How to steam can.

When water-bath canning or steam canning, you must adjust the processing time for your altitude.

For salt substitute, Herbamare Sodium-Free was used as it is non-bitter and non-clouding.

Recipe notes

• The reason you need a rimmed baking sheet is to prevent dripping juices making a mess of your oven. The reason you line it with tin foil is to make clean-up easier.
• Try your best not to stack the ingredients on the baking sheet or they will steam instead of roast.
• TOMATOES: Plum tomato means a paste, dry type tomato such as Roma, Amish Paste, San Marzano, etc.
• PEPPERS: Instead of jalapeno peppers, you could use another medium-hot pepper such as a green serrano. If you want to reduce the heat for your audience, replace some or all of the jalapeno with green bell pepper but don’t go over the amount called for.
• LIMES tip! Make your limes yield more juice by zapping them in the microwave, just until they feel warm on the outside. About 30 seconds in a 1200 watt microwave; your mileage will vary. But you will get a lot more juice out of your limes (and lemons) with this trick. If you do this, 3 key limes may be enough. If don’t do this, you will probably need 4 key limes.

Recipe source

• Butcher, Meredith L., Ed. The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving. New York: Oxmoor House. 2016. Page 176.

Modifications:

• none

Nutrition information

With salt

Per 250 ml (1 cup / 8 oz)

• 56 calories, 1324 mg sodium

Salt-free

Per 250 ml (1 cup / 8 oz)

• 56 calories, 743 mg sodium

* Nutrition info provided by https://caloriecount.about.com

Cooking with canning recipes

Huevos rancheros