By Caitlin Rothermel
It’s tomato season, and maybe your garden is overflowing. It seemed like a good time to share this delicious salsa adapted from “The Moosewood Cookbook.”
I discovered Moosewood in college in the 1980s, just as I was learning to cook. At the time, it seemed like everyone owned a copy, and for good reason. Moosewood was the first cookbook to focus on vegetarian food that actually tasted good, and this was a period in time when many people wanted to eat less meat, but most vegetarian dishes were … not impressive.
Moosewood was also one of those rare publishing and cultural success stories that probably couldn’t happen today. For beginner me, it was the perfect introduction to cooking. I liked meat, but found it a little intimidating; somehow, vegetables seemed more approachable.
This salsa made me popular at parties. Everyone loved it, and if I needed to prepare it on-site, one or two people always wandered over to help chop vegetables, turning the task into an unexpectedly effortless social interaction.
Recently, I rediscovered the recipe and have been making it regularly again. I still think it’s one of the best salsas I’ve ever had. I think the recipe’s magic comes from the addition of cumin and a touch of both vinegar and olive oil. But of course, I couldn’t resist making a few changes to suit my own taste.
For the curious, here’s how my version differs from the original:
- The original recipe briefly simmers the tomatoes, removes the skins and seeds, then minces them. I skip that step because I prefer the bright flavor of fresh, raw tomatoes.
- The original uses just 1–2 tablespoons of lime juice and no zest. I think lime zest is one of the secret ingredients that really makes the salsa shine.
- I added corn because I love the sweetness and crunch it brings.
- Finally, the original recipe calls for toasting cumin seeds, then grinding them with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. I did this for years. One day, though, I was in a hurry and used ground cumin instead. It was great, too, so now I take this shortcut.
Ingredients
- 3 to 6 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 2 to 4 scallions, minced
- 1 to 1.5 cups corn, fresh or frozen
- 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, minced
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lime, juice and zest
- 1 bundle cilantro, minced
- 1 to 1.5 tsp cumin
- ~1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Directions
Mix all ingredients together. Ideally, refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Sometimes I cut the tomatoes ahead of time and let them rest in a sieve under cloth before adding the other ingredients to drain out excess liquid – for at least several hours. That way, the final product is not too wet and the lime juice, vinegar, and oil can be well-distributed.
This makes enough for a party or for several meals, and even some to share. Serve with chips, eggs, tacos, meat, rice and beans, etc. Refrigerated, the salsa lasts at least a week, often even longer.
