The Knuttel attempts to make salsa

Hey, look, it's been over a month since I last posted. Whaddya know. Whatevs, working out shit and junk, guess some of it's cleared up. Some has become murkier.

Regardless, my garden has been spitting out a shitton (it's an actual measurement) of hot peppers, so I made myself a nice big batch of salsa.

Ingredients:
-Shitton Cayenne Peppers (green or red, doesn't really matter, in fact cayenne is simply a marker for the kind of peppers I've been producing)
-Pint of Jersey Tomatoes
-4 Large Bell Peppers (I used green, but etc etc)
-1 Vidalia Onion (added sweetness)
-4 - 5 cloves of garlic
-Olive oil
-2 Cans of Tomato Paste
-Lemon Juice
-Salt
-Pepper
-Powdered Cayenne Pepper
-Chili Pepper Flakes
-Chili Powder (I used this bitchin lime flavored one I got at the Mexican grocery store)
-Oregano
-Thyme
-Thai Basil

Step 1:
Roast or Broil tomatoes and all peppers (chili and bell). You can do this by placing them over a grill, but if you don't feel like setting up the grill for this short step, just pop them in the oven at a 500 degree broil. Don't worry about burning, as the skin will get peeled off, but keep turning them to make sure of an even cook. Like 5-10 minutes a side should be good.
Step 2:
Remove skins of tomatoes and peppers. The skins of these fruits often get in the way of getting a proper salsa texture, so removing them is highly recommended. To do this immediately, take fruit out of heat element and throw in a pool of ice water. Remove skins by rubbing it to get it loose and pulling away.
Step 3:
Dice peppers and onion. Pull apart tomato (this should be fairly easy without the skin). Throw in blender/food processor (though be careful not to liquefy it, you still want to be able to identify the ingredients)
Step 4:
Chop garlic and put in a pot with enough olive oil to cover the whole bottom. Throw some salt, pepper, pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and chili powder in there too. Keep it moving, cos burnt garlic tastes like ass. Put the burner on high heat.
Step 5:
Put Pepper, onion, and tomato mixture into pot. Drop heat to low. Add Tomato Paste. Cover and let simmer for x time. Keep it moving.
Step 6:
Add herbs (thyme, oregano, thai basil (thai basil has a little bit of a spicier kick to it, i think, and is slightly better suited for this kind of thing than regular sweet basil, though sweet basil should work fine)) and lemon juice. Stir.
Step 7:
Check for taste and adjust accordingly (salt, pepper, etc). Cover back up and let simmer for like half an hour or an hour or so until you get the thickness you want (tomato acts as a thickening agent, see). Keep stirring.
Step 8:
Take off heat and let cool. Put in dishes and junk. Eat.


I only have a picture of it mid-cook, so, let's just say, it's pretty damn awesome. The only thing I can think of is maybe it would work better with only 1 can of tomato paste. I dunno, I guess I can try that out later. It's got a nice little hint of citrusy, some good tomato texture, and the heat is good but not overpowering, has staying power too (like any good heat should).

Next up, the Knuttel attempts to make "taco burgers" (burgers that taste like tacos)

-- Knuttel