So Close to Ruben's Salsa

Its important to have goals, but salsa goals are especially important

This journey of matching Ruben's Burrito's salsa has continually amazed me in how simple their recipe must truly be. This version is super tasty, super simple, and gives great insight as to what they actually must be doing.

Fresh Version of Ruben's Salsa

• 5 Tomatoes, medium, red, ripe tomatoes
• 4 Unseeded Serrano peppers (mine were green, but red work too)
• 1/2 t Granulated garlic
• 1 T Plain white vinegar
• 4 Big pinches of salt
• 1 t Crushed red pepper
• 2 t Organic tomato paste

Notice: absolutely no cilantro. None needed, none used by Ruben's. Here is a realization I came too as I had to supplement my fresh design with dried peppers and tomato paste to match the color: Ruben probably cuts huge corners by using things like canned, crushed tomatoes instead of fresh, and if I had to bet, some cheap garlic salt that may contain MSG (because the cheaper they are, the more likely they are to have nasty chemicals, and their salsa is so effing addictive).

My Ojai constituency tells me that, though this is too tomato-y it is super close to Ruben's, and I concede that yes, it is too tomato-y, but that is a function of the tomato paste to match the color.

Next time: canned tomatoes and then rolling into Ruben's with a ketchup bottle of this stuff to have a taste off with the employees.