Instructions: There are of course nearly as many salsa recipes as there are chile-heads, but here are a few comments and a basic recipe.

1. Theres a huge difference between cooked and fresh salsas. Canned tomatoes are cooked. I think youre interested in a basic fresh salsa; you can go from there into a variety of red and green fresh and cooked salsas.

2. I dont much like tomatoes, fresh or otherwise - basically the only food I dont like - so if preparing just for myself I leave them out. When preparing salsa to share with others, I use under-ripe tomatoes, and sparingly. Just my taste, but it seems to run in our family.

3. No need for sugar. No way of knowing what "2 green and 1 red chilli"

means. No problem with some fresh white onion and some coriander

(cilantro). Scallions are okay too, but are a bit of a variation. Garlic - matter of taste; its a strong flavor.

4. A fresh Mexican salsa, often called "pico de gallo," will usually include the following, so this might be considered a basic recipe:

1 fresh, not too ripe tomato, diced fine

1 Maui or other sweet onion, diced fine

Cilantro to taste - maybe 2 tablespoons

2 fresh jalapeno or serrano chiles, diced fine - more to taste

juice of 2 limes or a lemon Stir well, keep chilled and covered until you serve it, and use within 24 hours (the tomato will start to get weird on you after that). Adding some small cubes or hunks of ripe avocado right before serving is a good variation. Will (wdborgeson@ucdavis.edu)

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