Instructions: This recipe takes a little more time to make but it is one of the most flavourful picante sauce I have ever tasted and when I serve it to guests they really enjoy it.

Chop tomatoes and place in large stainless steel bowl.

Remove cores from mild chilies. Chop chilies. Scrape most of seeds from cores. Add chopped chilies to tomatoes.

Pierce hot chilies with toothpick and add to tomatoes.

Add remaining ingedients-except cilantro; mix well. Stir occasionally, bring
to a boil over medium heat. Simmer, uncovered 1 hour.

Fill boiling water canner with water. Place 5 clean pint(500ml) mason jars in canner over high heat.

Add cilantro and continue cooking 15 to 30 minutes until desired consistency
is reached. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Taste and remove hot chilies when sauce reaches desired "hot" flavour.

Place Bernardin Snap Lids in boiling water, boil 5 minutes to activate sealing compound.

Ladle sauce into a hot jar to within 1/2 inch of top of rim (head space).

If a "hot" Picante Sauce is desired, place 1 thoroughly washed, drained, dried hot chili pepper in jar.

Remove air bubbles by sliding rubber spatual between glass and food; readjust head space to 1/2 inch. Wipe jar rim removing any stickiness.

Center Snap Lid on jar; apply screw band just until fingertip tight. Place jar in canner. Repeat for remaining sauce.

Cover canner; return water to a boil; process 20 minutes at altitudes up to
1,000ft. Remove jars. Cool 24 hours. Check jar seals. (Sealed lids curve downward). Remove screw bands. Wipe jars, label, and store in a cool, dark place.

Be sure to follow recipes for tomatoe vegetable blends EXACTLY as directed.

This recipe has been developed to ensure they are acidic enough to process in a boiling water canner. Altering the ingredients could make these products unsafe.

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