Making basic salsa at home is easy, you just finely dice tomatoes, peppers, garlic, onions, cilantro and any other flavor enhancers you enjoy (my boyfriend swears by chicken bouillon and I’m partial to mangoes or pineapple) and then mix them together and let them sit for a while so the flavors can merge before sitting. Some prefer roasted tomatoes and peppers, others prefer them raw, it’s all up to you. You can even throw them all in a blender if you like runnier salsa or if you want to eat it immediately.
Hot sauce, on the other hand, requires a bit more finesse -or at least more of a time commitment. The upside is that the end result will last much longer than a homemade salsa. Fortunately, this infographic by Heather Diane Hardison of Illustrated Bites can help guide you in making your own custom hot sauce that will be as spicy or mild as you prefer. You can even use your choice of chilies to get just the right flavor combination.
