{"id":4643,"date":"2018-04-16T09:00:15","date_gmt":"2018-04-16T15:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=4643"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:58:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:58:45","slug":"berthas-salsa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2018\/04\/16\/berthas-salsa\/","title":{"rendered":"Bertha’s Salsa"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 16, 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

Bertha was born and raised in Duran, New Mexico.\u00a0 She was one of 15 children.<\/p>\n

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If her family lived in Duran now they would constitute 50% of the population of 33 people<\/a> (35 according to some reports<\/a>).<\/p>\n

With a few dozen residents, Duran doesn\u2019t qualify as an actual ghost town<\/a> but many of its buildings are abandoned.<\/p>\n

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One of many abandoned buildings in Duran. This was a general store and hotel adjacent to the railroad tracks.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Duran popped up in the very early 1900\u2019s thanks to the railroad, a common occurrence in New Mexico.\u00a0 Twenty years later the railroad moved it operations (repair shops, etc.) south to Carrizozo, dealing Duran, population 300 at its peak, a blow.<\/p>\n

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In the 1930\u2019s US 54 came right through Duran.\u00a0 The highway traffic revived the town a bit.\u00a0 In the early 1960\u2019s however, I-25 opened about 60 miles away.\u00a0 Traffic on US 54 dropped precipitously and Duran entered a downward spiral<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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A sign without a purpose<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bertha has been our housekeeper in Alamogordo for the last five years.\u00a0 As you may know, my husband is the Medical Director for Behavioral Health at the Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s in Alamogordo during the week and back home in Santa Fe on the weekends.<\/p>\n

The fastest way from Santa Fe to Alamogordo involves US 54, so Frank and I know Duran well.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost the halfway point of the trip.<\/p>\n

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Another abandoned building<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bertha loves to cook.\u00a0 She periodically leaves goodies in the fridge in Alamogordo.\u00a0 This salsa appears frequently.\u00a0 It\u2019s an interesting recipe using canned tomatoes and garlic powder.\u00a0 The canned tomatoes mean that it\u2019s a year-round treat which does not require the red-ripe tomatoes of late summer.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019m not sure why the garlic powder instead of fresh garlic but there are several dishes that I make that turn out better with garlic powder than with fresh garlic (like my mother\u2019s roast turkey and chicken<\/a>).\u00a0 So, I didn\u2019t play with Bertha\u2019s recipe.<\/p>\n

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And yet another<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just whizz everything in the food processor and refrigerate for several hours for the flavors to blend and you\u2019ve got an amazing salsa with almost no work.<\/p>\n

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The fire department is still in operation<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Frank is leaving Alamogordo at the end of June.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to miss Bertha, her husband Miguel, and the surprise treats that occasionally appear in our refrigerator!

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Bertha's Salsa<\/h2>\n
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Since this salsa doesn\u2019t use fresh tomatoes it can be made year-round. Despite the use of canned tomatoes and garlic powder it tastes bright and fresh.<\/div>\n
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Prep Time <\/span>5 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>2 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span> 5 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Servings: <\/span>3<\/span> cups<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ingredients
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