SALSA, not the dance.

I just realized that I actually have readers, internet!  They have left comments, and I haven't been smart enough to realize it.  But yes, they are coming through!  Knowing that people are reading my nonesensical, rambling posts means that perhaps I'm not quite as nuts as I imagine I sound...

So what I really came here to talk about is salsa.  Yeshua has been making salsa these past few months and then tantalizing me with descriptions, although not tastes, of his masterly creations.  We had a conversation the other day about how easy it really is to make salsa, and how much better is almost always is than the canned/jarred stuff.  Realizing that all these words were true, and that I had no excuse for continuing to buy it, I decided today was the day!  Or, perhaps the grocery bag full of home-grown veggies that my wonderful, generous soon-to-be in-laws sent me home with on sunday, which included several pounds of tomatoes and hot peppers, were the deciding factor.

Regardless, I've had a recipe for Roasted Tomato Salsa bookmarked for as long as I've had Google documents, and a morning off from work hanging with my parents seemed like the right time to try it out, because I'm random like that.  You roast the tomatoes, peppers and garlic, then throw the slightly cooled veggies into a food processor with cilantro, lime, and onion, then pulse until it's salsa.  Easy peasy japaneesy.

And it's awesome.  Really, really easy and way better than even the "fresh" salsa you can get in the deli case.  You can taste each individual ingredient, but the whole is much better than each of the parts.  The fresh lime makes it vibrant, you can easily control the heat by removing or leaving in the peppers' seeds, and the roasting process really brings out the sweetness in the tomatoes while mellowing the garlic's bite.  And super easy.  The recipe makes about 5 cups--great to share, as I did with my parents.

Recipe after the jump.

Roasted Tomato Salsa

(Originally posted on The Kitchen Sink Recipes at above link)

8 to 10 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 poblano pepper, halved lengthwise (remove the seeds and ribs, if you’re concerned about heat)
1 jalapeno pepper, halved lengthwise (remove the seeds and ribs, if you’re concerned about heat)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 cup roughly chopped red onion
2 to 3 tablespoons lime juice
sea salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes, peppers and garlic with the oil, salt and pepper. Transfer the oiled vegetables to the prepared baking sheet and spread them into a single layer. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes. At this point, start checking every 5 minutes and removing any vegetables that appear browned and softened (for me, this was the garlic first, then the peppers and finally the tomatoes). Once all the vegetables have roasted, allow them to cool slightly.

Transfer the slightly cooled vegetables to a food processor, fitted with a metal blade. Add the cilantro, red onion and 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Pulse about a dozen times, to achieve the texture of a chunky puree. If the salsa is too thick, add more lime juice. Salt to taste (this is very important; add a little bit, try it and repeat as necessary). Either serve immediately or cover the salsa and refrigerate it, serving it cold.