Quick Roasted Salsa

Quick Roasted Salsa

It's that time of year again! Summer has set in across the country and with it's warm weather, sunshine and long days, it is time to start sharing recipes again (hey, I'm a high school teacher, I don't get a lot of time during the year to make elaborate food!) 

Oh and it's TOMATO TIME!!!!!!  As backyard gardens and farmer's markets begin to fill with the bright red, juicy goodness of my favorite fruit/veggie, many people find themselves at a loss as what to do with all these yum yums! 

I was late planting my tomatoes this year, but have high hopes for a great crop later in the summer. This year I have 4 plants going: Roma, Beef Steak, heirloom Golden Torpedo (OMG I can't wait) and a Tomatillo plant one of my students gave me at the end of the year. If you haven't had a chance to try growing heirloom tomatoes, I highly suggest it. The variety of flavors, shapes and colors are delightful. 

This all leads me to today's treat: Quick Roasted Salsa. I had a bunch of large tomatoes come in our last Farmer's Market delivery and a good early crop of other salsa ingredients in my garden so I thought salsa seemed like a good idea. I always hate how watery fresh salsa is and how strong the garlic/onion flavor usually is, so I was inspired to try something new.  Recently, I made a recipe that called for broiling tomatoes and I thought I'd give a whirl for the salsa. Turns out, I was on to something. By cooking all the veggies lightly first, all the water turns more into a juicy sauce than a sloppy mess!

Ingredients

4-5 large ripe tomatoes, cut in half

1 medium red or white onion, sliced

1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed or leave them for a spicy salsa

1 garlic clove, peeled

1/4 cup cilantro 

1 small lime, juiced

1 handful chives, optional

Salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Spray or vegetable oil

 

Ready for the broiler

 Lightly browned onions and tomatoes

  

 

Finished salsa!

Directions

1. Preheat broiler to high
2. Place first 4 ingredients (through garlic) on a baking sheet and coat lightly with cooking spray oil
3. Roast under the broiler for 15-20 minutes keeping a close eye on the veggies. You want everything to get lightly browned but not blackened! You may find that you need to pull the garlic and jalapenos out sooner.
4. Remove veggies from the oven and allow to cool enough to avoid getting burned. 
5. You should notice that your jalapenos are starting to pull away from their skins. Use a butter knife or your fingers to gently remove the meaty part from the skin. Discard the skins. 
6. Add roasted vegetables to a food processor and gently pulse to break down the chunks. 
7. Add cilantro, lime, salt & pepper and give it a few more pulses.  I like my salsa chunky so this is where I stopped, but keep going until you reach the consistency you like.
8. Place salsa in the fridge to cool completely