In a hurry last night for a get-together with a couple of friends, Charlotte quickly made a small vat of this roasted salsa. She didn’t have time to divvy it up into a few jars so she took the entire vat with her. She didn’t bring much back home. Everyone loved it. No wonder. Charring the produce brings out so much flavor.
The salsa doesn’t really require a recipe. Such non-recipe recipes may drive people a bit crazy who prefer more precise instructions. (And I am one of those people when I bake sourdough.) Others who haven’t cooked much may also prefer a recipe more detailed than “Broil some vegetables, purée them and add acid and salt to taste.” But that’s really all there is to this. That and choosing the freshest produce possible.
Charlotte used dry-farmed Early Girl tomatoes for her salsa. Farmers water these tomatoes only when putting them into the soil, which stresses the plant to render a small, intensely flavored tomato. Other tomatoes will taste delicious as well, however. Charlotte also seeded her jalapeños. I include the seeds and ribs for more heat (and to use all the parts). If you seed yours, add the innards to your scrap vegetable stash that you save to make broth if you’d like a little heat in it. Jalapeño bits add lots of flavor to broth.
Have your tomato plants gone wild? Go here for 10 other easy tomato recipes for tomato season.
Charlotte’s Easy Roasted Salsa
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 2 jalapeños, halved seed if desired
- 1 white onion, cut into wedges
- 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice or to taste
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to broil.
- Arrange the tomatoes, jalapeños, white onions and garlic cloves in a baking dish or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, drizzle with oil and toss to coat.
- Broil the vegetables in the oven for 12 minutes or until charred.
- If using a food processor or blender with a plastic pitcher or bowl, allow the vegetables to cool (plastic, heat and food do not mix). Purée with cilantro, lime juice and salt. Taste and add more lime juice or salt if necessary.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week.
In my cookbook, you’ll find more tomato-based recipes, such as huevos rancheros, fermented ketchup, ribollita (a tomato-based soup) and more.
A timely and much needed resource. We love the way Anne-Marie gives us manageable, actionable steps so that we can waste less in our own day-to-day lives.”
— Tracy, Dana, Lori, and Corky Pollan, New York Times bestselling authors of Mostly Plants
I’m sure this was delightful!