Fresh Salsa Recipe

Makes about 1 1/2 cup salsa. 

The actual amounts used are below but the vegetables need to be toasted first. I use the gas grill but a broiler or a very hot cast iron pan or comal will work too. 

The idea is to burn the outside without cooking the inside much. You need  to toast about this much. Place the following and grill. 

• 2-3 ripe tomatoes
• 1 large green chile Anaheim or New Mexico fresh and green 
• 1 Poblano fresh and green
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 small tomatillo with the husk peeled off
• 1 lemon or lime cut across the segments in half
• 1 head of garlic with the non-root end cut off exposing the cloves

The lemon halves go skin up and the goal is to blacken the inside part. 

The garlic goes cut side up. 

Turn the peppers and tomatillo as needed to blacken the skin all around. 

Turn tomatoes to soften the skin. These come off first. 

Take things off as they blacken. I put them on a cookie sheet. Nothing will cook very long. If the surface is very hot 3-4 min total will do. 

Remove the skins from the peppers, tomatillo and tomatoes. The skin on Bell and Poblano peppers is very thin and it’s ok or leave on. Cut out all the stems. Remove seeds from the peppers. 

Now add the following to a blender and blend thoroughly. Add a little of the liquid from the tomatoes only if needed to blend right. Ounces are by weight. 

• 2 oz green chiles with no stem, skin or seeds. 
• 1 oz tomatillo with stem removed
• Juice of half a roasted lemon or lime with no seeds
• Large pinch salt
• Pinch of pepper
• Pinch ground cumin
• Large pinch Mexican oregano flakes
• 1-2 cloves from the now softened garlic head
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 tsp honey
• 2 Tbsp vinegar

This should be blended completely. 

Add these to a bowl. 

• 8-12 oz of the tomatoes toasted and chopped coarsely with stems and skins removed. Strain off some of the liquid. 
• 1 oz poblano toasted with stem, seeds and skin removed. Chopped finely. 
• The contents of the blender
• (optional) Any hot peppers or chiles if you want it spicier to chop finely and add: habanero, serrano, jalapeño, etc.

Stir well and serve with tortilla chips.