Who doesn’t love a really good salsa? The problem is that it’s not always easy to actually find a really good salsa. Many are pretty good and have good flavor, texture and colors, but many are extremely disappointing to the palate. I had the great good fortune to take a Mexican cooking class while I was on maternity leave. The ladies who taught this class were amazingly talented cooks and their food was phenomenal. However, in typical Cheryl-style, I’ve modified their recipe and have perfected it. This comment isn’t actually mine, but comes from my family, friends and coworkers. Try this recipe and let me know if you too believe that this salsa is close to perfection. Happy eating.

Ingredients

• 12-14 roma tomatoes
• 1 bunch of green onions
• 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 T salt
• 2 limes
• 1 heaping cup of cilantro
• 1 hot red pepper

Instructions

• Place a skillet (cast iron is best) on the stove over medium heat.
• Rinse the tomatoes and pepper; add to the skillet.
• Turn the tomatoes occasionally, and cook until the tomato’s skin has split on at least 2 sides.
• For the pepper, lightly brown on all sides.
• Once it has split, remove from the skillet and place into a large ziplock bag.
• Once all the tomatoes are placed in the ziplock bag, seal it and let it sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes.

While tomatoes are cooking, prepare the rest of the salsa items.

• Slice the green onions and add to a glass container.
• Rinse, dry and mince the cilantro, add to container.

• Add garlic, salt and juice from one lime.
• Mix well and let sit.

Once the tomatoes have cooled down a little:

• Peel the tomatoes and chop into small pieces.

• Add to “green” mix. Stir well.
• Taste.
• Add additional salt and lime (to taste).
• Add pepper to taste

• Chill in refrigerator for at least an hour.
• Serve.

Ideas

• 2 limes should be sufficient, but don’t be afraid to use a good amount of lime.
• Tomatoes should be medium sized. Use more if they are smaller, less if they are bigger.
• Pepper – my family likes their salsa mild, I like mine medium. I make one large batch, chill it. Then I put some in a smaller container with the hot pepper and mix for me. It’s important to let it chill all together (if you will separate as I do) to have optimal flavor throughout the batch.