Category: Condiments

Stop serving those store-bought jars of salsa and start serving this delicious, homemade salsa brought to life by great grill flavor. Great with chips, as a topping for chicken or beef, on quesadillas, in tacos . . . a good salsa does it all. For best results, be sure to use fresh herbs -- otherwise, it'll come off a little flat. And who wants that?

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 roma tomatoes, halved
• 1 vidalia onion, sliced into thirds
• 1-3 jalepeno peppers
• 1 lime, halved
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
• 2 tsp. fresh chopped oregano
• 1 tbs. fresh chopped cilantro
• 2/3 tsp. cumin
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

STEPS:

1. Heat grill to medium-high. In a shallow pan, season halved tomatoes and onion thirds with salt and 2 tsp. olive oil.
2. Place halved roma tomatoes and onion thirds face down directly onto grill. Grill for 8-13 minutes, or until skin easily peels off tomatoes and onions are somewhat charred. For the last few minutes of grilling, add jalepeno(s) and lime directly onto grill, face down once again for the lime. The jalepeno(s) should not be completely roasted and soft; you just want good grill flavor here, not roasted peppers.
3. Peel skin from tomatoes -- it may come off most easily while you're attempting to chop them -- and discard. Chop tomatoes as best you can, as tomatoes will be very soft and mushy when pressure is applied, and finely dice the charred onion slices. Dice the jalepeno(s) into very small, fine pieces as well. Discard the jalepeno seeds -- if you want extra heat, you're better off just adding another jalepeno.
4. In a bowl, mix together tomatoes, onion, jalepeno, oregano, cilantro, garlic, cumin, and 1 tsp. olive oil. Add salt, freshly ground black pepper, and grilled lime juice to taste. Refrigerate covered for 30 minutes before serving and enjoy!

Recipe submitted by Brian Granahan.