Roasted salsa rojo

Have you ever tried Rick Bayless' Fronterra Grill salsas?

Namely, the double roasted red salsa?

{HERE}

They are insanely delicious.

But nearly $5 per small jar?

God love ya, Rick, but that gets spendy for something as addictive as crack.

Enter:  Roasted Salsa Rojo

(My spin on this recipe.) 

And perfect for those final garden tomatoes!

You need:

~16 full-size red tomatoes (or a produce bag full of Roma's), halved

~3 small onions, halved

~8 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled

~12 Serrano peppers, de-capped and halved

*I leave the seeds in.  You could up this to ~20 serranos (or jalapenos) if you want it extra spicy

1 bunch cilantro

Salt, to taste

A squeeze of fresh lime juice, to taste

To make:

Preheat oven to 350.

Pour a little olive oil on two baking sheets.

Place veggies cut side up.

Sprinkle with kosher salt.  Be generous.

Roast for  ~40 minutes, until onions translucent and tomatoes soft.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

In batches, pulse/puree in a food processor with cilantro (and a pinch more salt) until your desired consistency.  (I think it tastes best pretty smooth!)

Pour finished batches into a mixing bowl.

When finished, squeeze in fresh lime juice (to taste).

You will have one ginormous bowl of salsa...be surprised at how fast it disappears!

Take some to your Halloween party or football tailgate.

Give some to your friends.

Or, just eat it all yourself.

:)

Note:  This should freeze well! 

Just place in quart-size freezer bag(s) and enjoy it mid-winter.   

That is, if you don't eat it all first.

P.S.  We had our first "severe frost warning" last weekend in Milwaukee.  Hence, I was forced to pick my remaining tomatoes.

Patiently watching them ripen so I can make more salsa!

~photos by b~