I love salsa, it might be because I was born and raised in Southern California and therefore have a great appreciation for Mexican food. It could just very well be that my blood is filled with jalapeno juice. Whatever the case, I love salsa. I put it on everything. It is not just for chips folks. I put my homemade salsa on sandwiches, on salads, in rice, over couscous, just about everywhere. And I never ever get tired of it. My husband and I go through about two batches of this salsa recipe a week. Sometimes more. It is so unbelievably simple and extremely yummy. You simply cannot go wrong. I urge you to give it a shot before your next taco night. You will not be disappointed.

Ingredients

2 large tomatoes, quartered
1 white onion, quartered
1 jalapeno
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon white vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice (fresh squeezed is absolutely best)
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro (or more if you love it like me!)
a pinch of white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss your tomatoes, garlic, onion, whole jalapeno, and olive oil. Pour all of them on to a cookie sheet. Liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the pan into the preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes.

2. Enjoy the wonderful smell.

3. After 20 minutes, remove the goodness from the oven and allow everything to cool for about 15 minutes. Snip the stem from your jalapeno. If you like it spicy, leave it whole. If you don’t cut it, and carefully remove the seeds. Pour the entire contents of the pan into your food processor along with the vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, and sugar.

4. Pulse your food processor until the mixture all comes together and resembles a wonderful salsa. You can go as chunky as you prefer, or keep pulsing until it is a little thinner. If you feel you need more liquid add a bit more olive oil into the mix.

Taste the salsa and add more salt if necessary.
Place into a container and chill until you are ready to devour, I mean eat it.

-Stephanie Wright