Eating From the Ground Up

roasted green salsa

by




Well, it must be the end of August. I’m in over my head.
Downstairs, I’ve got 45 pounds of tomatoes to can, I’ve got three heads of cabbage waiting to be sauerkrauted, and I’ve got far too much basil to avoid making a massive batch of pesto.
Oh, August. I love that you can feed me all year I can only keep up. If only!

But I’m taking a break from all that for a few minutes. Let’s not talk about it.
Let’s talk about New Mexico.

Have you been to New Mexico? And more importantly, have you been to New Mexico in August?
It’s been a few years since I was there last, and I’m sure I’m glorifying all over the place. But there is one thing that I know is grander in reality than it could ever be in my memory. If you’ve been there, and if you’ve been there in August, you know exactly what I’m going to say. Your nose is twitching, right?
There’s a little bit of the first burning pinon, but that’s not the dominant note- that smell? That smell is roasting green chiles.
I have no green chiles- I took green grass instead. But right now I want those chiles. So I roast everything I can, grabbing moments of that smell. I have no green chiles, but I have green tomatoes. Green zebra tomatoes, that is. And of course, I have tomatillos. And although they’re not THE chiles, I do have some chiles.

And I’m here in New England, but I want spice. I’m one part Jew and one part Brit, but in August- my heart belongs to New Mexico.

So this week for our Summer Fest party, in this very last week of August, let’s you and I take a break and sit for a few minutes. I know there’s plenty to do, but there’s time. There’s time. Let’s have a beer, and a chip or two, and let’s see how spicy we can get it.

Roasted Green Salsa

3/4 pound tomatillos, quartered
3/4 pound green zebra (or really any) tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 red onion, cut into chunks
1 head garlic, cloves, separated and peeled
1 (or 2, if you’re really going for it) jalepeno pepper, seeded and sliced
juice of 1 lime
salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment, and spread the tomatillos, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and pepper on to it. Give the whole mess a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Empty the contents of the tray into a food processor, add the lime juice, and whir until thoroughly combined. Add salt to taste.

And what kind of summer fest would it be with out the grand fete in honor of the tomato? None at all!
There’s some pretty exciting whirring and baking and juicing going on this week. Here’s a start:

Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef:
Heirloom Tomato Tart with Parmesan Crust

Nicole at Pinch My Salt: What to do with slow-roasted tomatoes

Alison at Food2: Heirloom tomatoes

The FN Dish: Tyler’s Ultimate Tomato Salads

Margaret at A Way to Garden: More than one way to ripen a tomato

Gilded Fork: Celebrating summer lusciousness with a tomato dossier and recipes

Diane and Todd at White on Rice Couple: Sun-dried tomatoes (actually made in the sun!)

Paige at The Sister Project: 3 substantial, healthy, vegetarian tomatoey main dishes

Liz at the Cooking Channel: Easy Tomato Tart

Kelly at Just a Taste: Tomato Jam

Alexis at Food Network UK: The seven deadly tomato sins

Michelle at Healthy Eats: Top 10 Things to Do With Tomatoes

What kind of tomato magic are you conjuring in your kitchen? Share! Share!

Comments

  6. I went to college in New Mexico and fell in LOVE with green chiles. I just posted about oven-roasting and canning them on my blog this week, if you DO get your hands on some, that is! But, in regards to tomatoes . . .

    My contribution this week is two sauces for snacking and the pantry. First, a Charleston Creole Sauce that I've canned for winter eating:
    http://heartlandrenaissance.com/2010/08/creole-sauce/

    And second, a fire-roasted pico de gallo that I can't keep stocked in the house! I make a batch at least once a week each summer . . . I make mine lacto-fermented just by adding a little whey and it lasts (fresh! uncooked salsa!) in the fridge for months. If it doesn't get eaten first!
    http://heartlandrenaissance.com/2008/06/fire-roasted-pico-de-gallo-2/

    Thank you for hosting! I can't wait to read all the other contributors!

    Best,
    Sarah

  13. Yay! It’s finally Tomato Week! I’m celebrating all week by posting some new tomato recipe discoveries as well as some old family faves. Yesterday, I began with Neely’s Chicken Salad in Tomato Cups:

    http://www.wineimbiber.com/index.php/2010/08/need-recipes-for-tomatoes/

    In the upcoming days I’ll have Ina Garten’s Scalloped Tomatoes, Paula Deen’s Tomato Pie and my own take on Caprese Salad. I sure have enjoyed playing along with all the Summer Fest 2010 participants. I also learned a lot of useful info for my garden next summer. Thank you Margaret for creating this event!

  17. We just ordered a big box of green chilies from New Mexico to be roasted, sweated, peeled, and frozen with family and friends. We make a batch of enchiladas to feast on and then have chilies to last the whole year through. I'll have to try your salsa recipe soon!

  20. Alana, I am going to try this salsa recipe with green tomatoes (no green zebras around here, boo-hoo). We have tomatillos almost all the time here in SoCal, and they are cheap, too. Different varieties of chillies are also available(and the smell of roasting peppers is capable of spitting me back into my mother's kitchen i Serbia in an instant!)
    I wrote about my garden in Ohio and my mother's recipe for Saute of Onions, Peppers, and Tomatoes.
    http://bibberche.com/2010/08/onion-peppers-tomato-sautee-sataras/

  21. I have never been to New Mexico, but it is very high on my list of need to go to places in the US. I hear the food is amazing from folks everywhere. Your roasted green salsa is beautiful & I bet very tasty!

    Here is my latest addition to Summer Fest:
    Bacon Guacamole Salsa
    http://su.pr/1kaInH

  23. This is a great idea. I didn’t have the idea that green tomatoes can be also good for making a salsa. Since my tomato plants died yesterday there are many green tomatoes left and this will be my thing for making your recipe. Thanks for giving me the idea.

  24. I never heard of roasted tomato salsa before but that one looks really delicious. I will really try that when I harvest my tomatoes next week. Your post is great. More recipes please.

  26. Hi Tanya- This is not balanced for canning- the lime doesn't make it quite acidic enough. I think that it would freeze pretty well, though.

  27. Summer fest recipe! Perfect! But I was too late to know this. Summer is coming to its end and fall is coming. I will still try this recipe. Lol.

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