This is a salsa in the Mexican, rather than Italian sense. I don’t entirely remember how this name came to be. Perhaps that this is a step up from the most basic salsa it’s possible to make, tossing a few ingredients together in a bowl. This one requires some (though not much) actual cooking.
Swapping in tomatillos makes this into a more traditional salsa verde. It’s not always easy or convenient to track those down — at least in my rather affluent part of a big city in the Northeast — which is why I tend to use tomatoes.
Special equipment
- Blender or food processor (optional)
Ingredients
- 3 medium tomatoes, halved
- 2 poblano peppers, halved lengthwise and de-seeded
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed, skin on
- Handful cilantro, roughly chopped
- Salt
- Lemon juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
Method
Position an oven rack on its highest setting. Then preheat the broiler on its highest setting.
Place the tomatoes, peppers, and onion cut side down on a baking tray along with the garlic. Put the tray in the oven under the broiler and cook all the vegetables until the skins are blistered and blackened.
Remove the charred vegetables from the oven and transfer them to a large bowl. Cover the bowl, and let the vegetables steam and cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Using clean hands or paper towels, remove and discard the charred skin from the vegetables and peel the garlic. Take care not to wash the vegetables after charring them.
Transfer the prepared vegetables to the bowl of a food processor or blender along with the cilantro. Process the mix until it’s smooth and relatively homogeneous. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.