Roasted Tomato Salsa

This roasted tomato salsa is a great way of putting your home grown tomatoes to good use. The ingredients are pan roasted and then blended into a smooth paste before being fried in olive oil. The end result is a delicious salsa with an almost creamy texture and a subtle hint of smokiness.

Roasted Tomato Salsa

Ingredients:

• 500g fresh tomatoes
• 2 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 1–2 Jalapeño or Habanero chillies
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat and then add the tomatoes, unpeeled garlic cloves and chillies. Pan roast each of the ingredients, turning often, until they develop light brown patches and a small amount of uneven charring. Remove each of the ingredients according to how well roasted they are and then set aside. All should be softened and coloured but not mushy and burnt.


2. Peel the garlic cloves and then place them into a food processor, along with the tomatoes, chillies and lime juice. Process until smooth or until your desired consistency is reached.


3. Next, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and then pour in the mixture. Bring to a steady simmer and simmer gently, stirring often, for about 20 minutes until thickened or until your desired consistency is reached.


4. Stir in the fresh coriander and salt.


5. Leave to stand for approximately 30 minutes for all of the flavours to develop and then transfer to a serving bowl.

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Notes:

• The chillies will take about 5 minutes to pan roast, the garlic cloves about 10 minutes and the tomatoes between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on how ripe they are.


• For best results always use good quality tomatoes. I tend to only make this salsa during the summer months when fresh tomatoes are at their best.