Fresh Summer Recipes

Here is a recipe to make use of all the tomatoes that will be exploding from the garden in the next week! Get your canning supplies ready to make some salsa!!!!

Deliciosa Tomato Salsa

-4 medium-small round or 6 or 7 plum ripe tomatoes
-Fresh serrano chiles to taste (roughly 3 to 5, or even more depending on your Scoville scale)
-A dozen or so large sprigs of cilantro
-1 large garlic clove, peeled and very finely chopped
-1 small (4-ounce) white onion
-1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
-Salt and pepper

Core the tomatoes, then cut in half widthwise and squeeze out the seeds if you wish (it will give the sauce a less rustic appearance). Finely dice the flesh by slicing it into roughly 1/4-inch thick pieces, then cutting each slice into small dice. Scoop into a bowl.
Cut the chiles in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds if you wish. Chop the chiles as finely as you can, then add them to the tomatoes. Carefully bunch up the cilantro sprigs, and, with a sharp knife, slice them 1/16-inch thick, stems and all, working your way down from the leafy end until you run out of leaves. Scoop the chopped cilantro into the tomato mixture along with the optional garlic. Next, finely dice the onion with a knife (a food processor will turn it into a sour mess), scoop it into a small strainer, then rinse it under cold water. Shake to remove the excess water and add to the tomato mixture. Taste and season with lime juice and salt, and let stand if you have a little time, for the flavors to meld before using or scooping into a salsa dish and serving.

Fresh Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Preheat broiler.

- 1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos
- 5 fresh serrano chiles
- 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt

If using fresh tomatillos, remove husks and rinse under warm water to remove stickiness. Broil chiles, garlic, and fresh tomatillos rack of a broiler pan 1 to 2 inches from heat, turning once, until tomatillos are softened and slightly charred, about 7 minutes.
Peel garlic and pull off tops of chiles. Purée all ingredients in a blender.