SpiceLines

Roasting the jalapenos and other ingredients in this chunky salsa brings out the
natural sweetness of the vegetables and adds a wonderfully smoky taste.

Once upon a time La Fogata was a cheery Mexican restaurant housed in an old gas station on the north side of San Antonio. It was famous for its delicious salsa. One day the owner gave me a quick recipe, which mainly consisted of roasting large quantities of tomatoes, onion, garlic and Serrano peppers on a cast iron griddle and then whirring them in the blender. Probably he left out a secret ingredient (or maybe two), but I’ve been making it for years and love it just as it is.

Today, La Fogata is more like a posh hacienda with trickling fountains and carved stone columns, and the famous salsa is bottled and sold over the internet. But last Sunday, when I was roasting jalapenos and a huge bowl of ripe tomatoes was glaring at me, it occurred to me that now was the perfect time to make some of my favorite salsa. Roasting over moderately high heat brings out the natural sugars in all the vegetables and gives the salsa a wonderfully sweet, smoky flavor. Lace with fiery jalapenos and you have one of the most irresistible salsas ever.

Jalapenos are actually not as hot as Serranos (8,000-22,000 Scoville units)—so this has the advantage, if you see it that way—of being a milder salsa than the original. I tend to roast the ingredients separately in a dry cast iron skillet: first the whole fresh chiles, then the garlic cloves and onion, and finally whole small tomatoes. It’s important that the vegetable are cooked, or at least heated, all the way through. (That’s why it’s best to use smallish tomatoes and onions.) When they’ve cooled a little, I pulse the ingredients together in the food processor until they are uniformly chopped very small, but never until the salsa is smooth.

If the tomatoes leak their juices into the cast iron skillet, it may become a little crusty. To clean, let the pan cool slightly, then sprinkle the encrusted areas with salt and a little oil, and rub with a paper towel. Most of the debris will come loose and can be rinsed away with warm water.

Makes about 1-1/2 to 2 cups of salsa

Ingredients:

5 whole fresh jalapenos
3 or 4 small onions, peeled but left whole (1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter)
8 garlic cloves, whole and unpeeled
4 or 5 small ripe whole tomatoes (2-1/2 to 3 inches in diameter)
Squeeze of lime
Sea salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat a dry cast iron skillet or griddle over a medium flame. When it is very hot, add the jalapenos and roast them, turning occasionally, until they are blackened and blistered all over. Remove to a small plate.
2. Separately use the same technique to roast the onions, garlic and tomatoes. Each ingredient should be left whole and roasted until it is blackened and cooked, or at least heated, all the way through. Leave the garlic unpeeled to keep it from burning and turning bitter.
3. When all the ingredients are roasted and have cooled slightly, combine them in the bowl of a food processor. (If desired, slit the jalapenos and remove some of the seeds to lessen the heat.) Pulse until they are uniformly chopped fine, but not until the salsa liquefies. The texture should be composed of tiny chunks, but never smooth. Add lime juice and salt to taste and stir.
4. Pour the salsa into a jar. It may be refrigerated for two days, but is much better if used at once—on eggs, grilled meats, fish and chicken, tossed with grilled or sautéed vegetables or as a dip for homemade tortilla chips. A spoonful can be used to flavor soups.