Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa and Baked Tortilla Chips

This time of year there are farmer's markets everywhere.  If you're not visiting one, you're losing out.  They provide really fresh produce at great prices!  Plus, you are supporting local farmers.  It's a definite win win.  When you come home with all those fresh tomatoes and onions, make some salsa.  This recipe is really simple and way better than anything you get in a jar.  Bonus, you can control the heat level.  If you like it hot, leave the seeds and ribs in the jalapeño.  If not, remove them.

FIRE ROASTED SALSA

3 medium Creole tomatoes (or 6 Roma tomatoes)
1 clove garlic (leave skin on)
1 small onion
1 jalapeño (2 if you like it really hot)
Olive oil
Salt/pepper
Juice of 1/2 a lime
2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Preheat broiler with rack about 4 inches from heat.

Cut tomatoes in half.  Quarter the onion.  If you want a little bit milder salsa, cut the jalapeño in half lengthwise and take out the ribs and seeds.  If you like it hot, leave it whole.

Put the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño and garlic (leave skin on the garlic or it will burn) on a flameproof baking pan.  Drizzle a little oil on them and rub it in.

Place about 4 inches under the broiler.  Broil for 5 minutes.

Flip over and broil for another 5 minutes.  Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn.  You just want a little char.

Take the skin off the garlic and discard.  Then put the charred veggies in a food processor (or blender).  Add the lime juice, cilantro (or parsley) and salt and pepper to taste.  Purée until you reach your desired consistency.  I like it smooth like restaurant salsa. But,  if you like it chunky, just pulse a few times.

This is easy.  Really easy.  But so fresh and wonderful.  I love it with chips but it's also great with chicken or beef.  It's delicious over scrambled eggs!  And it gets better and better as it sits in the fridge (let's the flavors marry).

Here is a simple way to make baked tortilla chips to go along with your salsa:

BAKED TORTILLA CHIPS

Flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut each tortilla into eight triangles.  I like to use a pizza cutter for this.

Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet (try not to overlap them).  Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Bake in preheated oven for about 5 minutes or so.  Keep an eye on these.  They go from perfect to burnt in no time!  Yours may take a few minutes more or less.  Just bake them until lightly golden and crisp.

These recipes are so simple but make a big impression.  People are wowed when you serve them chips and salsa that you made from scratch.  They don't need to know how easy it was.  Just smile and say "Why, thank you".