Using the tomatoes: Fresh salsa, two ways

I swore to my uncle that if we planted ten crates of tomatoes, I would use every single one of those buggers. Fresh sauce for pasta and pizza. Tomato salad with feta cheese. Tomato soup, frozen for winter tomato fixes. And, of course, salsa.

I hate, despise, abhor chunky salsa. Mostly because it has flecks of raw onion, which still send unpleasant shivers down my spine. So I sought out recipes closest to my favorite easy-to-obtain salsa, Emerald Valley Medium Salsa. These are not-very-adapted from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday

Roasted Tomato and Jalapeno Salsa:
1 pound ripe tomatoes--I prefer bigger ones, b/c they're easier to handle
2 jalapenos
4 garlic cloves (don't peel)
Hefty pinch of sea salt
1/2 a small onion
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
Lime

Broiler method:
Arrange tomatoes on broiler pan and position close to the hot unit. Allow one side to blister and blacken (about six minutes) before flipping over with tongs or a spoon.

Griddle method:
I imagine you could do this on an actual grill, too. I just don't have one.
Line a heavy skillet with aluminum foil and heat over medium. The foil is necessary for preserving all the precious tomato juices. Roast while turning several times, until all blistery and soft.

Allow the tomatoes to cool (no, really, it's a good idea) and use that time to roast your garlic and jalepenos on a heavy skillet, ungreased and unfoiled. Again, you're looking for blackened spots. Takes about 10-15 minutes; you want to get the garlic going a few minutes before the peppers.

Then peel your tomatoes, after they're cool, taking care to not let the juices run away. Pull the stems from the peppers and the skins from the garlic. Chop the tomatoes and jalepenos roughly. Don't touch your eyes.

Throw the toms, peppers, garlic, and salt into a blender and make it nice and smooth. If you're serving in a couple days, stick in the fridge.

When ready to serve, dice up the onion nice and tiny. Put in a strainer and run under cool water to remove the sharpness. Add, along with cilantro, to the mixture, and then squeeze in the lime juice. You're done!


Chipotle Salsa (Caution: fairly spicy)
6 tomatillos, husked and washed clean of the weird sticky sap they get
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
4-6 of the chipotle peppers from a can of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
2-3 tsp of the adobo sauce
1/4 cup of water
hefty pinch of salt

Heat a heavy skillet over medium. If you wish to place some foil on most of it, go ahead, but it's not as essential as it is with tomatoes. Add the tomatillos and the garlic (put the garlic on an unfoiled part, if you're using the foil) and turn about every minute or so for approximately ten minutes.

Slip the skins off the garlic. Roughly chop the toms once they've cooled off a bit. Cut the chipotle peppers down their spine and scrape out the seeds. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE ANYWHERE. Add the peppers, tomatillos and garlic to a blender with the salt. Give it a whirl. Taste test. I always add the adobo sauce, but use caution if you're a weanie when it comes to heat. You can add some of the water to thin it out.

Yes, I know that tomatillo salsa does not help with the using of the tomatoes. But I trust that y'all might be smart enough to figure out that you can substitute red tomatoes here. Go forth!