Roasted Green Tomato Salsa...

 

I always prefer dishes that can be done quickly yet taste delicious, especially for snacking. Who likes to spend hours preparing for an evening snack? I always keep few things handy to satisfy the little hunger pangs of my family members and it helps a lot when you have a teenager at home. Frankly speaking during this pandemic when the man and kids are at home and craving for snacks every now and then quick simple healthy snacks are bliss. Here is one such make ahead snack idea, roasted green tomato salsa.

I was introduced to Mexican cuisine during my stay in Austin, Texas. I simply loved it. I do miss the delicious, flavourful tex-mex dishes and whenever possible try to recreate those delicacies at home. I often make salsa for my daughter as she enjoys spicy food. I use either red or green tomatoes for making salsa, depending on whichever is available. The roasted tomato salsa is not only great as a snack but also as a party food. You can make a plenty of this to go with tortilla chips to welcome your guests.

Here, in Kolkata we get plenty of fresh green tomatoes during winter, so I make roasted green tomato salsa more while these sour tomatoes are at hand. Aren't they absolutely gorgeous, I couldn't help but take  a few photos of these green beauties before I made the roasted green tomato salsa.

In Mexican cuisine they use white onions while making salsa, so I used the white bulb of the spring onion while making this roasted green tomato salsa. Also I have used kashmiri red chilies as I do not have any Mexican chilies in my pantry. If you can get some guajillo or ancho chilies, then do try those, the best option for making salsa.

Other than the green tomatoes, rest of the ingredients are readily available. If you do not find green tomatoes then go ahead with red tomatoes, it will taste equally good. During summer, when green tomatoes are not available, I make this salsa with red tomatoes and everyone enjoys it. The flavour that makes this salsa special is roasting the ingredients before making the salsa. You can either use the oven or the stove to roast the ingredients. I do it on stove top, in a heavy bottom pan. I roast each ingredient separately and let it cool down and finally put them in the food processor and pulse the mixture to a coarse paste. Make sure not to make a smooth paste while making the salsa, the coarseness brings the feel of texture to the salsa. 

Ingredients for roasted green tomato salsa:

• Green tomatoes: 6
• Garlic: 6-8 cloves
• Green capsicum: 1 small
• Green chilies: 3-4
• Spring onion (green and white bulb): 2
• Dry red chilies: 2
• Fresh coriander: 1 cup
• Cumin seed: 1 tsp
• Black pepper: 1/2 tsp
• Lime juice: 2 tbsp
• Olive oil: 4 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Steps of making roasted green tomato salsa:

1. Wash all the vegetables. Cut the tomatoes into quarters. Remove the seeds and white part of the green capsicum. Remove and clean the roots of spring onion and coriander. Chop the fresh coriander and keep it aside.
2. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy bottom pan. Roast the ingredients one by one till the vegetables get a charred look.
3. Roast cumin, black pepper, dry red chilies too.
4. Cool all the ingredients and put it in a food processor along with rest of the olive oil and make a coarse mix using the pulse option to keep the texture of the salsa.

Serve with tortilla chips. This can also be served with quesadillas or used as enchilada sauce. You can put the salsa in a jar and it can be a wonderful gift option.