Roasted Green Tomato Salsa (a.k.a. what to do with your green tomatoes)

Fall is in full swing here in New England in all it's beauty, but the big question looms before us....WHAT DO WE DO WITH ALL OUR GREEN TOMATOES???? We work all summer and see the fruits getting round and fat, but then it gets cold and some of them NEVER turn red. This recipe has saved me from feeling that Tomatoes are an act of futility in Boston.


Our first cold snap was this week and Aaron and I went to the community garden and excitedly gathered up all the green tomatoes that were still clinging to the fallen frostbitten vines. (I was still holding out hope that they might...might turn) There were A LOT, which is great because we made A LOT of salsa.

This recipe is a pretty mild salsa. We grew a lot of Thai chilies in the garden this year, and some Anaheim and Jalapeno. The Thai chilies are pretty mild, so this salsa is mild. I would be more bold next time and add more, but I did not want to blow it out of the water and not be able to eat it at all. Spice it as you like it.

All the work for this recipe is done in the oven and blender/food processor, and the longest part really is the canning if you choose to can it.

Roasted Green Tomato Salsa

Ingredients:
8 quarts of green tomatoes, cored
2 heads of garlic
1 red bell pepper
1 green or yellow or banana pepper
3-4 Chili peppers
4 red onions
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 bunch cilantro (well washed)
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
(do not skip this if you are canning!!! It is essential for providing enough acid to the recipe to make it safe to can)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and core all tomatoes. Place tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Separate the heads of garlic into cloves and scatter among the tomatoes. Roast the tomatoes and garlic in the oven for 40 minutes.

2. While the tomatoes roast in the oven, roast the peppers. You can do this in the oven too under the broiler, or if you have a gas stove or blowtorch you can scald the skin that way. Place peppers in direct flame until the skin is completely blackened and blistered, then place them in a sealed plastic zip-top bag to steam.

3. When the tomatoes are almost done, peel your onions and process them in your blender or food processor. Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add your onions and saute the onions until they are opaque. Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers, process and add to the onions. Process the cilantro with half the roasted tomatoes, add to the pot. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins and process with the remaining tomatoes, add to the pot. Stir in coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Bring salsa to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring if needed. Place in sterilized jars and process in a boiling water bath for 17 minutes.

Makes 16 cups