Fire-Charred Salsa

Also known as salsa quemada (“burnt salsa), this now-ubiquitous sauce traces its roots to the ancient Inca, Aztec and Mayan cultures. In fact, “salsa” means “sauce” in Spanish, and whatever its earliest manifestations, it was 16th century Spanish explorers who popularized the Native peoples’ combination of chilies, tomatoes and other spices and brought it to the rest of the world. Our version is easily adapted to taste, so increase or decrease the heat as you like.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 ripe, fresh tomatoes, preferably on the vine

• 1 small red onion

• 1 jalapeño

• 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled

• ½ tsp sugar

• ½ tsp salt, or more to taste

• juice of half a lime, or more to taste

• ¼ cup fresh cilantro

PREPARATION

Fire your grill to medium high and char the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño and garlic cloves for approximately 10 minutes. There should be some blackened areas and the vegetables should be tender, but not mushy. Remove the outer layer of the onion, the garlic peels and the jalapeño stem. Transfer all of the vegetables to a blender and blend until smooth, but with some chunks. Add cilantro, sugar, salt and lime juice and blend until combined. Taste and add more lime juice or salt if needed. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. Can be made up to three days in advance.