This salsa gets its smoky flavor and rich color from blistering the vegetables on the mesquite grill. The vegetables may be skewered and blackened over a gas range at home, but you’ll be missing out on the mesquite flavor. A closer alternative is to use soaked mesquite wood chips spread over heated coals in you barbecue. We make our salsas fresh daily at Blue Mesa, although they will keep well in the refrigerator up to two days.
Salsa
7 medium tomatoes, cored
6 green onions, trimmed
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 Hatch chiles, stemmed (or Anaheims if Hatch are not available)
2 serrano peppers, stemmed
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and very finely chopped
juice of one lime
1 teaspoon salt (or more if desired)
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
Place the tomatoes and green onions on a hot mesquite grill—over hot coals, not high flames. Pile cilantro on top, so that it does not touch the grill. Grill the vegetables about 7 minutes, or until they are blistered. [Note: The editors suggest draining the tomatoes after cooking.] Heat oil in sauté pan and sauté serrano and Hatch peppers until soft.
Remove cilantro stems. Place peppers, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro leaves in food processor and pulse until just coarsely ground. Transfer to a bowl, add remaining ingredients, and mix well. Yields approximately 4 cups salsa.
