Ingredients

Directions

• Other chiles you can use: Habanero (orange or green), serrano, Santa Fe, Fresno, fresh pequin (go light; they're hot!), Hungarian wax, fresh arbol, cayenne, Tabasco, as well as most small hot fresh chiles.
• Heat the broiler. Lay the whole tomatoes and jalapeņos out on a broiler pan or baking sheet. (Many cooks like to line the pan or baking sheet with heavy-duty foil to easily capture the juices and make clean up a snap.) Set the pan 4 inches below the broiler and broil for about 6 minutes, until darkly roasted—even rather blackened—on one side (the tomato skins will split and curl in places). With a pair of tongs, flip over the tomatoes and chiles and roast the other side for another 6 minutes or so. The goal is not simply to char the tomatoes and chiles, but to cook them through while developing nice roasted flavors. Set aside to cool.
• Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. On a similar pan or baking sheet, combine the onion and garlic (you'll want to separate the onion into rings) and set in the oven. Stir carefully every couple of minutes, until the onions are beautifully roasted (they'll be wilted, even have a touch of char on some of the edges) and the garlic is soft and browned in spots, about 15 minutes total. (For a smokier-flavored salsa, the onion and garlic can all be done on a perforated grilling pan over a moderately low charcoal fire.) Cool to room temperature.
• For a little less rustic salsa (or if you're canning the salsa), pull off the peels from the cooled tomatoes and cut out the "cores" where the stems were attached (be sure to work over your baking sheet so you don't waste any juices). In a food processor, pulse the jalapeņos (no need to peel or seed them) with the onion/garlic mixture until moderately finely chopped, scraping everything down with a spatula as needed to keep it all moving around. Scoop into a big bowl. Without washing the processor, coarsely puree the tomatoes—and all the juice that has accumulated around them—and add them to the bowl. (If you're making the largest quantity, you'll have to do the tomatoes in two batches.) Stir in enough water to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency. (Salsas in Mexico are usually a little smoother and saucier than they are here—not very chunky or thick.) Stir in the cilantro.
• Taste and season with salt and vinegar, remembering that this condiment should be a little feisty in its seasoning. If you're planning to use your salsa right away, simply pour it into a bowl and it's ready, or refrigerate it and use within 5 days.

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