Spicy Roasted Salsa

I cannot count the number of times I've snacked on salsa and tortilla chips.  Yet for some reason, I've never attempted to make it on my own.  But when I perused through the most recent issue of Everyday Food, I found a really simple recipe for Classic Roasted Salsa.  When Bret's family had a small get-together last weekend, I decided to make salsa and give this recipe a try.  And, I'm going to say this in the least modest way possible - this was the best salsa I've ever tasted. 

I made the salsa a day in advance and I gathered all of the ingredients (except the fresh cilantro, which I would add right before serving add the party):

• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 large white onion (the original recipe called for a medium-sized onion but Whole Foods only had really large ones!)
• 3 jalapenos
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 limes
• Salt and fresh-cracked pepper, to taste

I started by preparing the vegetables.  I washed and de-stemmed the tomatoes and jalapenos.  I also halved and peeled the onion.  I lined a baking sheet with aluminum foil and placed all of the vegetables on the tray.

I heated the broiler on high and placed the baking sheet on the top shelf of the oven.  I broiled the vegetables for ten minutes but turned and moved the vegetables around every two minutes. 

The garlic cloves only stayed in the oven for about four minutes and I set them aside to cool while the rest of the vegetables blistered and browned.

I removed the skins from the garlic cloves and added half the garlic, tomatoes, jalapenos and onion to the food processor. 

I pulsed until there was room to add the rest of the vegetables and I continued to pulse until it was coarsely pureed.  I squeezed in the juice of the two limes, and also added a pinch of coarse salt and ground pepper.  I pulsed just enough to combine.

I transferred the salsa to a plastic container and refrigerated it overnight.  The next day, I transferred the salsa from the plastic container to a bowl and stirred in a 1/4 cup chopped cilantro.

I loved that this salsa tasted super fresh and really spicy!  I was worried that the salsa would be too spicy but Bret thought it was perfect.  Plus, his family seemed to really enjoy it and we gave the leftovers to Bret's parents!  But, if you like your salsa more mild, you can add two or just one jalapeno.

I couldn't believe how easy this salsa was to make and I don't know why it took me so long to finally make salsa on my own!  I used to be the same way about pesto.  I would buy pesto all the time but after I made it for the first time, I couldn't remember why I thought making pesto was so difficult and why I didn't try making it sooner.  Ever since then, I never buy pesto and make it at home instead. 

Tell me, what dish have you made that was so surprisingly easy?