Come into the Dinosaur any night after work and eat this salsa at the bar with freshly fried tortilla chips. Back home, make it with the best tomatoes you can get your hands on.

　　

Ingredients

feeds 6 (makes 3 cups)

　　

The Salsa

2 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes

　　1 bulb Roasted Garlic (page 170)

　　Pinch plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt

　　5 tablespoons finely diced red onion

　　2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper

　　2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

　　3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

　　1 tablespoon honey

　　Black pepper

　　Tabasco sauce

　　

The Accoutrement

Tortilla chips

　　

Step 1

Fire up the grill, a gas burner, or even the broiler. Set the tomatoes directly over or under the heat source and cook, turning often, til the skins just blacken. Peel, cut out the stems, and then cut them in half around their equators. Take each half tomato in your fist and give it a squeeze over a bowl to get rid of the seeds and juice. Dice the flesh and put it in a clean bowl.

　　

Step 2

Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins, add a pinch of salt, and mash to a paste. Mix into the tomatoes along with the remaining 2 teaspoons salt and the onions, jalapeños, lime juice, cilantro, honey, pepper, and Tabasco. Purée half the salsa in the work bowl of a food processor. Stir the puréed and chunky salsas together.

　　

Step 3

Heap the salsa in a bowl and serve with tortilla chips.

　　Cooks' Note

　　When made ahead, the salsa can get watery. If this happens, drain through a fine sieve and serve.

　　Dinosaur Bar-B-QueTen Speed Press