This fresh and deeply flavored salsa is amazing in a taco, on a burrito, on top of nachos, or simply served with tortilla chips! Roasting the tomatoes retains their freshness, while gaining flavor intensity and sweetness.The resulting dip creates a way better-than-store-bought salsa, and one of the tastiest Mexican-inspired recipes you'll ever try.
Heat the broiler (450° if you can set the temp on your broiler), and arrange the tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil tomatoes 4 inches from the heat until they blister, darken, and soften on one side, about 10-15 minutes; turn them over and broil the other side until blistered and darkened, about another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a dry cast-iron skillet or griddle over high heat, and add the peppers and garlic. Shake the skillet occasionally until the skins are soft and charred, about 10 minutes for the peppers, and 15 minutes for the garlic.
Let tomatoes, garlic and peppers cool. The tomato skins will be easy to remove at this point, peel tomatoes, and cut the tomato core out, reserving the juices. Pull the stems off the jalapenos (and, if you want less heat remove all the seeds and membranes from inside the peppers).
Place the peppers and garlic in a food processor with ½ teaspoon of salt, and process until finely chopped.
Add the onion and pulse a few times until you have a coarse chop. Add the tomatoes along with the reserved juices and pulse again until you have a coarse textured puree. Stir in the cilantro and pulse one or two more times.
Add 2 to 4 tablespoons water, if desired, to reach a smoother salsa. Taste and season with salt. Lime or a dash of cider vinegar could be added as well at this point, if desired.
Serve with chips as an appetizer, or with tacos fixings for a summery dinner.