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This is our salsa closest to the classic home-style Mexican salsa de molcajete that's made from roasted garlic and chiles pounded in a lava-rock mortar (molcajete) with roasted tomatoes. Even though we've updated the equipment for the modern American kitchen, that perfect blend of sweetness (roasted garlic and tomatoes) and raciness (roasted jalapeños) is what you'll spoon out. The final addition of fresh cilantro and a drizzle of vinegar focuses the whole experience: This is just what most Americans wish they were getting when they open a jar with that ubiquitous "salsa" label. Made with plum tomatoes, your salsa will have a more homogeneous texture -- just right for using the salsa as an ingredient in other dishes. Because round tomatoes give a looser texture, choose them when you want a condiment to set on the table.

FOR 2 1/2 CUPS

Ripe tomatoes, preferably plum
1 1/2 pounds (about 10 medium plum)

Fresh jalapeño chiles, stemmed
2 to 3 (1 to 1 1/2 ounces)

White onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 small (2 ounces)

Garlic cloves, peeled
4

Water
about 1/4 cup

Chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed
1/3 cup

Salt
1 generous teaspoon

Cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons

FOR 5 CUPS

Ripe tomatoes, preferably plum
3 pounds (about 20 medium plum)

Fresh jalapeño chiles, stemmed
4 to 6 (2 to 3 ounces)

White onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 small (4 ounces)

Garlic cloves, peeled
8

Water
about 1/2 cup

Chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed
2/3 Cup

Salt
2 generous teaspoons

Cider vinegar
1 tablespoon

FOR 7 1/2 CUPS

Ripe tomatoes, preferably plum
4 1/2 pounds (about 3O medium plum)

Fresh jalapeño chiles, stemmed
6 to 9 (3 to 4 1/2 ounces)

White onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium (6 ounces)

Garlic cloves, peeled
12

Water
about 1/4 cup

Chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed
I cup

Salt
1 generous tablespoon

Cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons

0. Heat the broiler. Lay the whole tomatoes and jalapeños out on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Set the pan 4 inches below the broiler and broil for about 6 minutes, until darkly roasted -- even blackened in spots -- 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 roasty flavors. Set aside to cool.

1. Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Separate the onions into rings. On a similar pan or baking sheet, combine the onion and garlic. Roast in the oven, stirring carefully every couple of minutes, until the onions are beautifully browned and 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. Cool to room temperature.

2. For a little less rustic texture 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, working over your baking sheet so as not to waste any juices. In a food processor, pulse the jalapeños (no need to peel or seed them) with the onion and garlic 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 -- with all the juice that has accumulated around them -- and add them to the bowl. Stir in enough water to give the salsa an easily spoonabie consistency. Stir in the cilantro.

3. 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 covered and use within 5 days. If you're canning or freezing the salsa, please see page 21.

Variation:
Roasted Habanero-Tomato Salsa:
To make this very spicy, distinctively flavored salsa, replace the jalapeños with 2/4/6 stemmed habanero chiles (here I prefer the fruitier flavor of the orange habaneros to the less ripe -- even grassy -- flavor of the greens).

Other Fresh Chile Possibilities:
Habanero (orange or green), serrano, Santa Fe, Fresno, fresh pequin, Hungarian wax, fresh arbol, cayenne, Tabasco, as well as most small hot fresh chiles.

Dishes You Can Make With This Salsa:
Salsa-Baked Coat Cheese (page 41), Classic Red Tomato Rice (page 62), Breakfast Enchiladas (page 68), Today's Macaroni and Cheese (page 72), Toasty Fideos (Vermicelli) with Roasted Tomato, Black Beans and Chard (page 74), Spicy Jalapeño Beef Tips (page 97). Seared Sea Scallops with Jalapeño Cream (page 106)

Copyright © 1998 by Richard Lane Bayless