Green Tomato Salsa

Last year I planted my first garden in Ely, Minnesota. If you have ever been to Ely you know it is a solid Zone 3 situation and starts to get super cold right after Labor Day. As I write this, September 10,  they have already had their first frost warning. I had planted about 15 tomato plants last year and watched them grow all summer. There were big, green beautiful tomatoes that I never got to ripen before we closed up the cabin for the season. I was heartbroken to see all those juicy wonders that never turned red go to waste, so I got creative and made green tomato salsa. I figured green tomatoes are somewhat like Tomatillos and I had made plenty of tomatillo salsa in my past so wouldn’t a green tomato work just as well? Turns out it did. This year as I closed up the cabin and hauled in my 6th giant bag of red tomatoes and got the Tomato sauce going I decided to pick some of the greenies and make another batch of green salsa. I am so glad I did!

Green Tomato Salsa

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Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh green tomatoes (about 4-5)
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 small white onion, quartered
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp Kosher salt, or more to taste
• 1 small raw zucchini (If you don't have it don't sweat it — I like to add it to thicken the salsa but it's not a must)
• 1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Quarter the onion and peel the garlic — if using zucchini cut it into rough 1 inch chunks.
3. Quarter the tomatoes then spread them out evenly on a baking sheet (I recommend lining it with foil for easy cleanup), along with the jalapeño pepper — sliced in half the long way and laid flat.  Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the zucchini, tomatoes, and peppers and onions start to brown and blister on top.
4. Remove from the oven, and transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the cilantro, (if using) lime juice and salt to the blender or food processor, and pulse the mixture until it reaches your desired consistency.  (Always be careful when blending hot mixtures, as they expand while blending.) Taste and season with extra salt and/or cilantro if needed.

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