Salsa Negra

Photo: flickr user :)gab(:

Ingredients

5 tomatoes

cup chopped onion

4 cilantro sprigs

teaspoon ground cumin

teaspoon garlic powder

teaspoon freshly-ground white pepper

teaspoon salt

Preparation

Heat the broiler.

Remove the hard core from each tomato, then place the tomatoes in a 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan. Add water so that the tomatoes are covered halfway.

Place the pan on the top rack of the oven directly beneath the broiler - about 3 inches away. Broil until the skin of the tomatoes is blackened, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, turn the tomatoes over and repeat, broiling until the tomatoes are blackened on the other side, another 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven; reserve the water.

Place the tomatoes in a blender with the onion, cilantro, cumin, garlic, pepper and salt and puree until almost smooth, but with bits of charred tomatoes showing.

If the salsa seems too thick, add a little of the cooking water from the tomatoes and blend again.

This recipe yields 3 cups.

Yield: 3 cups