Elevate your Taco Tuesday –

Ditch the jarred salsa and make your own big batch for now and later. Comes together in about 30 minutes and can be refrigerated up to one month. Remember to unwind with a margarita and open a bag of chips.

Tips:  I use roma tomatoes from my garden. The thick flesh produces a bit less juice when cooked down so the salsa thickens faster. You can use jalapenos in place of the serrano chilis. For hotter salsa, leave the ribs and seeds in the chilis.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs tomatoes, cored and halved

1 onion, sliced into 1/2 in thick rounds

5 serrano chilis, stemmed and halved lengthwise

6 garlic cloves, peeled

Juice of 1 1/2 limes

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp sugar

2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp cumin

Adjust your oven rack to 4 inches below the broiler element and preheat. Line a rimmed backing sheet with foil for easy cleanup.

Place the tomatoes, cut side down, and the onion slices on the prepared sheet. Broil until tomatoes are nicely charred, about 15 minutes, remove from pan and place in bowl of a food processor. Place the chilis, cut side down and the garlic on the now empty sheet pan and broil until charred, about 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl of food processor.

Process until it is a thick puree with a few small pieces. Transfer to a large pot and stir in lime juice, salt, sugar, cilantro, cumin and coriander. Boil over medium high heat, stirring often, until salsa thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, cover and store in the refrigerator.

Makes approx 4 cups.