Salsa Lessons pt 4: Molcajete Memorandum

attack of the chiller tomatoes

Welcome to our second to last edition of Salsa Lessons here in The Broiler Room. This week we’re focusing on the ubiquitous tomato. 

Now, if you have any of our cookbooks you know that we have plenty of tomato-based salsa recipes so we’re not gonna recycle any of that shit for y’all. We love you too much. Instead, we’re taking a classic molcajete-style salsa and switching up the flavors. Enter our Mediterranean Summer Salsa.

This salsa is something else and worth trying while tomatoes are in season. It’s great folded into wraps like our Chickpea Wrap from our first cookbook, served alongside some spinach falafel, or as part of a mezze platter. But our new favorite way is drizzled over pita chips with some tahini sauce, hummus, and fresh herbs and onions as a kind of nacho plate. Seriously, a tray of these is the perfect way to break out of your latest snacking rut. Plus this salsa only takes a couple minutes to throw together. The possibilities are endless.

Mediterranean Summer Salsa

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 roma or other mid sized tomatoes

1/4 cup onion, chopped finely

2 tablespoons dill, chopped finely

1 tablespoon each, parsley and mint, finely chopped

If you have a molcajete or mortar and pestle: Add the garlic, salt, and lemon juice to your molcajete and grind down the garlic with the salt until a thick paste has been made. Add tomatoes and repeat the process until you get a nice chunky consistency. Pour into a bowl and stir in the onion, dill, parsley, and mint. Taste and add more salt of lemon juice as you see fit.

If you have a food processor: Pulse the garlic, salt, lemon juice, and tomatoes together until you get a nice, chunky consistency. Pour into a bowl and stir in the onion, dill, parsley, and mint. Taste and add more salt of lemon juice as you see fit.

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Thanks for joining us here in The Broiler Room. We hope y’all are taking advantage of all the amazing summer fruits coming into season right now. In Southern California, our watermelon and strawberries are perfect and stone fruit is just now getting good. What’s the best where you’re at right now? Let us know in the comments so we can be jealous. Maybe we’ll include your ingredient in our next recipe. 

Till next week, keep cool and stay hungry. 

Michelle and Matt