It’s a bit off-season to find properly fresh tomatoes, but don’t let that stop you from serving up some homemade salsa. Roasting adds a deeper, sweeter flavor to canned tomatoes, and the lime brightens things up. Perfect for Monday Night Football!

Roasted Tomato Salsa

Ingredients:

• Two 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 2 dried chipotle peppers, rehydrated and coarsely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 lime, halved
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 bunch cilantro, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Drain tomatoes and spread thinly in a roasting dish or deep-sided sheet pan. Bake at 450 for 30-40 minutes or until sugars begin to caramelize. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine cooled tomatoes and remaining ingredients, stirring until well-combined. Add 1/3 of mixture to blender or food processor and process until smooth but slightly chunky. Return to bowl and stir into other ingredients. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Serves 4-6.

Image by Micah Taylor.

Link love for the things that have kept me happy while my head’s been buried in homework for the past few weeks….

• I am unlucky enough to be the “keeper” of one of the fridges at my office, so this Seattle times article about fridge wars hit home for me.  I wonder if I can get away with date-stamping?
• Champagne cupcakes? Tres chic.
• These polenta dumplings stuffed with cheese look like ooey, gooey heaven.
• For the DIY bar: homemade bitters

Carnivals Galore!

• Wee Wifey hosted the Cereal Killers edition of the Carnival of the Recipes this week. My favorite recipe by far was the Overnight Caramel French Toast. (Our double-baked taters were included.)
• My recipe for addictive crack (AKA BBQ Chicken Pizza) was included in this month’s Pizza Carnival, along with an off-topic but very cute Ode to Beer.
• Last week’s Recipe Carnival was hosted by the Expatriate’s Kitchen, and the theme was Squash.  I am positively drooling over this Pumpkin-Bourbon Pudding recipe.  I totally spaced on submitting to this one, but I had planned to offer up my Honey-Glazed Acorn Squash.
• Next week’s Carnival of the Recipes will be hosted by the Readable Feast, and the theme is kids’ food.