ROASTED POBLANO PEPPER & TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Slice poblano pepper into medium-thin strips, avoiding seeds.
• It is not necessary to use the entire pepper as poblano peppers can sometimes be large (bell pepper sized).
• Peel garlic and chop each clove in half.
• Place all of this in shallow pan and roast for 20 minutes under broiler set to “low” – toaster oven works fine.
• If you have a kitchen torch, you may use this to fire-roast the peppers as well.
• Drain liquid from canned tomatoes and canned chilies, chop Roma tomato into quarters.
• Peel and chop onion into quarters.
• Do the same with the tomatillos.
• Add all of this to a food processor and process until salsa is thoroughly blended.
• Add olives and the juice of the lime and process again.
• Add half of the cilantro leaves, roasted poblano peppers and garlic, black beans (if used) and tequila and process again, adding the corn at the final stage of processing to ensure the corn is not puréed.
• Salsa should be a nice consistency.
• Don’t over-process!
• Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in 2-4 teaspoons of sea salt (to taste), any additional lime juice that can be squeezed and a teaspoon of coarsely-ground pepper.
• Zest the lime and add this to the salsa.
• If you don’t have a zester, simply use a fine cheese grater.
• This adds a great fresh zing to the salsa.
• Cover and refrigerate to allow flavors to mesh.
• Immediately prior to serving, chop the remaining cilantro leaves and stir into the salsa.
• Serve with your choice of corn tortilla chips!