The weatherman is predicting snow for Western Pennsylvania sometime over the next few days, with nights dipping into the low-30’s. So it was time to finally bring in all of the green tomatoes on our vines. With a super wet, cool spring and summer, I wasn’t sure if we would get any tomatoes at all this year. Leaves started turning yellow then brown much earlier than usual, and I didn’t get nearly the volume of tomatoes as most years. And since they ripened later, we have an extra surplus of green tomatoes about to be killed by frost.
Unfortunately, my kitchen countertops are all on interior walls, and I have very shallow windowsills, so trying to ripen all of these green tomatoes indoors is going to be difficult.
So I decided to try making my Salsa Verde using the green tomatoes instead of tomatillos. I will admit that I prefer the taste of tomatillos to the green tomatoes, but this salsa still tastes great! It should also make some great enchiladas verdes.
Start by washing the tomatoes and removing the stems. I left the really small tomatoes whole, but cut the rest in half. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet brushed with olive oil. Brush tops of tomatoes with a small amount of olive oil as well.
Place onions, garlic and hot peppers on a second roasting pan. Brush with olive oil. NOTE: There are more onions and garlic on this pan than I actually used in the salsa. The rest I used in another dish.
Roast at 475°F (using a convection oven, if available) until tomatoes, onions, and hot peppers just begin to blacken, about 10-15 
minutes.
Place tomatoes, 2 onions, 4 cloves of garlic, and the hot peppers in a food processor. There is no need to peel tomatoes or peppers. (The onions should have been peeled before roasting)
Pour salsa into a bowl and add 1 cup packed cilantro, finely chopped (I did this in the food processor as well).
Stir in 1/3 cup fresh lime juice, 1 ½ tsp salt, and some fresh ground pepper. Add additional green tabasco sauce, if desired, for more heat.
RECIPE:
Roasted Green Tomato Salsa (or Salsa Verde)
3 lb green tomatoes (about 12 tomatoes) or tomatillos for real Salsa Verde
2 onions, red or yellow, peeled and cut in half
3 hot peppers, seeded and cut in half
4 cloves garlic, peeled (or roast whole garlic head and then just use 4 cloves)
1 cup packed cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 ½ tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Green tabasco sauce, for additional heat, to taste
Preheat convection oven (if available) to 475°F.
Wash the tomatoes and remove any stems. Cut tomatoes in half (I left the really small ones whole). Place tomatoes, cut side down, on a baking sheet brushed with olive oil. Brush tops of tomatoes with a small amount of olive oil as well.
Place onions, garlic, and hot peppers on a second roasting pan. Brush with olive oil.
Roast at 475°F (using a convection oven, if available) until tomatoes, onions, and hot peppers just begin to blacken, about 10-15 minutes. If you are not using a convection oven, switch oven to Broil for the last 5 minutes, or until slightly blackened.
Place tomatoes, 2 onions, 4 cloves of garlic, and the hot peppers in a food processor. I did this in 2 batches: tomatoes in the first batch; onions, garlic, and peppers in the second batch. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
NOTE: I like a thicker salsa so I do not use the liquid from the bottom of the roasting pan, but you can if you like a thinner salsa. Also, there is no need to peel tomatoes or peppers.
Pour salsa into a bowl and add chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Taste. Add green tabasco, as desired, for additional heat.
This salsa can be easily frozen in plastic containers or plastic baggies. Because it does not have a high acid content, however, it should not be canned in a boiling bath canner.
NoEmptyChairs.me
No Empty Chairs 
Hi Kelly!
This salsa looks delicious! I’d love to try this recipe.
In other news….YOU WON! Congratulations on winning my giveaway. Please send your mailing address to krista@kristaskitchen.com and when I get back into town (I’m away from home this week) I’ll ship it. : )
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You are brilliant!! I have green tomatoes too, but I never thought of using them intead of tomatillos. Excellent idea.
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What if you want to can it? Why no hot water bath?
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For a canning recipe to be safe, it needs a fairly high acid content to preserve the salsa. Plain tomatoes are high enough in natural acid content to can safely, but with the addition of the other ingredients, the acid level drops too low. There are safe salsa recipes for canning, but you will find they add a large amount of vinegar to the recipe. Most canning salsa recipes are also cooked to a certain temperature before putting into the jars, while this one includes fresh ingredients that have not been cooked at all.
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Is this recipe good to eat right away or is there a sit period?
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You can certainly eat it right away. The salsa should stay fresh (kept in the refrigerator) for about a week after making it. If you need to store it longer than that before eating it, store it in the freezer.
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