The Dark Side’s Salsa

DEAR SOS: Adobe’s Mexican Restaurant on Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles has a blackened tomato salsa that is delicious. I’m hoping you might be able to get the recipe.

PENNY PELLOW

Los Angeles

DEAR PENNY: Terry Sweetland of the restaurant sent us this recipe. If refrigerated, it will keep a few days.

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Send requests to Culinary SOS, Food Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 or e-mail to: cindy.dorn@ latimes.com. Please include your last name and city of residence for publication. Include restaurant address when requesting recipes from restaurants.

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Salsa Negra

Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 40 minutes

5 tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped onion

4 sprigs cilantro

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the broiler.

Remove the hard core from each tomato, then place the tomatoes in a 13x9-inch metal baking pan. Add water so that the tomatoes are covered halfway.

Place under the broiler and broil until the skin of the tomatoes is blackened, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, turn the tomatoes over and repeat, broiling until the tomatoes are blackened on the other side, another 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven; reserve the water.

Place the tomatoes in a blender with the onion, cilantro, cumin, garlic, pepper and salt and puree until almost smooth, but with bits of charred tomatoes showing.

If the salsa seems too thick, add a little of the cooking water from the tomatoes and blend again.

3 cups. Each 1/4 cup: 8 calories; 101 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 0 saturated fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.39 gram fiber.