Cherry tomato salsa

Even a poor gardener who grows a cherry tomato or two will find herself asking, "What to do with this miniature bounty?" In our little garden we had a three types. The chocolate cherry variety, a gorgeous perfect round miniature tomato with purple with green stripes and a rich sweetness that floods the tongue were eaten right off the vine; not a single one ever made it into the house. However, we had plenty of globette and Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes, even though the plants were the failed experiment known as the Topsy Turvey. (What jackass chose to make the bag out of a NON-UV RESISTANT material? DUH. "It'll last for years and years," my ass!)

When it's summer and you've got tomatoes... make salsa. Or at least that's what they say, because I'd never made it before. Luckily, it's easy, and the results are oh-my-god-that's-so-good good.

Simply start with a basic recipe, such as this one from Jalapeno Cafe. Some adjustments were made, and this basic concept can be adjusted to your liking.

Cherry Tomato Salsa

2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 medium onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced *
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a food processor, coarsely chop the tomatoes, turning the machine on and off. Do not puree.

In a medium bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes and their juices with the shallot, garlic, coriander, vinegar, chiles, lime juice and salt. Stir well.

Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 2 hours to blend the flavors. I like my salsa COLD, so I stashed it away in the fridge.

* Adjust the heat by adding the seeds of the chiles, or using more and/or hotter varieties. Also, to give a nicely infused flavor, take a few tablespoons of the tomatoes, add a portion of the peppers (maybe 1/4) and puree them. Add this back into the salsa mix.