With a comal or black iron skillet over medium-high heat, cook the tomatoes until blackened all over. While still warm, pulse tomatoes with the garlic in a food processor until roughly chopped. Let cool to room temperature and add the remaining ingredients. Mix together; let sit at least 30 minutes before using.

Miller writes: "Ripe red tomatoes roasted on a hot steel comal until the skins blacken are a basic element of many Mexican salsas. The smoky flavor adds a complexity to the taste of ripe tomatoes. Mixing fresh mint as a counterpoint to this cooked flavor creates the combination of raw and cooked which is one of the classic taste motifs of Southwestern cuisine. This salsa goes particularly well with the wild Churro lamb that we serve at Coyote Cafe because it does not mask the Churro's unique taste."

Goes well with venison chops, grilled pork, grilled marlin and tortilla chips.

Recipe from Mark Miller of the Coyote Cafe/Santa Fe, Nm. Electronic format by Cathy Harned.

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