Cherry Tomato and Peach Salsa

I love salsa of all kinds, and there are quite a lot of good ones on the market. But when midsummer rolls around, there’s nothing like a fresh homemade salsa using summer tomatoes. Homemade salsa tends to get watery from the tomatoes’ juices, but I discovered that using cherry (or grape) tomatoes helps mitigate that. And there’s no pre-chopping — just toss them into the food processor whole. Adding a ripe peach gives the salsa a perfect sweet twist.

Makes: about 1 1/2 cups

2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (try using both red and yellow)
1 medium sweet peach (or nectarine), pitted and diced
2 scallions, sliced
1 to 2 fresh hot chili peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
(jalapeño or serrano for heat; poblano for a milder flavor)
1/4 to 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lime, to taste
Pinch of salt

Place the tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse on and off until coarsely chopped.

Add the remaining ingredients and pulse on and off a few times. This is nice with a lot of texture, but if you’d like it smoother, process as you’d like, but don’t liquify!

Serve at once with chips or as an accompaniment to Southwestern-style meals.

Photos: Evan Atlas