Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   3      whole         medium tomatoes
     1/2  medium        sweet white onion -- cut in chunks
   3      whole         jalapenos -or-
   6      whole         serranos (for a hotter salsa)
   3      cloves        garlic
     3/4  teaspoon      salt -- or to taste
   1      teaspoon      red wine vinegar
   2      teaspoons     vegetable oil
     1/2  cup           water

Preparation:

This recipe is adapted from one that appears in Matt Martinet's Culinary Frontier: A Real Texas Cookbook by Matt Martinez, Jr. and Steve Fate (Doubleday, 1997). It's great with chips, but it's heavenly with barbecue, steaks, and scrambled eggs. If you don't have a smoker, a barbecue pit will do. Combine ingredients in a heavy pot, and place the pot (uncovered) in a smoker for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the vegetables are soft. (Do not allow the sauce to become dry; add more water if needed.) Remove pot from smoker. Mash (do not blend) the vegetables, taking care to mash one chili at a time until salsa tastes hot enough; discard any extra chilies. (Salsa will be chunky.) Adjust the salt to taste. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator (will keep about 2 weeks). Note: For a thicker salsa, combine 1 Tbs. cornstarch with 2 Tbs. water, and drizzle the mixture into the salsa while it's still hot. Simmer on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until salsa reaches the desired thickness. If it becomes too thick, simply add a bit more w