Fresh Rainbow Salsa

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 teaspoon salt

½

pound (about 6) ripe tomatillos

2-2½

pounds fresh tomatoes (a blend of sizes and colors)

1 medium-hot chili, such as serrano or jalapeno, or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

In a small bowl, mix the onion and salt. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Peel and rinse the tomatillos. If desired, they can be roasted on a baking sheet for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, then cooled. This is especially good if the tomatillos are not fully ripe (they should be yellow-green or purplish when ripe).

Roughly chop the tomatillos. Dice all the larger tomatoes. Cut any small cherry or grape tomatoes in half and large ones into 4 to 8 pieces. Currant-sized tomatoes should be used whole.

In a medium bowl, combine all the tomatoes and tomatillos.

Dice the chili. If you do not want a hot salsa, carefully remove the seeds and the membranes from the pepper before dicing. Gently stir the chili, cilantro, garlic and salted onion into the tomatoes. Add additional salt to taste.

Let stand for 20 minutes before serving. The salsa is best the day it is made, but it will keep refrigerated for about a week.

Makes about 4 cups.

Cook's notes: A rainbow array of height-of-the-season tomatoes makes an incomparably beautiful salsa. The precise amounts of tomatoes, tomatillos and hot peppers can vary. Other produce also can be added, such as cooked sweet corn or scallions.

Try a combination of Aunt Ruby's German Green, Indian Moon, Limmony, Black Aisberg and any of the red tomatoes, such as the Ponderosa and Livingston varieties. Use the salsa as a dip or as a topping for tortillas or omelets.

Lawrence Davis-Hollander, "Tomato: A Fresh-from-the-Vine Cookbook"