Salsa roja

Ingredients

• 600 g deep-red Roma tomatoes
• 1 piece white onion
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 pieces fresh serrano chilies
• 3 pieces dried chile de árbol chilies
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper

Method

1. Prepare the vegetables: wash the tomatoes, trim away only any damaged parts if needed, and peel the onion and garlic. Cut the onion into large wedges so it can grill without burning too quickly.
2. Heat a comal, cast-iron skillet, or heavy skillet over medium-high heat, without any fat. The surface should be very hot: a drop of water should dance and evaporate almost immediately.
3. Grill the tomatoes, onion wedges, uncrushed garlic, and serrano chilies. Turn them regularly with tongs until the tomatoes are blackened in places, softened, and beginning to release some juice; the onion is marked along the edges; and the garlic smells sweet and roasted rather than raw.
4. Remove the garlic as soon as it is soft and lightly golden, before it browns too much; burnt garlic would make the salsa bitter. Continue cooking the tomatoes and chilies if necessary, until their skins blister and their flesh yields to pressure.
5. Add the dried chile de árbol to the hot skillet off the heat or over very low heat. Toast them very briefly, turning them, just until they become more fragrant and slightly darker. If they smoke heavily or blacken, they will become bitter.
6. Let the grilled ingredients cool for a few moments so you do not run the blender with an overly intense burst of steam. Keep the juice released by the tomatoes; it provides the sauce's natural binder.
7. Put the toasted chilies, garlic, salt, and pepper in a molcajete, mortar, or blender. First crush these ingredients into a rough, highly fragrant paste.
8. Add the grilled onion, then the tomatoes with their juices. Grind or blend in short pulses: the salsa should become orange-red, spoon-coating, and slightly coarse, with small visible pieces of tomato and chili. Do not make it perfectly smooth.
9. Taste and adjust the salt. The salsa should taste slightly lively on its own, since it will be served with more neutral foods such as tortillas, tacos, eggs, or grilled meat.
10. For a milder, more stable salsa roja cocida, pour the sauce into a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, stirring, until the color darkens slightly and the raw tomato smell disappears. For a fresher, smokier salsa asada, serve it straight after grinding.
11. Let it rest before serving so the heat can mellow and the garlic can meld into the tomato. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm, never chilled, to preserve the roasted aromas.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

51.5 kcal

Protein

2.25 g

Carbohydrate

9.35 g

Fat

0.74 g

Fibre

3.42 g

Calcium

15.04 mg

Iron

0.27 mg

Magnesium

17.54 mg