The "Burnt" Salsa (salsa quemada)
The roasted tomato mexican salsa (Salsa Quemada) is characterized by a pleasant smokey or "burnt" taste because of the roasted tomatoes and chilies. An authentic recipe for a side to other dishes in Mexican cuisine such as tacos, nachos and enchiladas or you can serve it with fried tortillas (totopos); serve as an appetizer, perhaps even with other salsas such as guacamole to offer a variety of choices to your guests.
The Mexican Salsa Quemada
Ingredients for 4 guests:
* 5 ripe whole large red tomatoes that are perfect, without cuts or bruises (it is important to pick nice ones)
* 1 or 2 red chili pepper (arbòl, cherry pepper, cayenne pepper or serrano; the only thing that matters is that they be colored red)
* 3 cloves of garlic with the skin still on, for roasting
* 1/2 white onion, chopped
* 1 small bunch of fresh cilantro
* 1 tablespoon lime juice
* 1 tsp. salt, to taste
Preparation:
1) First we make sure that the kitchen is properly ventilated, because the roasting from this recipe will produce a lot of cooking odors and a little bit of smoke.
2) Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line the bottom of a shallow roasting pan with aluminum foil and arrange the whole tomatoes, the garlic and chillies in the pan; roast on all sides without adding anything more (dry-roast), until they are completely charred and soft. Take out the garlic first, then the small chili and lastly the tomatoes as the tomatoes are the ones that will take the whole 10 minutes to roast, while the garlic and the chili need a lot less time to char.
3) Peel the garlic, and clean the chilli. Put garlic, chilli, tomatoes, onion bits, lime juice, salt and coriander in the bowl of your blender or food processor and blend, pulsing until the sauce is liquid and smooth. Check seasoning and adjust to your taste.
This delicious salsa will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Check and adjust seasoning before serving.
