Salsa Roja

5 from 3 votes

Salsa roja is a delicious cooked salsa with combination of three types of chiles, for just the right amount of heat and smoky flavor. Makes 2 cups. Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, 2019.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: servings

Calories: 26kcal

Author: Cynthia

Ingredients

1 pound Roma tomatoes cored and sliced in half vertically.
1/4 small onion unpeeled.
1 clove garlic unpeeled and whole.
1 jalapeno
1 dried ancho chile stem and seeds removed, torn into small pieces.
3 teaspoons canned chipotle in adobo sauce minced. Divided.
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems chopped coarsely.
kosher salt to taste

Instructions

Tear ancho chile into small pieces and place in blender or food processor. Process until finely chopped, about 20-30 seconds.
Add 3 or 4 of the halved tomatoes to the food processor and 1 teaspoon of the canned chipotles in adobo sauce. Pulse several times, scraping down sides of bowl until tomatoes are finely chopped. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Heat oven to broil and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the remaining tomatoes, skin side down, the whole jalapeno, and onion quarter on the baking sheet. Place in oven 4 to 5 inches from broiler element and roast 4-6 minutes or until tomatoes blister and jalapeno begins to blacken.
Turn onion and jalapeno, and add whole clove of garlic to baking sheet. Continue to roast until all veggies are blackened, another 3-4 minutes.
When cool enough to handle, peel garlic and slice jalapeno in half. Remove seeds, white ribs and stem.
Add whole garlic, jalapeno, onion, tomatoes, salt and cilantro leaves and stems and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and additional chipotle. (I add one teaspoon at a time, processing for a few seconds, until the heat is just right).
Store in an airtight container for up to to a week.

Nutrition