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nyone who has ever been to a good taco place, like Big Truck Tacos, or caught Rick 
Bayless' cooking, knows fire roasted salsa is a no-brainer. For some reason I kept buying it in the jar - usually Arriba Mexican Red Salsa or Frontera.My first try at making fire roasted salsa precipitated as I had a few tomatoes ripening on the counter on the verge of getting too ripe. I was grocery shopping, trying to pinch a few pennies, and picked up a couple of fresh jalapeños (for less than $0.40 I think.) The rest was in the pantry.
4 ripe tomatoes
2 jalapenos (remove stem)
1 onion (cut into 1/8ths and dismantle)
1c fresh cilantro including stalks
salt (sea salt or Kosher)
a few small lime wedges
Roast the vegetables directly over a gas burner. It helps to use a sturdy grilling basket that can still expose the direct flame. You'll hear some snapping as the skins burn. Rotate them with tongs charring the entire surface of the tomatoes and peppers. The onions will darken just around the edges. Try not to let the tomatoes burst (or you'll get a mess on the gas burner.) If more charring is desired on the tomatoes, they can be quartered, placing the juicy insides in the food processor and just charring the exterior 1/4" shell.Pulse in a food processor with a blade. Salt to taste. Top with fresh lime juice.
Yum!
Obviously there is a wide array of ingredients and cooking techniques to experiment with (and certainly expert recipes to consult.) In any case, just spend 30 minutes giving it a try - you're sure to enjoy your fresh fire roasted salsa.
Christine, The salsa you have is a variation of http://blog.koktavy.net/2010/04/fire-roasted-salsa-easy-delicious-duh.html
ReplyDeletePlus: After purée add whole kernel grilled corn (cut off the cob) and rinsed canned black beans. The heat varies and I wanted a little more spice, so I also added a little chipotle purée.
Generally I'd say, blister and burn whatever you're working with and if you want to cut down on the charred / roasted flavor, just scrape off and discard anything that's too burnt.
I also do a variation using dried peppers - roasted in a skillet, and reconstituted in warm water inspired by Rick Bayless' Mexico One Plate at a Time
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/salsa-roja-red-chile-tomatillo-salsa-recipe/index.html
Another sidenote. If you don't have access to a gas burner, the Bayless recipe utilizes a skillet and broiler - a good technique to be familiar with.
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