Mellow Red Chile Salsa With Sweet Garlic And Roasted Tomatoes Recipes

MELLOW RED CHILE SALSA WITH SWEET GARLIC AND ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat the broiler. Pull the stems off the dried chiles, tear them open and shake out the seeds (if you prefer a salsa with a more refined texture, be sure to remove all the seeds). Place in a bowl, cover with hot tap water and lay a plate on top to keep them submerged.
• Lay the whole tomatoes on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Set as close to the boiler as your oven allows and broil for about 6 minutes, until darkly roasted and blackened in spots - the tomato skins will split and curl. With a pair of tongs, flip over the tomatoes and roast them for another 6 minutes or so, until they are soft and splotched with dark spots. Set aside to cool.
• Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Separate the onion into rings and, on a pan or baking sheet, combine it with the garlic. Set in the oven. Stir carefully every few minutes, until the onions are soft and beautifully roasted (don't worry if some of the edges char) and the garlic is soft and browned in spots, about 15 minutes total.
• If you're not inclined toward rustic textures in your salsa, pull off the peels from the cooled tomatoes and cut out the "cores" where the stems were attached; catch the flavorful juices on the baking sheet as you work, so as not to waste any of them. By now the chiles should be soft (to catch them at the perfect stage of rehydration - before they've lost much flavor into the water - soak them no longer than 30 minutes); drain. In a blender or food processor, combine the drained chiles with the tomatoes and their juice. Process to a fairly smooth puree - chile skins are tough, so you want to make sure they are chopped up enough. Scrape two-thirds of the puree into a large bowl. Roughly chop the onion and garlic, then add them to the blender containing the rest of the chile-tomato mixture. Pulse repeatedly until all is moderately finely chopped. Scrape down the sides from time to time to keep everything moving evenly; if the mixture just won't move through the blades, add a little water to loosen it up. Scrape the puree into the bowl. Stir in the oregano and vinegar, then add enough water to give this salsa a lightly consistency.
• Taste and season generously with salt - this is a condiment, remember. Taste again and add a little sugar if you think it's necessary to balance any lingering bitterness in the chiles. If you're planning to use your salsa right away, simply pour it into a bowl and it's ready, or refrigerate it covered and use within 5 days.

SALSA ROJA: RED CHILE-TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Toasting and roasting. Preheat a broiler.
• In an ungreased skillet over medium heat, toast the chiles, stirring for 1 minute, until they are very aromatic (some will have slightly darkened spots on them). Transfer to a bowl, cover with hot water and rehydrate for 30 minutes.
• In the same skillet, roast the garlic, turning regularly, until soft and blotchy-dark in places, about 15 minutes. Cool and slip off the papery skin.
• Roast the tomatillos on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until soft, even blackened in spots, about 5 minutes on each side. Cool, then transfer the contents of the baking sheet (including any juices) to a blender or a food processor.
• Finishing the salsa: Drain the chiles and add to the tomatillos along with the garlic. Puree, then scrape into a serving dish. Stir in enough water to give a spoonable consistency, usually about 1/4 cup. Season with salt, usually 1 teaspoon, and the optional sugar. Refrigerated, the salsa keeps for several days.

ROASTED RED GUAJILLO SALSA WITH TANGY TOMATILLOS

Steps:

• In a small skillet heat oil to a 1/4 inch depth over medium heat. Pull the stems off chiles and remove the seeds completely.
• Lay chiles in the skillet and turn them over several times as they toast and change color on the inside from dark cranberry red to a red. This should only take 15-20 seconds. Remove and place on paper towels. Chiles will crisp as they cool. You can do this one chile at a time.
• Lay the tomatillos on a baking sheet and set the pan 4 inches below the broiler and let broil until they are softened and black in places, about 5 minutes. The skin will split. Flip the tomatillos and roast other side for 4-5 more minutes or so. Set aside to cool. Do not peel off the darkened skins or cut out the cores.
• Turn oven to 425 and lay onion rings and garlic on a baking pan and bake until onions are deeply golden and garlic soft and browned in spots, about 15 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes. Cool to room temperature.
• In a blender or food processor, blend tomatillos including their juice with dry toasted chiles. Process to a smooth puree. Scrape two-third of the puree into a bowl.
• Roughly chop onion and garlic and add them to the blender still containing the rest of the chile tomatillo mixture. Pulse repeatedly until moderately finely chopped. Add a little water to loosen everything up and keep pulsing. Stir in enough water to give the salsa a lightly consistency. Combine this with chile tomatillo puree in a bowl.
• Taste and season with salt and bit of sugar. Use within 5 days or freeze.

ROASTED TOMATO SALSA

Steps:

• Arrange 6 tomatoes cut side down on a 15x10x1-in. baking pan; drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Broil 4 in. from the heat until skin blisters, about 4 minutes. Cool slightly; drain well., In a food processor, process uncooked and roasted tomatoes in batches until chunky. Transfer all to a large bowl., Place the cilantro, lime juice, garlic, lime zest and remaining oil in the food processor. Cover and process until blended; add to tomatoes. Stir in the peppers, onions, cumin, paprika, chipotle pepper, salt and hot sauce. Let stand 1 hour to allow flavors to blend. Serve with chips.

ROASTED TOMATILLO AND GARLIC SALSA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven's broiler. Arrange the whole cloves of garlic, tomatillos, and jalapenos on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler, and cook for a few minutes. Remove garlic cloves first, as soon as they are toasted, to avoid developing a bitter flavor. Continue to roast jalapenos and tomatillos until evenly charred, turning occasionally. Set aside to cool. Don't remove the charred parts of the tomatillos or the peppers. They add a really nice flavor.
• Place peppers and tomatillos in a blender with the garlic and cilantro. Add a little water to the mixture if necessary to facilitate blending. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until serving.

RED ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA WITH CHILES

Steps:

• Set an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat. If using dried chiles, break off their stems. Toast the chiles a few at a time. Set them on the hot surface, press flat for a few seconds with a metal spatula. They'll crackle a little and become freagrant), then flip and press down to toast the other side. Transfer the toasted chiles to a bowl, cover with hot water, and set aside for 30 minutes, stirring regularly to ensure even soaking. Drain the chiles, discarding the liquid.
• On a heavy, dry skillet or griddle over medium heat, roast the unpeeled garlic, turning occasionally, until blackened in spots and soft, about 15 minutes. Cool, slip off the papery skins, and chop roughly.
• Preheat the broiler. Place the tomatillos on a baking sheet, and place about 4 inches from heat. When the tomatillos have blistered, blackened, and softened on one side, turn them over, and roast on the other side. Cool completely on the baking sheet.
• Scrape the tomatillos and their juices into a food processor or blender, and add the rehydrated chiles and garlic, and puree to the desired consistency. Transfer salsa to a serving bowl, and add enough water to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency, about 3 to 4 tablespoons. Season with salt, and add 1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional) if you want to soften any tartness.

THREE CHILE DRY ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Place the tomatillos, chiles, garlic cloves, and onion in a dry, cast iron pan. Toast, turning occasionally over medium-high heat until the husks of the tomatillos have blackened and their skins turn translucent. The goal is to soften the tomatillos by blackening the skin without allowing them to split. Remove from pan, and allow to cool slightly.
• Remove the husks from the tomatillos and the stems from the peppers. Place into the bowl of a food processor with the cilantro and salt to taste; process to desired consistency. Pour the salsa into a saucepan, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes to mellow the flavors and remove the raw taste.