Pati Jinich Roasted Salsa Recipes

QUICK ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSITA

Steps:

• Pre-heat the broiler.
• On a small baking dish or baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, place the tomatillos, garlic, onion slice and chile. Place under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping the ingredients once in between, until completely charred and mushy. Watch out for the garlic as you may need to remove it a few minutes before the rest of the ingredients. When cool enough to handle, peel the husk off the garlic cloves and remove stem from the chile.
• In the jar of a blender, place the tomatillos and their juices, chile, onion and garlic. Also add cilantro and salt. Puree to your desired texture, you may leave it chunky or puree until smooth.

COLORADO CHILE SALSA

Steps:

• Combine the tomatoes, chiles and garlic in a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until tomatoes are completely cooked and mushy and the chiles are plumped and rehydrated.
• Transfer the tomatoes, chiles and garlic to a blender, add the onion, salt and pepper, and purée until completely smooth.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, pour in the tomato sauce, cover partially and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors and color have deepened and the sauce has thickened slightly. Serve hot, warm, room temperature or chilled. The salsa will keep for 5 days in the refrigerator.

SALSA TATEMADA NORTEñA (FIRE-ROASTED SALSA)

Steps:

• Start a charcoal or prepare a gas grill. Once hot, place the whole tomatoes, chiles and onion on the grill. Let the ingredients char for about 12 to 15 minutes, flipping every 3 to 4 minutes. Pull them off the grill once cooked: The tomatoes should be completely mushy, as their skins start to break and their juices start to come out. The chiles should be wilted, charred and wrinkled. The onion should be darkened and softened. (Alternatively, ingredients can be charred under the broiler on an aluminum foil-covered baking sheet, or directly on a preheated comal or a cast-iron pan set over medium heat.)
• Place charred chiles in a plastic bag, and close the bag well. Let chiles steam and sweat for 5 to 10 minutes. As soon as they have cooled enough to handle, remove them from the bag, slip off their skins, make a slit down the side of each and remove their seeds and stems. You could rinse the chiles under a thin stream of water, to help remove the seeds, or rinse them off by dipping them into a bowl of water. (Don't remove or discard the skin, seeds or juices from the tomatoes and onion.)
• Set the charred tomatoes, onion and cleaned chiles on a chopping board, and finely chop. Place in a bowl, add salt, and mash and mix with a fork. (Alternatively, ingredients can be mashed in a molcajete.) Taste for salt and add more, if needed.
• Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. The salsa can be eaten cold, though is best consumed lukewarm or hot. If desired, you can reheat it in a small saucepan until warmed.