roasted salsa roja

leah | 03.21.2020

this is walker's basic roasted salsa recipe that he makes about once every 2 weeks. we went through a year or two of hit-or-miss salsa because he'd do it differently every time but i finally wrote it down this year when he made a good batch.

modulate the heat with the type of chiles you add. all jalapeños is less spicy, all thai birds eye is more spicy.

ingredients:

• 3-4 tomatoes, we usually get romas but anything is fine
• 2 cloves garlic with the skin still on
• 3-4 different chiles, including 1 serrano and 1 jalapeño
• 1/2 tsp, but we usually end up adding more at the end
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp dried mexican oregano
• chopped cilantro, including stems and leaves
• juice of 1 lime

method:

• preheat broiler to 500F.
• halve tomatoes and peppers. place cut side down on a baking sheet with garlic cloves and roast under the broiler until browned and blackened in spots.
• the vegetables will take different amounts of time so pull them as they're ready; garlic first, then peppers, then tomatoes.
• blend vegetables with salt and spices in a food processor.
• let the mixture cool down a bit before stirring in cilantro and lime juice.
• try the salsa on a tortilla chip to check for seasoning.