Valentinas Charred Tomato Salsa Recipes

CHARRED SALSA TWO WAYS

Steps:

• Place a grill pan over medium-high heat and heat for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the tomatillos, onion, jalapeño and poblano in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, sprinkle generously with salt and toss to evenly coat the vegetables. Brush the hot grill with the remaining tablespoon vegetable oil.
• Grill the vegetables, turning occasionally, until charred and softened, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the tomatillos and onions to the bowl of a food processor. Transfer the peppers to a cutting board to cool briefly. Trim the stems off the peppers and remove the seeds if you don't want it too spicy. Add the peppers to the food processor.
• Add the garlic and lime juice to the food processor and pulse until the vegetables form a thick paste, about 2 minutes. With the processor on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Turn off the machine, add the cilantro, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse until smooth. Remove all but 1 cup of the salsa from the food processor. Set this green salsa aside.
• To the remaining 1 cup salsa in the food processor, add the can of tomatoes. Pulse for 1 minute more until a smooth red salsa is formed. Serve both salsas with tortilla chips.

VALENTINA'S CHARRED TOMATO SALSA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Cook tomatoes, stirring occasionally, until slightly charred, 7-10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until saucy and juices are thickened, 6-8 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Transfer tomatoes to a blender and add onion, garlic, chile, cilantro, and lime juice. Purée on high until mostly smooth but still with some texture; season salsa with salt.
• Do Ahead
• Salsa can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

ROASTED SALSA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a roasting pan or baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.
• Arrange tomatoes, cut-side down, in the roasting pan; add Anaheim chile peppers, jalapeno peppers, and poblano peppers, all skin-side up. Add onions and garlic to roasting pan. Spray the vegetable mixture with cooking spray.
• Roast in the preheated oven until tomato and chile pepper skins are blistered and charred, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 to 15 minutes, keeping skins on tomatoes and chile peppers.
• Blend tomato-chile pepper mixture, lime juice, cilantro, cider vinegar, oregano, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and celery salt in a food processor using quick pulses until desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate salsa in an air-tight container.

MEXICAN CHARRED TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Line a heavy cast iron grill pan or griddle with aluminum foil and place over high heat. Arrange tomatillos, chiles de arbol, and garlic in a single layer on top. Grill until chiles are blackened, turning as necessary, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Continue grilling tomatillos and garlic until they are evenly blackened, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Peel garlic and place in a mortar and pestle. Season with salt and pound into a thick paste. Add chiles; pound until smooth. Add as many tomatillos as you can fit in your mortar; pound until chunky. Transfer salsa to a bowl. Repeat with remaining tomatillos, mixing them into the bowl of salsa in batches.