La Tortallita Sala Roja
This is a work in progress.
Ingredients
- 6 roma tomatoes (about 1 lbs.)
- 1 small white onion
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- 1 serrano pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp lard or olive oil
Instructions
- Add the whole tomatoes, onion, serrano and garlic to the skillet, and toast until charred on each side, about 2 minutes per side.6 roma tomatoes, 1 small white onion, 1 serrano pepper, 3 cloves garlic
- Transfer to a cutting board to cool (the garlic might char before the others, so keep an eye on it). Be sure to open a window or turn on your overhead fan, as the skillet will likely smoke as you char the ingredients. Once cool, coarsely chop the tomatoes and onion. Remove the stems, seeds, and ribs from the serrano (leave the seeds and ribs intact for a spicier salsa), and peel the skin from the garlic.
- Add the garlic, onion, peppers, and tomatoes to a food processor. Pulse until well-blended but still very chunky, about 6 pulses. Add the cilantro and pulse until uniform but still a bit chunky, about 6 more pulses.2 tbsp cilantro
- Warm the lard in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the salsa and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly darkened, about 10 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt to taste, then remove from heat and serve warm or at room temperature, with tortilla chips.
Notes
** This salsa will keep for about 1 week in the fridge. Freezing the salsa will keep its flavor intact, but it will lose texture when thawed.
** If you use the food processor method, you might get a few unblended tomato skins in your salsa. They’re packed with flavor since they are charred in Step #2, but if you’d rather not deal with them, simply peel them once they are cool, but before you chop them.
** As written, this recipe is of medium-low spiciness; to increase its intensity, use a serrano pepper instead of a jalapeño, and maybe keep the serrano and morita seeds and ribs in the salsa.
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