Roasted Tomato and Poblano Salsa
This is a basic template for a roasted fresh chile salsa. You can sub in different types of chiles or tomatoes and try different amounts of garlic and onion to suit your tastes. The process is a bit different if you use dried chiles (you toast them in a dry skillet then soak those before pureeing them instead of roasting them).
Ingredients (makes about 3 cups)
- 1lb plum tomatoes
- 2 poblano chiles
- ½ red onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- ½ cup canned tomato puree
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- Salt
Begin by heating the broiler. Lay the tomatoes and poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet. Set the pan as close to the broiler as possible and broil those suckers for about six minutes, checking on them after five minutes or so. If they’re nice and blackened, turn them over and broil the other side. Take them out as they reach peak blackness. Take everything and put it on a cutting board. Remove the stems from the chiles and you can also core the tomatoes if you want it to be a cleaner salsa. Leave the cores in the tomatoes if you want it “rustic,” whatever that means.
Turn the oven down to 425 degrees and throw the onions and garlic on the pan you used for the chiles and tomatoes. Cook them about 15 minutes, stirring them every few minutes. You’re looking for them to turn translucent and get browned around the edges.
In a blender or large food processor, add the tomatoes and chiles and pulse into a liquid. Then add the tomatoes and onions and process until totally smooth. Add it all to a bowl and season with salt and whatever else you want until it tastes the way you want it. To thin it out, add water. Stir in the cilantro and thyme and you’re done! If it’s too hot, some sugar can dull the heat a bit. Also the longer you let it meld, the more mild and cohesive it will get.
