Salsa Roja

Well folks, I wrote a post about salsa roja yesterday. Somehow the text got erased simultaneously as I pushed the publish post button. Resulting in, what I imagine, was a very boring read. I sincerely apologize.

However, I still want you to know about this amazing red salsa. So I will try again. It is fresh, flavorful, bold, vibrant, and spicy. Writing this makes me want to make another batch tomorrow. As you know, I have a thing for sauces and spice. You really can't go wrong. Especially when lime juice and cilantro are added to the mix.

I googled roasted tomato salsa and found the recipe for Salsa Roja off of the One Particular Kitchen blog. I made two different batches. The first I only put one or two jalapenos in to make it mild for a Christmas Eve party. The other I put in jalapenos, serranos, and red pepper flakes to give it some intense heat for my Mom's christmas present. I am my mother's daughter in many ways, including my love for spicy foods. It was kickin'!

It is really quite simple to make and requires minimal hands-on time. You cut the tomatoes and onions, peel the garlic, and de-top your spicy pepper of choice. Place in oven at 375F to roast until soft and has a nice char. 

I had to pull the peppers and garlic out before the rest was finished cooking. So check it periodically as burned garlic is not tasty.

After it is finished roasting place tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt and cilantro in a blender or food processor and blend until you reach desired consistency. You can puree it to make a smooth salsa, or pulse it a few times for a chunkier salsa. I like mine chunky. That sounds like a bad rap song. Remember before you remove it from the blender to get a taste to make sure it is to your liking. You could get adventurous and add some fresh ground black pepper, cumin, lime juice, etc... I added all three and I thought it accented the other flavors very well. But, it is completely up to you. 

I hope you make this recipe because it really is quite fabulous. However, when you make it please get good tomatoes. The pinkish mealy tomatoes at you local Wal-Mart do not a good salsa make. I was blessed to find greenhouse tomatoes at our local Amish Grocery and Spice Store. But as they are out of tomatoes at the moment I may have to wait a little while until I make this salsa again. 

How do you like your salsa?