Roasted Tomato Salsa
Prep: 10 Minutes | Cook: 30 Minutes | Resting Time: Overnight (if serving cold) | Total: 40 mins (hot), 24 hours (cold)
Makes 8 Servings
Ingredients
4 Tomatoes
1 large Onion
2 Jalapeños
4 cloves garlic
Handful of cilantro, including the stems (You can omit if you don’t like cilantro)
Salt, to taste (about 1-2 tsp)
1 tbsp ground Cumin (can add more for taste)
1 tbsp Chicken Bouillon powder
Recipe
Cut the tomatoes, onion and jalapeños in half. Remove the stems from the tomatoes and jalapeños and the skin or any soft outer layers from the onions.
The seeds and pith (white part of the pepper) contain the majority of the spice. To make a spicier salsa, retain all the seeds, whereas removing all the seeds and pith will retain the flavor of the jalapeños with less spice.
Using a grill or broiler, roast the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño until slightly charred. After getting a slight char on one side, flip to ensure that both sides are evenly cooked.
Transfer the tomatoes and garlic to a blender. Blend until garlic is completely broken up and mixed in evenly. Add onion and jalapeños to the blender. Blend until they are completely broken down*
Add a handful of cilantro to the blender and blend until broken down.
Add salt, cumin, and chicken bouillon powder. Blend for 5 - 10 seconds to make uniform.
Serve hot or cold with tortilla chips.
* If the vegetables are hot when you blend them, it’s important to keep the top off of the blender and cover with a dish towel. This will allow the steam to escape when blending. If you don’t allow the steam to escape with hot mixtures, it can either overflow while blending, or shoot out of the blender when the top is removed.
Why the Recipe Works
Roasting tomatoes, jalapeños, and onions give the salsa a subtle smokey flavor. Fresh cilantro, and garlic cut through the smokey flavors and give some freshness to the dish. Salt, chicken bouillon, and the acidity from the tomatoes bring out the best of all the flavors in the salsa.