Sometimes people ask me, “Since you like to cook so much, why didn’t you make it your career? Why not work in a restaurant or write cookbooks or do something with food?” Part of it is because I didn’t want my hobby to become my job, sucking all the joy out of something I loved doing. But a bigger part of it is that I don’t think I’m good enough. I can make some pretty tasty stuff but I’m no gourmet chef.
Chief among the evidence of this fact was my total blind spot when it came to salsa. Salsa from a jar was just so good and mine was just so… not. I tried taking the seeds out of the tomatoes, I tried cutting things finer, I tried slightly mashing the tomatoes, I tried everything I could think of, but I always ended up with a bowl of what could only be described as finely diced vegetables. There are two tricks I was missing. The first was learning to add spices as well as seasoning with salt. The vinegar, paprika, and cumin in this really help it a lot. The second was taking advantage of the flavors that come out of the peppers, tomatoes, and onions when you roast them to the point that they have a little char on them. Two game changers that make a world of difference!
My first iteration of this recipe, I thought was delicious, but other people who haven’t burned their taste buds away with years of capsaicin abuse called it, “burn your face off spicy” which I guess isn’t what I was going for. So I added more tomatoes, took out a couple jalapenos, and added a red bell pepper to balance out the salsa with a little sweetness. I didn’t take the seeds out of the jalapeno but if you want it even milder, you can do that. It’s all up to you and your individual taste.
Homemade Hot Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 poblano pepper halved
- 4 jalapeño peppers halved
- 5 roma tomatoes halved
- 1 red bell pepper quartered
- 1 large onion cut into 8 wedges
- 1/8 cup cilantro leaves and stems roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Cut peppers, tomatoes, and onions and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet
- Cut top off of garlic, encase in foil, add olive oil and salt, and crimp shut
- Roast baking tray and garlic packet for about 40 minutes until vegetables have a slight char on them
- While vegetables are roasting, add cilantro, paprika, cumin, oregano, red wine vinegar, lime juice, and salt to blender
- When vegetables are done, remove, add to blender, and blend until desired texture is reached
- Flavor improves considerably once mixture is allowed to cool
Make it? Love it?
