Deeply roasted and chunky!
A group of people stopped by the ranch last week, and I made this quick Roasted Onion and Tomato Salsa for our lunch time meal. They were visiting from out of town, and since we have no restaurants nearby, I thought it made sense it they just ate at my house.
It was a small group of 20 people.
Here in the ranch country, we have a very standard party meal, which is rice, pinto beans, tortillas, salad, mesquite grilled beef (usually fajitas) sometimes a few Polish sausages, guacamole and salsa. Drinks and dessert round out the meal. It is my favorite combination of dishes, and easy because all you really spend on is the beef, which for us is reasonably priced, but of superior quality.
I think the group liked the meal, as they requested my recipe for the Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake that I served (even though the cake fell apart as I served it while it was still warm…oops!) They also requested the recipe for the salsa, which is another go-to side in my kitchen.
Roasted Onion and Tomato Salsa is Mild and Delicious
What’s important is that you start with ripe tomatoes. Buy the expensive kind at the store, the ones that come on the vine, but them at a farm stand or grow your own. Don’t get those pinkish unripe ovoids that are facsimiles of tomatoes. We don’t want a facsimile of a salsa. We want a good one.
If you live in an apartment with a tiny extractor fan over your stove, maybe this isn’t your recipe. You need high heat, and there will be some smoke. Roast the tomatoes and chiles on an iron griddle or in a skillet and let them get good and black on 2 sides. The onions should be well blacked on just one side, which is usually the cut side. Also, make sure your griddle is well oiled so that the onions and tomatoes don’t stick.
If you are an apartment dweller, simply keep the fire low and slow, without all the drama of the fire. Or wait until you go to a BBQ, and roast your tomatoes, chiles and onions on the grill. Simply brush them with vegetable oil before you roast them over the fire.
BTW my favorite tool to make this salsa quickly is my Vitamix, but you can always use your food processor.
Roasted Onion and Tomato Salsa is excellent on eggs, tacos and of course, grilled fajitas.
Roasted Onion and Tomato Salsa
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Sauces
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb red ripe tomatoes (500 gr)
1 onion, peeled and cut in half (about 4oz or 125gr)
4 fresh chile serrano
2 tbsp. olive oil (30 ml)
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Brush the surface of your griddle with 1 tbsp. of olive oil and heat the griddle to 350°F (176°C). Roast the onions, tomatoes and chile serrano on a heated griddle until the skin blisters and blackens in patches. You will need to turn the chiles and tomatoes to roast on all sides, but the onion can remain face down on the griddle, roasting without turning. Remove the vegetables when well blackened (see pic). Remove the stems on the tomatoes and chiles
Add all the vegetables to the container of a blender or food chopper, and pulse until ground and chunky. DO NOT over blend, as salsa should have texture.
Heat the 2 tbsp. (30 ml) of olive oil in a small skillet. Pour in the salsa, and allow the salsa to simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes, until the salsa is reduced with little water remaining.
Notes
Careful with the blender or food processor! This is not a smoothie!
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