Ingredients:
- 2 Roma Tomatoes
- 4 Small Green Tomatillos
- 1/2 Small Onion
- 1 Serrano Pepper
- 2 Tbsp White Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Water
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Power (or 2-3 garlic cloves, just roast them with the veg)
- 1/4 tsp Oregano
Quarter the tomatoes, and slice the others in half to create a large enough surface area to get plenty of color on them, and add to a searing hot pan with oil. Cook through until the juices they release evaporate, and you get char on one side. Usually about 5 minutes.
Repeat the process until you get color on all sides. This will take less time with each side. It usually works out as 5-3-2 minutes for me. Once this is done, move everything over to the blender.
Add the vinegar, season to taste and blitz. Taste for heat, and adjust spices accordingly. I use Chipotle powder to adjust heat, because of the smoky flavor, but feel free to use whatever you want. Something in the tomatoes will make the sauce thicken once it cools, so don’t worry about it being too thin now. If it ends up too thick once it cools, you can just thin it using a mix of water and vinegar, and remember to re-season to taste.
You can use pretty much any pepper without an overwhelming flavor. Most restaurant-style salsas that look like this, use some combination of toasted Dry Arbol and Japones chiles. If it has a more fresh/vinegary taste, then they are most likely using canned Jalapeños and/or the vinegar from canned Jalapeños. If it has a dark color and smoky taste, they probably added Chipotle or the Adobo Sauce from a can of Chipotles.
Gerardo Ritchey 