Tomato and Chile Salsa (Salsa Roja)

By lorik

Ingredients

• 10 dried guajillo chiles
• 6 dried árbol chiles
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 plum tomatoes, cored
• 1 small white onion, halved
• Kosher salt, to taste

Details

Servings 2
Adapted from saveur.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add guajillo and árbol chiles, and cook, turning as needed, until lightly toasted all over, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl, and cover with boiling water; let sit until chiles are soft, about 20 minutes. Drain chiles, reserving 1 cup soaking liquid, and remove stems and seeds. Transfer chiles and reserved soaking liquid to a blender and set aside.

Return skillet to high heat. Add garlic, tomatoes, and onion, and cook, turning as needed, until blackened all over, about 6 minutes for garlic, 15 minutes for tomatoes, and 12 minutes for onion. Transfer to blender with chiles along with salt, and purée until smooth and silky, at least 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and serve at room temperature.