Salsa Roja
Red sauce that can be used in all sorts of Mexican dishes
Equipment
- 1 Blender or food processor
- 1 Sauce pan
Ingredients
- 7 dried guajillo or New Mexico chilies (want more kick? use some chipotles; less? Anaheims)
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 28oz can whole tomatoes drained
- 1 (~1½ cups) medium white onion chopped
- 5 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
- 1 jalapeño, with seeds de-stemmed and chopped
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or other flavorless oil
- 2 tsp honey
Instructions
- Place chilies in a medium, heat-proof bowl with the boiling water. Cover and let soak for at least 15 minutes. Drain and reserve the soaking liquid. Discard stems and seeds, and place chilies in a blender. Add tomatoes and the next four ingredients to the blender. Add 1 cup of the soaking liquid to the blender. Blend/puree until smooth.
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add puree (carefully, as it will splatter) and bring to a boil. Drop the heat to medium-low and simmer partially covered, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened,* about 15 minutes. Add more soaking liquid if too thick. Stir in the honey and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes
*The last time I made this it came out too thick and I should have thinned it out. If you have the same problem and have already used up your soaking liquid, substitute water or a low sodium broth. You will then need to adjust the flavor to taste with salt, pepper, and maybe chili powder and/or paprika.
You can make this sauce up to three days ahead. If placed in an air tight container and refrigerated, the flavor will hold. Rewarm on the stove top or in a microwave before using. You can also adjust the flavor to taste when rewarming, especially if you want it to be more punchy.
You can also make larger batches and freeze it. I haven't done this so I can't vouch for the flavor or consistency when thawed, but based on my experience with homemade marinara, I suspect it would be fine.