Salsa Negra Recipes

FIRE ROASTED SALSA NEGRA (BLACK SALSA)

Steps:

• Cover the dried chiles with boiling water and let soak for 30 minutes. Make sure they are covered by the water.
• While the chiles soak, turn your broiler on high, and set the rack at the highest setting. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the tomatoes on it. Broil for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the tomatoes are blackened all over. Set aside.
• Do the same with the pasilla and jalapeno peppers, leave them whole, don't chop. When they are blackened all over, remove and set aside.
• Repeat the procedure with the soaked peppers.
• Put the onion and the garlic in the food processor and pulse until finely minced. Turn into a large bowl. Add the salt, pepper, spices, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce.
• Chop the blackened tomatoes in quarters, and puree, in the food processor, working in batches if necessary. Add the puree to the bowl with the onions and spices.
• Remove and discard the stems from all the peppers and chop them in half. Puree them in the processor, and then add to the bowl. Note: I did not remove the seeds from the peppers.
• Add the olive oil to the bowl and blend everything together. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, or until ready to serve. Be sure to taste the salsa prior to serving to adjust any of the seasonings. Note, this is a relatively thick salsa.

SALSA NEGRA

Steps:

• If you are using piloncillo,break it into smaller pieces with a hammer or cut it into chunks with a large heavy knife.Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan.Remove from heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Pour oil in a pan to a depth of 1/4 inch and heat over medium.Remove the stems from the chiles and discard.Add about half of the chiles to the hot oil and fry,stirring constantly,for 2 minutes.They should smell toasty.
• Remove the chiles with a slotted spoon and place in the pot of hot sugar water.
• Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the remaining chiles.
• Pour off the oil and discard.In the same pan fry the whole peeled garlic cloves in the thin film of oil that remains.Cook for 4 minutes,stirring occasionally, allowing the garlic to become golden but not burn.
• Puree the chiles and garlic with all of the sugar water until smooth.Strain to remove hard seeds and tough bits of skin.
• Heat the pan over medium high ;you may not need to add oil if there is enough in the pan leftover.When the pan is hot add the chile puree(it should sizzle and sputter )and stir constantly for 1 minute.Lower the heat to medium low and continue cooking for 20 minutes,stirring often.After 20 minutes the sauce should be very thick(like tomato paste) and have a dark shiny burgundy-black color.
• Serve as a sauce with gorditas,shrimp,eggs ,or anything you like.