Salsa Tatemada Norteña Fire Roasted Salsa Recipes

SALSA TATEMADA NORTEñA (FIRE-ROASTED SALSA)

Steps:

• Start a charcoal or prepare a gas grill. Once hot, place the whole tomatoes, chiles and onion on the grill. Let the ingredients char for about 12 to 15 minutes, flipping every 3 to 4 minutes. Pull them off the grill once cooked: The tomatoes should be completely mushy, as their skins start to break and their juices start to come out. The chiles should be wilted, charred and wrinkled. The onion should be darkened and softened. (Alternatively, ingredients can be charred under the broiler on an aluminum foil-covered baking sheet, or directly on a preheated comal or a cast-iron pan set over medium heat.)
• Place charred chiles in a plastic bag, and close the bag well. Let chiles steam and sweat for 5 to 10 minutes. As soon as they have cooled enough to handle, remove them from the bag, slip off their skins, make a slit down the side of each and remove their seeds and stems. You could rinse the chiles under a thin stream of water, to help remove the seeds, or rinse them off by dipping them into a bowl of water. (Don't remove or discard the skin, seeds or juices from the tomatoes and onion.)
• Set the charred tomatoes, onion and cleaned chiles on a chopping board, and finely chop. Place in a bowl, add salt, and mash and mix with a fork. (Alternatively, ingredients can be mashed in a molcajete.) Taste for salt and add more, if needed.
• Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. The salsa can be eaten cold, though is best consumed lukewarm or hot. If desired, you can reheat it in a small saucepan until warmed.

CARNE ASADA LORENZA

Steps:

• Start a charcoal or gas grill, and get it very hot. For gas, set to high heat. For charcoal, grill is ready when coals are red but entirely covered with gray ash, and you can hold your hand about 5 to 6 inches above the coals for only about 4 to 5 seconds before it becomes too hot.
• Clean and season the grill: Using a pair of tongs, rub a quarter of a white onion over it. Next, rub the beef fat over the grill to season it further. (Alternately, you can do this using tallow or vegetable oil.)
• Working in batches if needed to avoid crowding, place the meat over the hot grill. Season the meat generously with salt on top right before throwing it on the grill, salt-side up. (Alternatively, sprinkle the salt on top of the meat once it's on the grill.)
• Grill for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottom has seared, deep grill marks have developed, and the meat juices have started rising and bubbling over the top. Flip to the second side and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes for medium. Remove the meat and place in a lidded dish or container. Cover the cooked meat while you grill the remainder. Allow the meat to rest for at least 5 minutes.
• One by one, take out the pieces of meat and cut into about 1/2-inch dice, placing them back in the same lidded dish and covering until the meat has been chopped.
• If using gas, reduce the heat of the grill to medium. Brush the corn tortillas with water and sprinkle or rub with salt to taste on both sides. Place on the grill - if using charcoal, place them over indirect heat - and let them toast for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending on how hot the grill is, until lightly browned and crisped on both sides.
• Remove the crisp tortillas from the grill, slather each one with a couple tablespoons of refried beans on one side and cover the beans with 1/4 cup shredded cheese.
• Place them back on the grill, cheese-side up, and cook until cheese has completely melted and corn tortillas have browned darker and crisped further, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the grill, place on a platter, top with a generous amount of diced meat and bring to the table. Let your guests top with salsa and guacamole to their liking.