Salsa Poblana

Submitted by Stephanie Y.

"This salsa is so good, I'm often tempted to drink it. It is different from many salsas because there is no cilantro in it. There are many steps but I think the end result is worth it. You can adjust the heat to your liking- just leave out the serrano chile or the seeds of the serrano. This can be Served immediately, or covered, refrigerated and used within 5 days. From Dona Rosa, Pasadena CA."

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Yields: 4 cups

ingredients

• 1 whole ripe medium-size tomatoes
• 2 canned tomatoes, from a can of peeled tomatoes with juice (drained)
• 3 whole mild poblano peppers
• 1 serrano chili
• 2 peeled garlic cloves
• 1 medium red onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1⁄2 cup tomato juice
• 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1 lime, juice of, fresh
• 1⁄2 tablespoon vinegar (optional)

directions

1. Boil 1 ripe tomato and poblano pepper together. Remove tomato once it is cooked, leaving poblano pepper in 10 more minutes or until cooked. Do not discard water. Peel both the tomato and the poblano pepper.
2. Roast garlic cloves, 1 serrano chile and the other 2 poblano peppers in pan for about 6 minutes until darkly roasted and splotchy black on one side. With pair of tongs, flip over garlic cloves and chile and roast the other side. Remove them as soon as they are done. Place the chiles in a plastic bag to steam so that they are easier to peel. When chiles are cool enough to handle (15 min) , peel off the skin (bits of charred skin are fine). Dice the chiles.
3. Saute diced onions with 1 tablespoon olive oil until they are brownish and caramelized. Let all ingredients cool. When cool, refrigerate all items for 10 minutes.
4. Blend 2 garlic cloves with 4 ounces of the water that was used to cook the tomato and poblano peppers. I use my immersion blender for this step.
5. Mash cooked tomato and peeled tomatoes in medium-size bowl. Add tomato juice, cooked red onions, diced peppers and vinegar. Add salt and white pepper, freshly squeezed juice from the lime and the blended garlic.