I love this complex and smokey Chile Rojo Salsa. Not only is it perfect with the mushroom kale tamales, but it’s great with pretty much everything else. Okay, that’s not quite true, but this is my sort of condiment to be sure. This Chile Rojo Salsa has a smoky quality that I love with huevos rancheros. But it doesn’t discriminate. It makes almost any meat or egg dish breakfast better. But, you just might eat it all on the tamales, so don’t count on leftovers or perhaps, consider making a double batch? Doubling up would certainly be easy enough to do, and this type of cooking is slow but easy, so making lots is definitely the way to go. The Chile Rojo Salsa freezes well and it’s a great thing to keep around to wow surprise or last minute guests. Just serve it with warm black beans, scrambled eggs and warm tortillas and this Chile Rojo Salsa makes a super quick and easy breakfast extra special.
Chile Rojo Salsa
Ingredients
- 4 dried pasilla chiles 1½ ounces; stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried guajillo chiles ½ ounce; stemmed and seeded
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 large tomato; coarsely chopped I use high quality glass-jar tomatoes in the winter
- 1 medium onion; quartered
- 1 garlic clove; smashed
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Salt
Instructions
- In a large heatproof bowl, cover the dried chiles and raisins with the boiling water; set a plate on top to submerge the chiles. Let stand until softened, about 15 minutes.
- Drain the chiles and raisins and transfer to a blender; reserve ¼ cup of the soaking liquid.
- In a small skillet, toast the sesame seeds and cumin over moderately high heat until fragrant and golden, shaking the pan (2 minutes).
- Transfer the seeds to the blender. Add the tomato, onion, garlic, lime juice, ¼ cup of reserved soaking liquid and ½ cup of water and puree until smooth.
- Season the salsa with salt, if desired.
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