Back to recipes

Papalote Salsa

Ingredients

  • 5 medium roma tomatoes, cored and halved
  • 0.75 cups water
  • 10 dried arbol (or cayenne or pequin) peppers
  • 2 tsp ground dried pasilla (or ancho/poblano) peppers (mild)
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp ground smoked sweet red onions (optional)
  • 2 tbsp unsalted hulled pumpkin seeds OR 1.5 tbsp roasted pumpkin or roasted sunflower butter
  • 1/4 cup minced scallions
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Directions

  1. Stem, half, and de-seed the arbol peppers.
  2. Heat the broiler.
  3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place tomatoes skin side up on the baking sheet. When the broiler is hot, char the tomatoes until the skins are slightly burned.
  4. Remove tomatoes from the oven and place them in a stainless steel pot.
  5. Add chiles de arbol, pasilla peppers, smoked onions, salt, sugar, and water. Optionally, mash the ingredients together with a potato masher.
  6. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring often.
  7. If using raw pumpkin seeds, while tomato mixture is cooking, heat oven to 350 F and toast pumpkin seeds on a rimmed baking sheet until just browned. Remove seeds from the tray and cool.
  8. After cooking 20 minutes, add vinegar to tomato mixture. Cook for 1 minute.
  9. Place mixture in a blender, add the toasted pumpkin seeds (or pumpkin/sunflower butter), and blend until smooth.
  10. Pour salsa into a container and stir in scallions and cilantro.
  11. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Notes

  • Time: 35 mins, plus several hours for chilling
  • Makes about 3 cups
  • Pumpkin/sunflower butter blends in better than raw pumpkin seeds.
  • One small dried ancho ground up is ~ 3 tsp
  • Last about 5 days in the fridge.