Red Chile Salsa

I make salsa 2-3 times a month I'd guess. It's Chris's favorite thing to have around the house to snack on and it's super easy. There are 2 different kinds of salsa I make. This one is my favorite but I think Chris might like the other kind better. I'll post that recipe soon too. I usually just do a little of this, a little of that with both of my salsa recipes but I finally made a point to do some measuring as I made this one. This recipe is one of my own.


Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes (I get the ones with no salt added)
• 2-3 dried guajillo chiles*
• 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
• 1 fresh serrano pepper
• 1 small clove of garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• juice of 1/2 a lime

Prep

1. Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 350°
2. Remove the stems from your dried chiles and shake out the seeds. It's okay if there are still a few in there.
3. Place the stemmed and seeded chiles on a piece of foil and put in your oven or toaster oven.
4. Toast the chiles for about 3 minutes, until you start to smell them. Then, remove from the oven and set aside.

5. While your chiles are toasting, peel your garlic clove and chop into a few pieces.
6. Open your can of tomatoes and drain out most of the juice.
7. Remove the stem from your serrano pepper and chop into a few pieces.
8. Rinse and shake the excess water off of your cilantro.
9. Add your garlic clove, toasted chiles and drained tomatoes to a blender and blend for a minute or so to chop up the garlic and chiles. I use my hand blender and the cup that came with it, but a regular blender works just as well.

10. Add your 1 tsp of salt, serrano pepper, juice of 1/2 a lime and 1/4 cup of cilantro to the blender. Using the pulse button, blend for another minute or so until everything is combined. Serve with tortilla chips. Will keep for about 10 days in the fridge.

Notes

* Dried Guajillo Chiles - Look for these in your produce section or your Mexican aisle. You could also use New Mexico Chiles or Pasilla chiles in place of the guajillos. Here are pics of all different types you might see. If you experiment with other varieties, just be sure to taste your salsa before you add your serrano. Some of the other varieties of chiles are spicy and you won't need to add more heat.