Recipe courtesy of Juan Pablo Peña Mejia, Local Jewelry Artist, Entrepreneur and Phenominal Home Cook

Ingredients

2-3 large red tomatoes
1-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2-6 dry chili de árbol (or other hot pepper)
Pinch of ground clove
6 black peppercorns
1/4 onion, finely chopped
Small handful of cilantro, finely chopped (add more or less to your taste)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2-1 cup of water or chicken broth
Salt to taste

Steps of Preparation

In a dry cast iron skillet, blister the tomatoes on medium heat until they char. Watch tomatoes carefully, turning them until they are blistered on all sides. In the same pan, add the olive oil and let it warm up (move the tomatoes to the side). *Add the chili de árbol to the hot oil, careful not to burn the chiles.

*WARNING: It is important to use your ventilation hood while toasting the chiles! Strong fumes will be released and can irritate your eyes and lungs if your cooking area isn’t ventilated properly.

Turn chiles in the pan until they’re evenly toasted and a nice burnt red color. Do not toast until chiles turn black or it will ruin the flavor of the salsa.

Once the chiles are toasted, put them in the blender or food processor. When the tomatoes are cooked and soft, add them to the chiles, trying to collect as much of the burnt skin as possible from the cast iron skillet. Add the remaining ingredients and blend 10 seconds on high. Salt to taste. Salsa should be a little chunky, but can be blended until desired smoothness.

Serve with chips, tacos or use as a marinade for chicken, pork or fish.

Chef’s Note: You can control the heat by using less chiles—or choosing a less-hot variety.

Photo: Jeppe Vadgaard