Salsa Ranchera, My Way!
This was one of mom's favorite store bought bottled salsas. This is my adaptation of the recipe according to the ingredients on the bottle.
Servings 1 quart
Ingredients
- 6 large tomatillos peeled and washed, ,10 oz
- 4 chile ancho 2 oz
- 12-16 chile de arbol depending on your heat level.
- 4 cloves garlic 0.7 oz
- 1/4 of a white onion 4 oz
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin, optional
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp oil
Instructions
Directions
- Remove the stems and seeds from the chile ancho and just the stems from chile de arbol.
- Add all of the ingredients, minus the oregano, cumin and salt, to a pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes.
- Drain most of the water and transfer to the blender. Add the oregano, cumin and salt to taste. For a coarse looking salsa, blend all of the dried chiles first on high until very smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and pulse to blend. For a smoother salsa, blend all of the ingredients on high until smooth. If salsa is too thick, you could add a little more water.
- Add two tablespoons of oil to a medium sauce pan and heat to medium. Preheat for a few minutes. After a few minutes, pour in the freshly blended salsa. Cook at a steady simmer for 10-15 minutes. Taste for salt. Cooking the salsa will extend the life of the salsa by up to 10 days and yield a smoother texture.
Notes
In the original salsa ingredients, they added some fresh jalapeños. I have used some in the past. If using the fresh jalapeño, I would start with at least 2-4 depending on the size.
THE VIDEO VERSION
Salsa Ranchera
9-10 oz Tomatillo
2 oz chile ancho
12-16 chile de arbol
2 Large Jalapeños
4 cloves garlic (skins on)
1/4 of a white onion (4 oz)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt to taste
Water, when needed
2 tbsps. oil
To a preheated, lined griddle, add the tomatillos, jalapenos, onion, and garlic. Dry roast for up to 20 minutes, removing the garlic after 15 minutes. The ingredients will cook at different times. Remove when ready and cover.
On a separate preheated griddle, toast the prepared dried chile pods for a few seconds per side. Transfer to a pot of simmering water. On that same griddle toast the chile de arbol until it becomes aromatic and has a few blackened spots.
Transfer to simmering water. After 10 minutes, drain water from chile pods and transfer to the blender. Remove skins from garlic and transfer all of the remaining ingredients listed to the blender. Add enough water to cover ingredients halfway. For extra smooth, blend on high for 1-2 minutes. For a more coarse, loose salsa, pulse to blend, adding water as needed. Taste for salt. Fry the blended salsa in 2 tbsps. of preheated oil for 10 minutes. Once the salsa cools, store in airtight containers refrigerated for up to two weeks.