This rather simple salsa brings the depth of the roasted vegetables along with some sweetness and a nice kick of heat.
Ingredients:
6 to 8 Sweet Peppers, Roasted
3 to 4 Jalapeños, Roasted
4 to 5 Roma Tomatoes, Roasted
1 Medium Sweet Onion, Roasted
1 to 2 Serrano Chilis,
1 to 2 Tablespoons Cilantro, Minced
Just of 1 to 2 Limes
1 to 2 Teaspoons Honey (Optional)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Directions:
I roast my chilis on my mini infrared smoker, usually with mesquite or hickory chips to boost the flavor. But you can roast them on the grill or even in the oven, depending on what you have available (and if it is pouring down rain outside). I go into more detail about roasting chilis here.
For a chunkier salsa (like what is pictured), I just do a rough chop on all the vegetables and then throw everything together in the bowl. If you want a smoother salsa, then take your immersion blender to the mix, or run it through the food processor. You can add a little water to either mix if you want to thin it out some. Don’t worry, there is plenty of flavor in the bowl, so you’re not in danger of diluting it.
If you are making this for people without much tolerance for heat, then you may want to increase the sweet peppers and just add one or two Jalapenos and no Serranos. I usually go the other way and add extra Serranos and maybe some Thai chilis or perhaps a Habanero or a Ghost Pepper.
Since the sweet peppers and the sweet onions bring plenty of sweetness to the salsa, the honey may not be needed. You can add everything to the salsa except the honey and some of the lime juice, and then dissolve the honey into the remaining lime juice and add it if needed. Since I generally amp up the heat, I find the extra sweetness acts good as a counterbalance.
Feel free to roast those Serranos with the other vegetables, just be aware you may end up with charcoal. They will cook a lot quicker than the Jalapenos and sweet peppers, so you have to keep a close eye on them. I can’t tell you how many times I decided to throw them in the smoker only to forget about them, and then threw out the scorched remnants and chopped up the fresh ones instead!
This salsa of course goes well with chips or atop a taco, but you can also warm it up and use it like a ranchero sauce which goes well with seafood or chicken or for breakfast with heuvos.