Salsa de Tomate

Chef Evelyn Garica shared this recipe for salsa de tomate, which she likes to serve with pupusas.

Lightly frying the mild salsa in olive oil is a twist Garcia picked up from her mother, who is from Mexico. The step gives the sauce a slightly thicker consistency and concentrated flavor, more akin to Mexican-style salsas than traditional, looser Salvadoran salsa de tomate. Frying the salsa allows moisture, primarily water, from the tomatoes to evaporate for a more intensely flavored and deeper red sauce. Boiling the tomatoes briefly before pureeing and cooking the sauce with olive oil gives it a velvety texture and silky mouthfeel. Serve this salsa on pupusas, tacos, or any dish that would benefit from a touch of mild heat and faint acidity. 

De árbol chiles, the dried Mexican chiles with a smoky, grassy flavor and fiery heat, are the key to giving this simple condiment complexity and warmth. These small, thin chiles are about 6 times hotter than a jalapeño pepper, so use sparingly. Look for them at most Latin American grocery stores or online at mexgrocery.com. Select dry chiles that are still somewhat pliable and have a leathery texture, as opposed to brittle and crisp. 

For the best salsa de tomate, start with whole cumin seeds. Toast them lightly in a dry skillet until fragrant and then grind into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Salsa de Tomate can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.