Mexican red and green sauces

Salsa roja and salsa verde (red sauce and green sauce) are two quintessential elements of Mexican cuisine, each offering a distinct flavor profile and playing a crucial role in enhancing various dishes. Both can be made with roasted ingredients or fresh ones. 

Salsa roja, translating to “red sauce,” is made with tomatoes, chili peppers, onions, and garlic. Salsa verde,the green sauce is made the same way but with tomatillos and plenty of cilantro. 

To make the sauces put the whole tomatoes or tomatillos on baking sheets together with the jalapeno or another chili pepper, an onion and a few garlic cloves and broil a few inches below the heat until they are charred in spots. To make each sauce place the relevant ingredients into a blender and blend to a saucy consistency. Couldn’t be simpler. Depending on how spicy you want it, remove the seeds from the hot peppers or leave them in.

Here is my method for green sauce. To make red sauce, use red tomatoes instead. Otherwise the method is the same. 

1 lb fresh tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed or 
1-2 jalapeno or serrano chile peppers
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 onion, quartered
A handful of cilantro leaves and stems
Water if needed to thin out the sauce
Salt to taste

Husk and wash the tomatillos and place on a foil lined baking sheet. 
Add the hot peppers, garlic and onion.
Broil a few inches below the heat for about 7-10 minutes until the vegetables are charred in spots.
Remove from the oven and let cool a while.
Pull the stems off the peppers and remove seeds if you wish. The sauce is spicier with the seeds.
Transfer the ingredients into a blender adding all the liquids that accumulated in the pan.
Add the cilantro and some salt and blend to a sauce consistency, adding water if necessary to thin it it out.
Taste and add salt as needed.
Transfer the sauces to a jar, cover and keep refrigerated until needed.

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