Originally published on November 14, 2014
Did you know that picante sauce, salsa, and pico de gallo are all the basic same ingredients, just done in a different way? Pico de gallo is the chunkiest of them all, with fresh tomatoes simply chopped up and tossed with some lime juice, onions, cilantro, and jalapenos. Salsa is all of that, just the teeniest bit smoother but leaving the sauce pretty chunky. Picante sauce on the other hand, takes all of those ingredients and blends ‘em up so that the resulting sauce is completely smooth and completely delicious. I roasted my veggies first for this one, just to do something a bit different with it and it totally paid off. As a side note, this recipe makes more than what you see here. Don’t be like me and knock the bowl over and you’ll have much more to enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 tomatoes, quartered
1 onion, quartered
1 jalapeno pepper, whole
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno pepper on a baking sheet and drizzle the olive oil over top. Toss to coat all of the vegetables in the oil and sprinkle generously with salt.
2.) Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and roast until the skins of the tomatoes and pepper are wrinkled and soft, and the vegetables are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and let cool enough until you can handle them.
3.) Cut the top off the jalapeno pepper and place all of the vegetables into a blender. Puree until the mixture is completely smooth.
4.) Pour the mixture into the bowl and add the lime juice and the cilantro. Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.
5.) Serve and enjoy!