salsa de chipotle y tomato

This beautiful sauce is made from sweet roasted tomatoes and smoky chillies, and is recipe Number 2 on my seven day count down to Cinco de Mayo.

Chipotle chillies are simply jalepenos that have been smoked and they have a delicious, sweet flavour while still being very spicy.

I love this sauce with lamb cutlets, steak and chicken especially when cooked on a barbecue.

Salsa de Chipotle y Tomato (Roast Tomato & Chipotle Sauce)
Recipe from Mexican by Jane Milton. Serves 6.
Ingredients:
500g tomatoes
5 dried chipotle chillies
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2/3 cup (165ml) red wine
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 tablespoon (60ml) honey
1 teaspoon American mustard
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt, to taste
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and place them in a roasting tin.
3. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they are charred and softened.
4. Meanwhile, soak the chillies in a bowl of cold water for about 20 minutes or until soft. Remove the stalks, slit the chillies and scrape out the seeds with a small sharp knife. Chop the flesh roughly.
5. Remove the tomatoes from the oven, let them cool slightly, then remove the skins. If you prefer a smooth sauce remove the seeds too.
6. Put the tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Add the chopped chillies and garlic with the red wine. Process until smooth.
7. Next add the oregano, honey, mustard and black pepper. Process briefly to mix, then taste and season with salt.
8. Scrape the mixture into a small saucepan. Place over a moderate heat and stir until the mixture boils.
9. Lower the heat and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced and thickened. Spoon into a bowl and serve hot or cold.
Note: instead of dried chillies, we used canned chipotle en adobo, which are chipotles already soaked and in a thick sauce of their own juices.