1.27.2012

Pedro's Salsa!

What exactly is Pedro's Salsa, you ask?  If you grew up in Chowchilla, you know exactly what I am talking about.  To me, Pedro's salsa is the salsa to which all other salsas have to live up to.  I have searched far and wide for another restaurant that has such good salsa, but to my despair, none have been found.  Sure, I have found good salsa, but none compare to Pedro's.

Pedro's Place is a small Mexican restaurant in Chowchilla, and it is an institution.  It is the first restaurant I can remember going to as a child, and I think everyone in town has eaten there.  My favorite thing from Pedro's is the chips and salsa.  It is just sooo good.  There isn't anything fancy about it, but it makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

My version of Pedro's famous salsa
After moving away, Pedro's wasn't within my reach.  This made me want to recreate Pedro's salsa on my own, so I would be able to have a little taste of "home".  One time when I was eating at Pedro's in Madera (my second home when I lived in Fresno) I got up the nerve to ask the waitress how they made their salsa.  She was a little hesitant, but told me that they roasted the jalapenos, peeled the skin, and put everything in the blender.  Well, that was a start, but I still needed the rest.  So my quest began....

Without further adieu, here is my recreation of Pedro's famous salsa:

Preheat oven to 400*.  Wash and dry 3-4 jalapenos (you choose how many depending on how hot you like your salsa) and put on a roasting pan.  Place the jalapenos on the top rack of the oven until the skins are brown.  I used a convection oven and it took about 20-30 minutes.

This is how the jalapenos will look after roasting.  Let them sit until they are cool to the touch.

 Once cooled, cut off the top of the jalapenos and then peel the skin off.

 Next, you'll need a quarter of a sweet yellow onion, 1 large clove of garlic, and one large can of HUNT'S Whole Peeled Tomatoes.  I have used various brands of tomatoes (even my favorite "Cento" San Marzano tomatoes and Hunt's are the best for this salsa).

 Put everything in the food processor (or blender) with quite a lot of salt (I just added it, but it was approximately 2-3 teaspoons) and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon).  Pulse until you get to the desired consistency.

 Viola...Pedro's salsa!

Pedro's Salsa

Ingredients:
*  1 can HUNT'S whole peeled tomatoes
*  3-4 jalapenos, washed and dried (depending on how hot you like it)
*  1 large garlic clove
*  1 quarter sweet yellow onion
*  Approximately 2-3 tsp. salt, or to taste
*  Approximately 1/2 tsp. pepper, or to taste

Procedure:
*  Preheat oven to 400*.
*  Place jalapenos on a roasting pan and place on the top rack of the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the skins have browned.  You might want to turn them once during roasting.
*  Cool the jalapenos until you can comfortably touch them.  Take the tops off and then peel the skin off. 
 *  Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, roasted jalapenos, salt, and pepper in the food processor or blender and pulse until you reach the desired consistency.
*  Place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to allow the flavors to marry (if you can wait that long).

ENJOY!

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