Big change in life, like starting a PhD, is pretty scary… salsa roja is nice and comforting—see where I’m going with this? Salsa roja goes on everything, and you can have it cold or warm right out of the pan. I made this one with fermented peppers to add a bit of funk, but fresh peppers will be just as delicious. The recipe below is more of a loose guide; feel free to change proportions and methods as you want—it’ll be delicious no matter what.

Ingredients

• 5-6 roma tomatoes
• 2 medium yellow onions
• 2 chipotle peppers
• Ají amarillo or habanero peppers (can be 1 or 10, depending on how hot you want it)
• 2 dried guajillo peppers
• Salt, pepper, lime juice and oregano to taste
• Cooking oil (like sunflower or regular olive oil)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Cut the tomatoes and onions in half and place them on an oven tray. You could do this on a barbecue—just leave everything whole.
3. Bake or grill until the skin of the tomatoes is curling and the edges of the onions are charring.
4. Remove everything from the heat and let it sit for a few minutes.
5. Meanwhile, toast the guajillos in a pan on medium heat (or directly on the fire) until they start inflating.
6. Blend everything together to the desired consistency, or use a molcajete.
7. Heat some oil in a saucepan.
8. Fry the sauce for a minute, then turn the heat down to low.
9. Simmer for 15 minutes.
10. Adjust salt, pepper, lime and even a pinch of sugar to taste.