When we lived in California, there was a small Mexican restaurant we visited whenever we were in the mood for some authentic Mexican food. One of their specialties was carnitas—the roasted pork chunks served alongside warm tortillas and fresh condiments. Their enchiladas were also quite good

While we waited for our dinner, we usually had a beer with their traditional salsa and chips. They made their chips and salsa fresh every morning. The salsa tasted so fresh and good, we asked the waitress about the ingredients. “Only tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper” she told us. I was hoping I could re-create this winner in my own kitchen, and was anxious to try.

The next time we craved chips and salsa, I made up a batch. After several tries, I finally got the proportions right and added just a touch of sugar (to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes) and the vinegar (to spice the flavors and keep the tomatoes bright). It turned out quite well, and I’ve used the same recipe ever since. If you make it, and if the little West Los Angeles restaurant called “Sarapé” is still there, you can compare your salsa to theirs.

Salsa

3 vine-ripened tomatoes

½ red onion

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

¼ bunch fresh cilantro, larger stems removed

½ t sugar

1 t red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut up tomatoes and onion into chunks and place them in a food processor or blender. Pulse until chunky. Add the cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar. Pulse a couple more times just to blend all the ingredients. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

And now for the chips: Like most restaurants, if the chips are made in-house, they are generally fried. I wanted to make my own chips too, but thought they’d be a little more healthful if baked instead of fried. And don’t forget a sprinkling of salt when they come out of the oven.

Tortilla Chips

Preheat Oven to 425°

1 package fresh yellow corn tortillas

Salt

Lightly spray two or three large cookie sheets with a vegetable cooking spray. Stack the tortillas and slice in quarters, and then in quarters again. Arrange the tortilla wedges on the sheet allowing a tiny space between them. Lightly spray the tops.

Set the racks closer to the middle of your oven. Bake the chips for 6 or 8 minutes, or until they are slightly golden. Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt, and return to oven for another minute.

These are delicious with any Mexican dip. They aren’t as fattening as a fried chip, but very corny and tasty.

Enjoy!

© Pauline Boren 2008