There are a few foods that I just can’t bring myself to buy pre-made anymore. Hummus and salsa top that list.  Hummus and salsa are also some of the easiest, most crowd-pleasing party food contributions – a coincidence I can totally live with.

I’ve experimented with homemade salsas before, but today I wanted something smoky, something close to the El Alma salsa I love so much.  I found a recipe that sounded exactly like what I was looking for {and had the picture to prove it} on What’s Gaby Cooking.

I didn’t love the idea of using canned tomatoes or peppers, but I had a hunch that was the only way I was going to achieve that deep, smoky flavor I was looking for. And in an unbelievably short 90-ish seconds, the recipe was validated.  Gaby’s salsa was so, so good!

I also… have a newfound obsession with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.