michael-in-phoenix
Well-known member
...to report success. My wife and boys ask that I keep a jar of this in the fridge and replenish when needed.
It is the smooth, red, fiery HOT salsa that comes with the chips and the fresh tomato salsa at my favorite Mexican restaurants. This version is also fiery hot, so a little goes a long way.
Salsa de Chile de Árbol
300 g tomatillos (about 6 medium), husks removed and well rinsed to remove sticky coating
3 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded and ribs removed
12 dried árbol chiles, stemmed
3 whole garlic cloves, left in papery skin
1/2 cup chile soaking liquid
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vinegar (white or apple cider)
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Prepare tomatillos and put under a broiler until black spots appear on the skins. Turn tomatillos and repeat, broiling until black spots appear. When done, carefully place tomatillos into a blender or food processor, along with any liquid the tomatillos may have left in the pan.
Prepare guajillo and árbol chiles. Dried guajillo chiles should be pliable, and not so dry that they disintegrate when handled. Stem the guajillo chiles and use a sharp knife to cut them open. Remove seeds and ribs. No need to remove seeds from the árbol chiles, just the stems.
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Press the opened guajillo chiles onto the surface of the pan firmly, using a spatula, until they begin to show spots of color change. Flip them over and heat the other side. (NOTE: This happens VERY QUICKLY if the pan is hot. Do not walk away, or you will burn the chiles and the salsa will be bitter. The process to heat a chile takes only a few seconds on each side, if your pan is hot enough. ) Place the finished chiles into a small bowl.
In the same heated skillet, toss the árbol chiles until they begin to color. Keep them moving and do not heat them to the point of having blackened, burned spots, as that will also cause the salsa to be bitter. Toss for a few seconds and add them to the bowl with the guajillo chiles.
Add the garlic cloves to the hot pan and allow them to heat, tossing occasionally, until black spots appear on the papery skin. Remove the garlic from the pan and, when sufficiently cooled, remove the papery skins and place the garlic in the blender or food processor.
Heat 3/4 cup water to boiling. Pour water over the chiles in the bowl and place a small plate or another smaller bowl over the chiles. Add weight to the smaller bowl (or plate) and submerge the chiles in the hot water for 20 minutes. After they have re-hydrated, remove the chiles from the water, reserving 1/2 cup of water. Place the chiles in the blender or food processor.
Add 1/2 cup of the chile soaking liquid to the blender, along with the remaining ingredients.
Start the blender or food processor and purée on high, scraping down the sides as needed, until the salsa is fully liquefied and smooth, with only the seeds from the tomatillos and chiles visible.
Taste for salt and add more if it tastes bland. Do not under-salt! The salsa should be salty to the taste and under-salting is definitely not the way to go here.
Makes approximately 1 1/2 to 2 cups.
Stores well in the fridge, in a tightly sealed glass jar. Use within 2-3 weeks.
NOTES:
Cooking tips:
It is important to have pliable dried guajillo chiles for maximum taste. I buy them in small packages, and do my best to squeeze and bend them in the package to make sure I’m getting good ones.
The árbol chiles are a bit drier, but should still hold their shape when handled.
Rinse the tomatillos well once they are removed from their husks, as the sticky coating (natural) is quite bitter and has to be removed. Rinse under cold, running tap water and rub gently with your fingers to remove sticky coating. No need to core them.
Heed the instructions on heating the chiles. They burn quickly, and you don’t want that. Tomatillos and garlic in the papery skin BENEFIT from black spots; guajillo and árbol chiles DO NOT.
Narrative:
This salsa is served in a lot of Mexican restaurants and taco shops in the southwest. I have a couple of favorite places where I will buy quarts of the salsa to serve whenever I prepare a big Mexican meal. It is so good with any kind of tacos, burritos or carnitas, and is EXCELLENT on eggs. One of my favorite breakfast meals is a cheese omelet with this salsa. Add machaca, chorizo or green chile and you’ve got a meal fit for guests.
I have tried for years to duplicate the flavor of the salsa de chile árbol I get in my favorite restaurants. I am happy to say, after questioning some loose-lipped wait staff and experimenting with several recipes online, this one comes very, very close to my ideal.
Enjoy!
It is the smooth, red, fiery HOT salsa that comes with the chips and the fresh tomato salsa at my favorite Mexican restaurants. This version is also fiery hot, so a little goes a long way.
Salsa de Chile de Árbol
300 g tomatillos (about 6 medium), husks removed and well rinsed to remove sticky coating
3 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded and ribs removed
12 dried árbol chiles, stemmed
3 whole garlic cloves, left in papery skin
1/2 cup chile soaking liquid
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vinegar (white or apple cider)
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Prepare tomatillos and put under a broiler until black spots appear on the skins. Turn tomatillos and repeat, broiling until black spots appear. When done, carefully place tomatillos into a blender or food processor, along with any liquid the tomatillos may have left in the pan.
Prepare guajillo and árbol chiles. Dried guajillo chiles should be pliable, and not so dry that they disintegrate when handled. Stem the guajillo chiles and use a sharp knife to cut them open. Remove seeds and ribs. No need to remove seeds from the árbol chiles, just the stems.
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Press the opened guajillo chiles onto the surface of the pan firmly, using a spatula, until they begin to show spots of color change. Flip them over and heat the other side. (NOTE: This happens VERY QUICKLY if the pan is hot. Do not walk away, or you will burn the chiles and the salsa will be bitter. The process to heat a chile takes only a few seconds on each side, if your pan is hot enough. ) Place the finished chiles into a small bowl.
In the same heated skillet, toss the árbol chiles until they begin to color. Keep them moving and do not heat them to the point of having blackened, burned spots, as that will also cause the salsa to be bitter. Toss for a few seconds and add them to the bowl with the guajillo chiles.
Add the garlic cloves to the hot pan and allow them to heat, tossing occasionally, until black spots appear on the papery skin. Remove the garlic from the pan and, when sufficiently cooled, remove the papery skins and place the garlic in the blender or food processor.
Heat 3/4 cup water to boiling. Pour water over the chiles in the bowl and place a small plate or another smaller bowl over the chiles. Add weight to the smaller bowl (or plate) and submerge the chiles in the hot water for 20 minutes. After they have re-hydrated, remove the chiles from the water, reserving 1/2 cup of water. Place the chiles in the blender or food processor.
Add 1/2 cup of the chile soaking liquid to the blender, along with the remaining ingredients.
Start the blender or food processor and purée on high, scraping down the sides as needed, until the salsa is fully liquefied and smooth, with only the seeds from the tomatillos and chiles visible.
Taste for salt and add more if it tastes bland. Do not under-salt! The salsa should be salty to the taste and under-salting is definitely not the way to go here.
Makes approximately 1 1/2 to 2 cups.
Stores well in the fridge, in a tightly sealed glass jar. Use within 2-3 weeks.
NOTES:
Cooking tips:
It is important to have pliable dried guajillo chiles for maximum taste. I buy them in small packages, and do my best to squeeze and bend them in the package to make sure I’m getting good ones.
The árbol chiles are a bit drier, but should still hold their shape when handled.
Rinse the tomatillos well once they are removed from their husks, as the sticky coating (natural) is quite bitter and has to be removed. Rinse under cold, running tap water and rub gently with your fingers to remove sticky coating. No need to core them.
Heed the instructions on heating the chiles. They burn quickly, and you don’t want that. Tomatillos and garlic in the papery skin BENEFIT from black spots; guajillo and árbol chiles DO NOT.
Narrative:
This salsa is served in a lot of Mexican restaurants and taco shops in the southwest. I have a couple of favorite places where I will buy quarts of the salsa to serve whenever I prepare a big Mexican meal. It is so good with any kind of tacos, burritos or carnitas, and is EXCELLENT on eggs. One of my favorite breakfast meals is a cheese omelet with this salsa. Add machaca, chorizo or green chile and you’ve got a meal fit for guests.
I have tried for years to duplicate the flavor of the salsa de chile árbol I get in my favorite restaurants. I am happy to say, after questioning some loose-lipped wait staff and experimenting with several recipes online, this one comes very, very close to my ideal.
Enjoy!