Salsa Macha

cafebarber

May 3

Slightly sweet, you can control the heat, completely delicious, and you make it in the blender. We first ate this at Cocina Chiwas in Phoenix -- my favorite Mexican restaurant these days.

2 ounces dried chipotle chiles stemmed, seeded torn into pieces, about 1½ to 2 cups. I use Chiles Moritas. They have a kind of fruitiness that I like. I also take 3/4 of the seeds out, so every bite isn't a nuclear blast. I can find these chiles in a local Mexican supermarket, but if you plan ahead, Amazon will send them to you
2 1/2 cups olive oil
1/3 cup raw unsalted peanuts or unsalted other nuts you may prefer such as pecans or pine nuts. Truthfully, I buy salted peanuts in the shell and use those.
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt or to taste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Remove the stems and and most of the seeds from the chiles morita. You can also substitute anchos, guajillos or chiles de arbol or mix three or four different chiles. Right now I'm loving the Moritas.

Set a large heavy skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the garlic cloves. Stir and fry for about one minute, until they start to gain color. Add the chiles and peanuts, stir and fry for about two minutes. Add the sesame seeds, stir and continue to fry for about a minute. Remove from heat. Carefully transfer all the contents from the skillet into the jar of a blender. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
Add the salt, sugar and vinegar. Process until smooth, starting with low speed and building up to high speed. Pour into a container, let cool and refrigerate if the salsa will not be used that day.
I promise you that this will be your new favorite salsa!