Salsas

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The first of two salsas presented in today’s blog is a simple chile pasilla-cheese salsa.  It goes great with grilled beef, pork or lamb steaks and chops.  It’s thick consistency is comparable in certain respects to a chimichurri sauce.

 

 

The second salsa is a more traditional tomato / tomatillo based recipe. I used chile guero. Güero, translates to blond, name given because of their pale, yellowish color.  This salsa is acidic based so it pairs better with fish or chicken.

 

 

The variations of salsas are endless so take these sample salsas and select a different chile pepper; change the proportions, use lime in lieu of lemon.  Keep in mind that the spicy, mouth-burning, sweat-inducing effect of a chile pepper can vary even within the same species of pepper.  Let’s get started.

 

Chile Pasilla-cheese Salsa Ingredients

Makes 2-3 cups

3 large pasilla peppers, roasted and julienne cut in 2 inch strips

1/2 cup white onion thinly sliced

1 clove garlic minced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup whole milk

2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper

 

Preparation

Chile Pasilla

Rinse the chiles and place them on a baking tray then set the tray 6 to 10 inches under the broiler flame.  Roast for 5-6 minutes until the chile is uniformly blistered, rotate and broil all the remaining sides for 3-4 minutes or until all sides are uniformly blistered.  Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes then place them in a plastic bag so they can steam and soften. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin.   Remove stems, seeds and julienne into 2 inch thin strips. Set aside.  In a 10 inch sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the smoking point and brown and sauté the onions 5 minutes or until soft then lightly salt and pepper.  Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, add the pasilla strips and sauté them for 3 minutes. Check for salt.

 

Cheese Sauce

In a 1 quart sauce pan, melt the butter, mix-in and stir the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and using a wooden spoon stir for about 3-4 minutes to thicken the sauce then add salt to taste.  Add shredded cheese and using low heat melt the cheese.  Fold the cheese sauce into the pasilla/onion mixture and set aside.

 

Chile Guero Salsa Ingredients

Makes about 2 cups

4 chile guero peppers, roasted, remove stems and seeds.

12 oz fresh tomatillo

6 oz fresh tomato

1 cup white onion roughly chopped

1 clove garlic minced

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

1/3 cup finely diced cilantro

1/3 teaspoon cumin

1/3 teaspoon ground oregano

salt

 

Roast the chile guero as described above for chile pasilla.  When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin, remove stems, seeds and set aside.

 

Add fresh tomatillos and tomatoes into 6 cups of boiling water and boil them for 2 to 6 minutes until the skins have parted or come loose.  Remove the tomatoes and when cool enough to handle, remove the skins.  In a blender, liquify the tomatillo, tomatoes, chile gueros, onion and garlic then pour into a bowl.  Add the citrus juice, cumin and oregano.  Salt to taste.  Sauce can be prepared a day ahead.  Add fresh cilantro prior to serving.

 

 

Notes

I use the pasilla sauce to accompany grilled meats, eggs and re-fried beans.  The chile guero salsa is great for grilled fish or chicken.  Modify this recipe by using only fresh tomato and diced serrano or jalapeno chile and you have a salsa for tortilla chips and eggs. Again, I caution you to test the hotness of your chiles after roasting and before adding to your sauces.  Buen provecho.

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