I made an interesting salsa tonight with some piquin chiles that Julian brought back from his family:
1 lb tomatillos
1 small yellow onion
2 small carrots
2 small handfuls of piquin chiles
6 orange habanero chiles
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp salt
1 small yellow onion
2 small carrots
2 small handfuls of piquin chiles
6 orange habanero chiles
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp salt
- Remove the tomatillo husks and the dry layers from the onion and garlic, and peel the carrots. Mash the garlic using the flat part of the blade of a large knife and the heel of your hand.
- Boil the tomatillos, onion, and carrots until soft, using care not to burst the tomatillos.
- While waiting for the above ingredients to boil, food process the chiles, cilantro, and garlic until there are no chile/garlic chunks or whole piquins remaining.
- Once boiled ingredients are soft, remove them and let them cool (using ice if you’re in a hurry). Then add them to the food processor, cutting as necessary, and process until no large onion or carrot chunks remain.
- Add lime juice and salt, stir, and serve.
It was quite good. It’s not too hot while you’re eating it, but has a moderate, full-mouth burn after you stop. All the ingredients seemed fairly balanced, though I’d say it emphasizes the cilantro over the garlic or salt, giving it a very fresh taste. Depending on your tastes, you may want to compensate for that.
well, how was it?