SALSA NEGRA!
They make a version at my local taqueria, which is part of what makes it my favorite Mexican place in the area.
Quote:
Here's the Salsa Negra recipe from the Rick Bayless "Mexican Kitchen" cookbook:
Makes about 1 1/4 "potent" cups.
2 1/2 ounces (roughly 2 1/2 cones)piloncillo (Mexican unrefined sugar) or
1/3 cup dark brown sugar plus 2 tsp molasses
Vegetable oil to a depth of 1/4 inch for frying
4 ounces (about 50) dried chipotle chiles (preferably the cranberry-red colorados (moritas), not the sandy brown mecos), stemmed
3 garlic cloves, peeled
Salt, about 1/2 tsp
1. Salsa basics. Into a medium size saucepan, measure 1 1/4 cups of water. Add the piloncillo (or brown sugar and molasses), bring to boil, remove from the heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Set a medium-size skillet of oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add half of the chiles. Stir as they toast to a spicy smelling, mahogany brown, about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop them out, leaving as much oil as possible behind, then drop them into the sweet water. Treat the remaining chiles the same way.
Pour off all but a thin coating of oil in the skillet and return to medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and cook, stirring regularly, until golden, 4 minutes. Add to the chiles. Pour the chile mixture, water and all, into a blender or food processor, and whir into a smooth puree.
2. Frying the Salsa. Return the well-oiled skillet to medium-high heat. When hot, add the chile puree all at once. Stir for a minute, scraping up anything that sticks to the bottom of the skillet, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the salsa is as thick as tomato paste. (It will be very spicy smelling and will have darkened to nearly black. If you've left a nice coating of oil in the skillet, it'll be shiny on top when perfectly reduced.) Taste gingerly and season with salt.
If you're planning to use the salsa as a condiment on the table for each of your guests to spoon on or stir in, you'll probably want to stir in a little water to give it a more saucy consistency. For use as a seasoning, you can simply scrape it into a glass jar, store in the refrigerator and dole it out a tablespoon or so at a time.
This keeps for weeks, covered and refrigerated.
Canned chipotles shouldn't be used.
A shot or 2 of cerveza can also be added for a little extra flavor. But really, it stands up on its own.
A thing of beauty.
_________________
Paul Caporino of M.O.T.O. Wrote:
I've recently noticed that all the unfortunate events in the lives of blues singers all seem to rhyme... I think all these tragedies could be avoided with a good rhyming dictionary.
.gif)
