Tomatillo–Árbol Chile Salsa

Name: Tomatillo–Árbol Chile Salsa
Yield: makes 4 cups
Ingredients: 9 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and blackened (page 164); 6 small Roma tomatoes, blackened (page 164); 10 dried de árbol chiles, stemmed, with seeds; 2 cloves garlic; 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar; 2 1/2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves; 1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground (page 164); 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, toasted (page 161); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 tablespoon peanut oil

January 26, 2012

This sauce is offered at most taco stands throughout Mexico and is probably the one most widely served with tacos. Chile de árbol—literally “treelike”—is searingly hot, with a smoky, grassy flavor, but its heat is tamed slightly in this recipe by the tomatoes. A variation using serranos follows.

Recipe information

Yield
makes 4 cups

Ingredients

9 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and blackened (page 164)

6 small Roma tomatoes, blackened (page 164)

10 dried de árbol chiles, stemmed, with seeds

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground (page 164)

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, toasted (page 161)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon peanut oil

Preparation

Step 1
In the jar of a blender, add all the ingredients except for the peanut oil and puree until smooth.
Step 2
In large, heavy nonstick skillet, heat the peanut oil over high heat until just smoking. Refry the sauce at a sizzle, stirring constantly, until it coats a wooden spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not allow the sauce to become too thick; add a little water if necessary. This sauce will keep for months in the freezer.
Variation
Step 3
To make Tomatillo–Blackened Serrano Chile Salsa (heat level 7), substitute 5 serrano chiles, dry-roasted (page 154) and minced, for the chiles de árbol.

Tacos by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Copyright © 2009 by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. Mark Miller is the acclaimed chef-founder of Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has started and owned thirteen different restaurants on three continents from 1979 to 2008. He is the author of ten books with nearly 1 million copies in print, including Tacos, The Great Chile Book, The Great Salsa Book, and Coyote Cafe. Mark currently works in International Culinary Consulting and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Benjamin Hargett is a travel-loving chef who has cooked in Europe, the Carribean, Mexico, and the United States, where he worked with Mark Miller at the Coyote Café for many years.

Recipe information

Ingredients

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Variation

Step 3

Recipe notes