Makes about 4 cups
This Mexican sauce is chile-based with the rich flavors of toasted nuts and seeds. Used as a condiment alongside, well, virtually anything, this salsa shines on quesadillas and eggs, rather than as a side for tortilla chips. This blend of chiles gives a spicy, smoky finish. Use a kitchen scale to measure your chiles, since the size and shape can vary dramatically.
Ingredients
- 1 oz chile guajillo
- 1 oz chile de árbol
- 1 oz chile morita
- 1 oz chile ancho
- 1/4 cup raw peanuts
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 8 garlic cloves
- 3 cups neutral vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
Directions
- Clean the chiles by removing the stems, seeds, and veins. Roughly chop or tear the chiles into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the peanuts, pumpkin seeds, garlic, and oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until the nuts and seeds are golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and use a slotted spoon to remove the nuts, seeds, and garlic from the pan and transfer to a bowl.
- Return the garlic to the pot of hot oil and add the chiles. Set aside, still off the heat, until the mixture cools to the touch. Add the vinegar and salt, and stir to dissolve.
- Using an immersion blender or food processor, pulse the chile mixture until it is chopped into very small pieces. Add the peanuts and pumpkin seeds and pulse a few more times just to roughly chop.
- Stir in the sesame seeds and adjust the seasoning with additional salt, if needed.
