Mocha salsa

The world of salsa is infinite, we are used to seeing the usual pico de gallo at every meal, but there are hundreds of unique salsas out there in the food world. One of the joys of Mexican cuisine is the large variety of chillies they grow and use, each adding very different and unique flavours to the dishes. The same is true for salsas, and this salsa is a prime example of the use of a mix of chillies, chipotle and guajillo, to bring a very unique and distinct flavour to your table. I try and bring you some of my favourite salsas on this blog for those of you who want to experience these flavours and variations of this dish.

This salsa gets its name from the deep and robust colour that is imparted by the guajillo chillies. This is a salsa with a kick, sweet and mild spice from the guajillos, and spicy and smoky from the chipotles, this salsa will brighten up anything it is served with.

This is a small specialized volume on salsas and has recipes for the most basic taquiera salsa to fresh fruit salsas, and complex salsas like this one. This is my go the cookbook for salsas and I recommend that you get it for its amazing variety of salsas.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

2 guajillo chillies

2 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce

2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 large tomato, chopped

1 small white onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano

A pinch of ground cloves

Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted

1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, lightly crushed

Water, as needed

Heat the guajillo chillies on a frying pan till lightly charred and fragrant. Do not burn. Add to a blender with the chipotle, vinegar and tomatoes and pure2e to a smooth mix taking care to make sure the chillies are well broken down. pour into a bowl.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients and allow the salsa to marinate for 3-4 hours for the flavours to come together.