Growing up visiting familia in Monterrey, Mexico for many years. I was very familiar with chile piquin (pequin) or chile de monte as it is also called. Mostly enjoyed it fresh, not dried, but the fresh is very hard to come by in the states. I have learned to adapt my recipes using the dried chile piquin. The recipe for salsa brava is meant to be spicy! Salsa brava is one of the many salsa recipes featured in my new cookbook, Mexica Salsa. Get Your Copy!
Does Chile Piquin Intimidate You?
I understand. There are still some chile peppers that I shy away from because of their heat levels. Chile piquin is hot, but tolerable with the right combination of ingredients. I have had hotter Hatch green chile that I couldn’t even enjoy because it was so spicy. Never experienced that with chile piquin. If you wanted to prepare a more mild version of this salsa with that same smoky red look, it’s easy! Swap out half of the chile piquin with one or two chile guajillo or chile California. Tear the pod flesh into pieces and toast until it becomes aromatic and black in some spots.
Are You A Visual Person When It Comes To Recipes?
I am! Although I love reading all of my cookbooks, I also love watching food videos. Especially when you are not familiar with preparing some recipes, it’s much easier to follow with video. And every recipe may vary from one cook to another cook, one chef to another chef. When I share information about the recipes I am preparing, I try to give my followers options and variations on how to approach and prepare the recipe. For example, there are those who prefer strictly roasting the tomatillos for any salsa recipe. They are delicious, but I lightly boil tomatillos all of the time for my salsa recipes too. Do you like to experiment with different chiles, both dried and fresh? I do! Like why not develop a beautiful salsa using ancho peppers or guajillo peppers? Although those peppers are mostly reserved for sauces, they are delicious in salsa recipes. I use them all the time, salsa ranchera and salsa campechana are just two of my favorites!
Let’s Get To It! How Long Will The Salsa Last?
Besides getting asked, “Is the salsa spicy?”, my followers also want to know how long there fresh salsa will last in the refrigerator. Key thing to remember is that it is a fresh made salsa. Enjoy it! Use it in another recipe. Share with friends! Don’t prepare it and forget it for 2 weeks and expect it to still be good, lol! Temperature change can cause your salsa to spoil faster. This is the reason you see me with all kinds of small bowls on my table whenever I share photos or videos of my food. I pour out only what I think I will eat and return the sealed jar immediately back into the refrigerator.
Salsa Brava! Chile Piquin!
Ingredients
- 2 cloves of garlic peeled
- Coarse salt
- 2 oz dried chile piquin stems removed
- 6-8 medium tomatillo husk removed, washed
- Water
Instructions
- In a small skillet at medium heat, toast the dried chile piquin for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Set aside.
- In another skillet at medium heat, add the washed tomatillos. Dry roast, turning as needed for 20 minutes. Some blackening and blistering is good!
- In the molcajete, add the garlic and 1/3 teaspoon kosher salt. Grind garlic down to a paste. Pour in the toasted chile piquin and grind until you achieve a coarse chile paste.
- Grind in a few tomatillos at a time until you achieve a mostly smooth salsa. Using a wooden spoon, mix in a little water to thin out and loosen the salsa. Taste for salt. Tasty on tacos and chilaquiles!
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