I received Pati Jinich’s new book, Treasures of the Mexican Table, for my birthday this year and wanted to try one of her many amazing recipes for this week’s Sunday Salsa. Pati’s recipe for Salsa de Chipotle y Cacahuate caught my eye with the incorporation of one of my favorite chiles as well as peanuts.
Salsa de Chipotle y Cacahuate can be described as a creamy peanut butter, but with a bit of heat and smokiness added to the flavor. There are also roasted tomatoes, garlic, and onion mixed into this salsa. This went great on top of carne asada at dinner, but was also a very addictive snack (full of protein) as I was up late studying for my final exams.
There are two types of chipotle chiles (smoke-dried jalapeños), mecos and moritas. Mecos are the lighter-colored chiles (a larger variety of jalapeños) that have a very smokey and hotter taste. Moritas are the darker version, but have a richer taste. Pati writes that you can use either type of chipotle for her recipe, but I went with the moritas. They provided just enough of a punch to keep your taste buds satisfied.
There was also a fun new cooking technique that I learned from Pati’s recipe. She incorporates dried oregano into the salsa, but has you toast it over the stove first. I love using Dried Mexican Oregano, but I had never attempted roasting it before. I will to try do this more often as it really enhanced the spice’s aroma, adding another dimension to this tasty salsa.
You can find the recipe for Salsa de Chipotle y Cacahuate in Pati Jinich’s latest book, Treasures of the Mexican Table. Pati is one of my favorite chefs and I love to watch her show “Pati’s Mexican Table” every Saturday on PBS. Her new book is 400 pages worth of delicious recipes, cooking tips, and fun food facts. I highly recommend adding this book to your collection!
Sunday Salsa 
Can’t wait for you to make it for us. Sounds so good.
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