Salsa Chile de Árbol gives off high heat from the fiery peppers, but this salsa also contains an addictive salt and vinegar taste that will have you going back for more.
If you are not familiar with chiles de árbol they are similar to Thai Peppers and African Bird’s Eye Peppers. They possess a heat similar to a serrano and when dried can also be used to make ristras.
I’ve been getting my chiles de árbol from Red’s Roasters at the Rillito Park Farmers Market in Tucson. I love Red’s roasted chiles, but they also offer an excellent selection of dried chiles including árboles.
I created Salsa Chile de Árbol, as I was needing a quick and spicy salsa that can compliment any dish. I have used this salsa for breakfast with eggs, at lunch with tacos, and mixed with calabacitas at dinner. The addition of mesquite salt and two types of vinegars creates an added dimension to this mixture.
The other unique aspect of this salsa is that it does not include tomatoes despite it’s red complexion. I have friends and family that are unable to eat tomatoes, so I wanted to create a salsa that they could also enjoy.
INGREDIENTS
12 chiles de árbol
2 guajillo chile, roasted
2 pasilla chile, roasted
2 white onions, roasted
10 garlic cloves, roasted
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup water
1 tbsp mesquite salt (or regular salt)
1 tbsp Mexican oregano
DIRECTIONS
Roast the onions and garlic over medium high heat on the stove until moderately charred on all sides. Once roasted, place in the blender. Briefly, roast the guajillos and pasillas for five seconds on each side before transferring to the blender (do not over roast or the chiles will taste bitter). Add the remaining ingredients into the blender and purée for two minutes before serving.
Sunday Salsa 