CREAMY JALAPENO SALSA

FL009: GREEN MOUNTAIN ENERGY
May 14, 2020

This recipe comes from a Mexico City market vendor via Lesley Tellez’s excellent cookbook Eat Mexico. Aficionados of the Austin breakfast taco scene will recognize this as a twin to Taco Deli’s salsa doña.

Goal: an accompanient for tacos or lentil soup
Yield: about 2 cups

  • 1 cup vegetable oil

  • 8 jalapenos, whole

  • 4 peeled garlic cloves

  • 1/2 large white onion, peeled and thickly sliced

  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

  • 1–2 teaspoons salt, to taste 

 

Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet or similar pan over medium heat.

Add the jalapenos, garlic and onion. They should sizzle; if not, turn up the heat.

Cook, turning with tongs, until the jalapenos are lightly charred all over and the garlic and onion are splotchy and browned, 5-7 minutes.

Let cool until merely warm, about 20 minutes.

Remove the stem of the jalapeno.

Add the jalapeno, garlic, onion and oil to a blender along with the cilantro and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Puree until completely smooth.

Taste and add more salt if needed.