Toasted Guajillo Chile Salsa Recipes

Steps:

• Heat a large dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, toast chiles until slightly puffed and fragrant, 15-20 seconds per side. Let cool.
• Using kitchen scissors and working over a medium bowl, cut chiles into thin rings, reserving seeds. Cover with 2 cups very hot water and let soak for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook, turning often, until tender and skin is lightly charred, about 8 minutes. Let cool. Peel; trim ends.
• Transfer chiles with seeds and liquid to a blender; add roasted garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining ingredients. Pulse until a thick, coarse purée forms. Season with salt.

Steps:

• Roast the poblano chiles one-by-one over the flame of your stovetop, using metal tongs to hold them, until the skin is totally charred. (If you don't have a gas stove, you can use an outdoor grill OR place them on a baking sheet directly under your oven's broiler.) When the skin is totally blackened, place the chiles in a large resealable plastic bag and seal the bag to allow the chiles to sweat for a good 20 minutes. Remove the chiles and use a knife to scrape off most of the blackened skin. Slice the chiles in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds and membranes.
• Divide the ingredients into 3 batches so they will fit into a 12-cup processor
• Combine whole tomatoes, roast chiles, cilantro, onions, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, salt, sugar and lime juice in a blender or food processor.
• Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like. I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.
• Refrigerate the salsa for at least an hour before serving.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, place 4 cups water, the guajillo chilies, garlic cloves and white onion and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer until the chiles are soft and tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer the boiled vegetables, the tomato and 2 cups of the boiling liquid to a large blender and set aside to cool before blending. Process until smooth. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper.
• In a medium, heavy saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Strain the pureed guajillo salsa into the pan. Add the bay leaf and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper as desired.

Steps:

• In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat; add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, guajillo and serrano chiles, cilantro, cumin, oregano, and the 3 tablespoons of water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the tomato mixture down until the consistency of a thick marinara sauce. Crumble in the ground beef, mashing and stirring it to combine with the sauce, increase the heat to high and cook, covered, until the meat has lost its pink color and the filling is moist, but not liquid, about 12 minutes. The meat should be soft like meatloaf.
• Remove from the heat, stir in the lime juice, and serve right away, or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.
• To serve, divide the lettuce, filling, salsa, and cheese equally between the crispy shells and arrange in a taco holder. Or, lean the filled shells in a row, propped upright, on a platter. Eat right away. To build your own, spoon some lettuce and filling in a crispy shell, top with cheese and salsa, and eat right away.

Steps:

• In a small skillet heat oil to a 1/4 inch depth over medium heat. Pull the stems off chiles and remove the seeds completely.
• Lay chiles in the skillet and turn them over several times as they toast and change color on the inside from dark cranberry red to a red. This should only take 15-20 seconds. Remove and place on paper towels. Chiles will crisp as they cool. You can do this one chile at a time.
• Lay the tomatillos on a baking sheet and set the pan 4 inches below the broiler and let broil until they are softened and black in places, about 5 minutes. The skin will split. Flip the tomatillos and roast other side for 4-5 more minutes or so. Set aside to cool. Do not peel off the darkened skins or cut out the cores.
• Turn oven to 425 and lay onion rings and garlic on a baking pan and bake until onions are deeply golden and garlic soft and browned in spots, about 15 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes. Cool to room temperature.
• In a blender or food processor, blend tomatillos including their juice with dry toasted chiles. Process to a smooth puree. Scrape two-third of the puree into a bowl.
• Roughly chop onion and garlic and add them to the blender still containing the rest of the chile tomatillo mixture. Pulse repeatedly until moderately finely chopped. Add a little water to loosen everything up and keep pulsing. Stir in enough water to give the salsa a lightly consistency. Combine this with chile tomatillo puree in a bowl.
• Taste and season with salt and bit of sugar. Use within 5 days or freeze.

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
• On a cookie sheet, roughly chop your onion, tomatoes, and lay out face up. Peel the garlics and place on cookie sheet too. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes.
• While the veggies are roasted, take your guajillo chiles, and put them in a frying pan on medium heat, to soften. Cook on each side about 45 seconds - 1 minutes, or until they are soft. Do not let them get black and crunchy!
• Pull your guajillo chiles out of the frying pan, and slice them up. If you don't like spicy, remove seeds. I leave the seeds because I like spicy!
• In your blender, combine all ingredients (roasted veggies, chiles, canned tomatoes, and salt). Blend until all ingredients are ground up, and there is a smooth consistency.
• Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips, as a sauce for enchiladas, a sauce to acompany fajitas, or any sort of Mexican dish you would like!