Salsa borracha
One of my favorite dinner parties includes grilling meat and serving four or five salsas so that my guests can make their own tacos. I find that guests love to have a choice, and the conversation that follows is great. I once had a person exclaim that "hers" was the absolute best. Of course it was; she made exactly what she wanted. This salsa, which you can find countless variations of, was one of the winners when our friends Deb and Joe Gonzalez were over for dinner. I adapted a recipe from Truly Mexican, a Mexican cookbook I use frequently. Borracha salsa means drunken salsa. The name comes from the beer in this recipe. Some recipes use tequila instead.
| Recipe makes | Active time | Total time |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients |
|---|
| 5 dried pasilla chiles, wiped clean, stemmed, and deseeded |
| 1/2 dark beer |
| 1/4 cup water |
| 1 tablespoon cider vinegar |
| 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped |
| 1/2 teaspoon sugar |
| 1/2 teaspoon salt |
| 1/4 teaspoon cumin |
| 1/4 cup chopped cilantro |
| 1/2 cup finely chopped onion |
| Special equipment needed |
|---|
| Heavy skillet |
| Blender |
| Variations |
|---|
| • Use tequila instead of dark beer. |
| • Try orange juice instead of the beer for a non-alcoholic version. |
| Storage |
|---|
| • Since you are making such a small amount, there shouldn’t be much to store. It will keep for 3 - 5 days in the refrigerator. |
| Instructions |
|---|
| • Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Toast the chiles, turning often, about 1 - 2 minutes until fragrant. Remove from the heat, put them in a bowl, and cover with hot water. Let stand 20 - 30 minutes until softened. Drain. |
| • Put the beer, water, cider vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt, and cumin in a blender. Process until smooth. Add the drained chiles and process until mostly smooth. |
| • Put the salsa in a bowl and add the cilantro and onion. Stir and season to taste. |
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