Yucatán Style Habanero Salsa Food

EXTRA-HOT YUCATáN-STYLE ROASTED-HABANERO SALSA (CHILE TAMULADO) RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine peeled garlic, habaneros, and grapefruit, orange, and lime juice in a blender or molcajete. Blend or pound until a smooth but still pulpy consistency is reached. Be very careful when opening blender or pounding in molcajete to avoid getting liquid or vapors near your eyes and nose. (It will burn your eyes and make you cough/sneeze.)
• Transfer salsa to a bowl, let rest for 15 minutes, then season to taste with salt. Salsa can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

YUCATáN-STYLE HABANERO SALSA

Steps:

• Char chiles in broiler or over a gas flame until blackened all over. Place in a medium bowl; cover with plastic. Let steam for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a large dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Toast garlic until tender and skins are charred, about 8 minutes. Let cool.
• Wearing gloves, peel chiles; discard stems. Peel garlic cloves.
• Pulse chiles, garlic, lime juice, and 2 tsp. salt in a blender until a coarse purée forms. Season with salt.

ORANGE HABANERO SALSA

Steps:

• In an ungreased iron skillet, roast half of the tomatillos in their husks for about 10 minutes, turning often; remove from pan and cool.
• When cool, place them in a blender, and set aside.
• Meanwhile remove husks from remaining tomatillos and rinse them and dice fine, and place them in a bowl.
• Roast the habaneros over low heat, turning often, about 5-7 minutes, or until they begin to char; remove from pan.
• Stem and deseed habaneros (wear gloves if you prefer), and add to blender; puree.
• Squeeze one of the oranges over a sieve placed over the bowl with the tomatillos (to catch any stray seeds).
• Add the pepper/tomatillo puree and mix well.
• Peel the remaining orange; remove pith; dessed (if necessary); dice fine, and add to the bowl along with the chopped green onions.
• Season to taste with salt and lime juice and allow to stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving to develop flavor.

YUCATAN SALSA

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a medium bowl; stir until well combined. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature before serving.

HABANERO SALSA

Steps:

• Roast jalapenos over a grill or gas burner until completely blackened. Seal in a plastic bag or a bowl covered with plastic wrap, and allow to steam until skins are loosened. When cool, remove skin, stem, and seeds.
• Place jalapenos, onions, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a blender or food processor. Pulse to chop and blend, then pour into a large bowl, and mix with the can of green chiles, cilantro, and lime juice. Pulse the tomatoes in batches to desired size, and add to green chile mixture.
• Return one cup of chopped tomatoes to the blender along with the habanero, and puree well. Strain the puree to remove any large pieces of habanero, and add to the tomatoes. Mix well, cover, and chill in the refrigerator at least one hour to allow flavors to blend.

MAYAN SALSA HABANERA

Steps:

• Add all ingreients in a bowland mix well.
• Let sit for at least two hours for the flavours to meld.
• Serve with your favorite nachos or Mexican meal.

COCHINITA PIBIL TACOS WITH HABANERO SALSA

Steps:

• Heat the pork in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Char the habanero by holding it with tongs over the flame of a gas burner for several minutes, turning it as needed, until it is spotted black and blistered all over. Remove the loose outer layers of papery skin from the garlic clove but leave the tight inner peel intact. Char it over the gas burner using the same technique, until it is completely blackened. (If you don't have a gas stove, broil the habanero and garlic clove a few inches from the broiler element, turning as needed to char them all over.)
• Warm the tortillas (see page 85), then wrap in aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Carefully stem the habanero, scrape out the seeds, and coarsely chop the flesh, preferably wearing plastic gloves to protect your fingers from the heat of the chile. Peel the garlic clove, coarsely chop it, and add it, along with about half the habanero, to the bowl of a food processor (preferably a mini one). Add the cilantro, scallion, lime juice, oil, and salt to taste and process until a loose sauce forms. Taste and add the rest of the habanero if you want the salsa to be spicier, and add more lime juice and/or salt if needed.
• Lay the tortillas out on a plate. Divide the pork equally among the tortillas, top with the pickled onions and just a little bit of the salsa (be judicious until you know how much you can handle), and eat.