Guajillo Pesto
The Guajillo (wha-hee-oh) chile is the most common dried chile in Mexico after the Ancho. The flavor of the Guajillo is distinct, slightly fruity with a strong piney, berry under taste. Guajillo flavors dished easily so a little goes a long way. This chile is between a 2-4 on the heat scale of 1-10. Guajillo, combined with the Passilla and Ancho, form the holy trinity of chiles used to prepare the traditional mole sauces.
Suggested Use:
A mildly hot chile. Use in sauces, salsa, soups and your favorite chile. A little goes a long way.
Ingredients:
5-6 dried guajillo chiles
4 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp. marjoram or basil, chopped
squeeze of lime juice
drizzle of olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
water or tomato juice
Instructions:
De-seed and stem the dried guajillo chiles. Dry roast in a hot oven for 3-5 minutes, turning once. Soak them in boiled water for 20 minutes.
Roast the garlic.
Toast the raw pumpkin seeds.
Add all the ingredients to a blender with marjoram or basil, lime juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Blend, but leave the texture a bit coarse. Add a little water or tomato juice if necessary to thin.
Serve with pasta, on sandwiches or on grilled veggies.
Recipe by Mr. Falafel.