Maria’s De Arbol Salsa
De Arbol (Capsicum Annuum) means tree like in Spanish. The plant has thick, upright, woody stems and the chile itself is narrow, curved and bright red in color. Believed to be closely related to the pequin, the De Arbol is thin fleshed, with tannic, smoky, grassy flavor and searing heat. This chile has a heat range of 7.5 on the heat scale of 1-10. De Arbol Chiles are comparable to a Cayenne Pepper. Scoville heat units 15,000 to 30,000.
Suggested Use:
De Arbol is a hot chile and a staple in Southwest kitchens. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish. Be adventurous and add them to your next stew or chili along with the other spices Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish.
Ingredients:
4 roma tomatoes
2-4 chiles de arbol
1-2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup water
salt to taste
Instructions:
Roast the tomatoes in a frying pan for approximately 10 minutes. The tomatoes should be charred and soft. Put them in a blender.
While the pan is hot toast the chiles for about 30 seconds, tossing constantly. Place the chiles in the blender and add the garlic, water and salt to taste. Blend on high for 1 minute. Serve with chips or use as sauce for fajitas, tacos, etc.
As an option you should try adding some cilantro and/or minced onion to the salsa to enhance the flavor.