SERVES 8
Easier still is this Adobo Salsa. It will keep pretty well in a cool place (longer in a fridge) for a few days so make it before setting off and trot it out ready to go with a handful of fresh vegetables for dunking. If you make a real humdinger you can dilute with yoghurt! Or if you want to serve it with taco crisps, thin it with a little warm water. And try it as an accompaniment to barbecued food, or as a spread on sandwiches. It’s addictive. You’ll find a way to use it for sure.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw peanuts in their skins
- 1 small can (100g) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp flaky sea salt, or to taste
- Finely grated zest of 2 limes
- 3-4 Tbsp lime juice
- 75 ml (5 Tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
- ½–¾ cup hot water
Optional Extras:
- Mint or coriander (cilantro)
- Lime juice
- Plain unsweetened yoghurt
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Put the peanuts in a shallow ovenproof tray. Roast for 7–10 minutes until lightly browned; keep an eye on them because they can darken quickly once cooking gets underway. Cool for 10 minutes then, while the peanuts are still warm, rub them through your hands to remove the skins (or bundle them up in an old clean tea towel and rub vigorously), then shake the tin and blow off the shells (this is the old-fashioned way, but not considered hygienic these days), or use a small fan to waft the shells away. Up to you!
Put 1½ cups of the peanuts in the bowl of a food processor (reserving the rest). Add chipotle peppers with all the sauce, the spices and salt, lime zest and juice. Process to a coarse paste. With the processor running, pour in the oil, then pour in enough water to bring the mixture to a soft, spreadable consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning, but be careful – some chipotle peppers have more seeds than others and can be pretty explosive! I’ve explained how to adjust the heat below.
Add remaining peanuts and process very briefly, leaving the peanuts a bit chunky.
Recipe notes:
If the sauce is explosively hot, add in a handful of mint leaves or coriander and a little more lime juice. If it is still outrageously hot, stir in plain unsweetened yoghurt. This will change the colour somewhat, but it will knock back the heat. Use the sauce as a dunk with raw cauliflower or other vegetables, or as a spread on toasted bagels and tacos. It’s also great as a sauce with grilled chicken, pork or lamb, or grilled vegetables. It will keep for several days refrigerated.
This delicious recipe is an extract from Julie and Ilaria Biuso’s latest cookbook,Shared Kitchen.
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