Salsa de aji

1 batch

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 larges Tomatoes, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 medium Onion; finely chopped
1 tablespoon Chopped fresh cilantro
4 larges Aji or jalapeno chiles, stems and seeds removed chopped
½ cup ;Water
Salt to taste

Directions

This makes a light green creamy sauce which is served on the side in Peruvian restaurants.

Combine the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.

Place chiles, water and 3 tb. of the tomato and onion mixture in a blender or processor and puree until smooth.

Add the chile puree to the remaining tomato mixture and mix well.

Salt to taste.

Yield: 1 to 2 cups.

Heat Scale: Medium.

Salsa Variations: Ecuadorians are very fond of putting beans in their salsa. The most popular beans are the lupini, which are large white beans about the size of lima beans. Just add the cooked beans directly to the salsa.

On several occasions, the writer encountered salsas with peanut butter as an ingredient. Add 1 tsp. peanut butter with the chiles in the blender and follow the above recipe.

NOTE: This is a classic Latin American salsa, and the writer has included some optional preparation methods which are fairly unique to Ecuador and the Andes. Although this recipe calls for the use of an electric blender, one can follow the traditional method of using a mortar and pestle.

From "Chile Pepper" magazine. Posted by Garry Howard - Cambridge, MA ~ garhow@... in Chile-Heads List. Formatted by Cathy Harned. From: Cathy Harned Date: 09-24-94

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