That Yummy Stuff: A Dash of Heat for Any Occasion

The other night I realized that I had been home from my travels for over a week and hadn’t cooked anything Mexican. This is rare–the one thing I miss the most when I’m on the road is the opportunity to get into the kitchen, so I had to rectify the situation. I didn’t have hours, though, to prepare anything elaborate, so I thought I’d whip up an all-purpose, go-to salsa that goes with just about everything. I don’t have a name for it, just “salsa” or “that yummy stuff.” You can go with That Yummy Stuff if you like. That works.

You can make this simple concoction with just about any dried chile, or combination of dried chiles. It depends on what you like, and how much heat. Personally, I love the heat, and the heat loves me. On this night, I chose the pulla chile.

The pulla chile (sometimes spelled puya) is native to the Central Valley of Mexico and is an elongated dried chile with a decent amount of heat and a dusty cherry flavor, not unlike a number of Italian red wines. It is becoming increasingly easy to find in the Mexican foods aisle of supermarkets in the U.S., and can be found in many Mexican specialty stores. I found this chile in the picture at Hidalgo Mini Super in McMinnville, Oregon.

“That Yummy Stuff”- recipe

1. Peel 3-4 cloves of garlic (or more, if you worship garlic.) I like to char the cloves on the stove over medium-high heat for a few minutes, but you’re welcome to just set them aside raw.
2. Peel and de-seed as many dried chiles as you want to (or can), as this impacts the heat level of the finished product.
3. Warm the dried chiles over medium heat for a minute or less, making sure you turn them and don’t let them begin to start smoking. If this happens, they will taste bitter and your finished product will too. This step adds flavor to the finished product as the dried chiles begin to release their aromas and oils. Also, they will chop and grind more easily.
4. Place the garlic and chiles in a food processor (I use a small Cuisinart with just two settings, Grind and Chop, but any will do.) Add salt to taste and a small amount of water.
5. Chop. Continue to add water to the mixture to give it first a slurry-like, then eventually a salsa-like texture.
6. Grind. Continue to add water if the mixture looks too thick.
7. Add salt to taste and grind to the desired consistency (the more water you add, the more sauce-like the mixture becomes; the less water you add, the more the finished product comes out like a slurry–both are equally useful and delicious, by the way!)
8. When it tastes good to you and has reached the consistency you want, remove from the food processor and enjoy!

This delicious, simple salsa goes well with any type of protein. Over the past three days, we’ve used it at our house on sautéed shrimp, baked tilapia, and as a topping to pizza. This pulla chile mix goes especially well with other proteins such as chicken, pork, and beef. It is also great on eggs.

If you can’t find pulla chiles or you’d rather use another type, remember that any variety of dried chile will work. In the past I have used chiles anchos, negros, an ancho/negro mix, and the nutty, delicious chile cascabel. You can cut and combine chiles at will.

This salsa should be covered and refrigerated, and will keep for several days. It’s a great way to add a little Mexican heat to your life, and it doesn’t require hours of preparation. ¡Disfrútela!

Enjoy!