Featured in the March 1991 issue of Texas Monthly

James Peyton's Salsa Chipotle

Smoky salsa gets its flavor from Northern Mexico

3 to 6 canned chipotle chiles; reserve adobo sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup beef broth
2 1/2 cups water
6 tablespoons of reserved adobo sauce

Rinse, seed, and chop chiles; use more chiles for hotter salsa. In molcajete or with mortar and pestle, grind garlic, cumin, and oregano.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Add flour, and cook over low to medium heat until it begins to brown and give off a nutty fragrance. Remove from heat, and add broth a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Return to heat, and add water in a slow stream, stirring constantly. Add chiles, adobo sauce, and garlic mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer uncovered, stirring often until sauce thickens, about 30 minutes.

Featured in Enchiladas in Salsa Chipotle

 

El Norte: The Cuisine of Northern Mexico
James W. Peyton
Red Crane Books
(click to buy it from Amazon)

The cooking of Northern Mexico got its spark from ranching culture, in which food was prepared with indigenous ingredients and cooked over a wood fire; it has long been over-shadowed by the more glamorous and complex cuisine of the South. But former restaurateur James W. Peyton of San Antonio redresses the imbalance in his just- published cookbook, El Norte: The Cuisine of Northern Mexico (Red Crane Books, $14.95). This version of his chipotle enchilada recipe vividly captures the fervent flavors of a region settled by frontiersmen and worked by vaqueros who improvised meals with what was on hand. A need for inventiveness is something that even modern Texas cooks can identify with.

Meat & Dairy
1 can chipotle chiles in adobo
butter

Produce
garlic

Grocery
cumin
flour
oregano
beef broth
cooking oil

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