RECIPE: Cacahuates enchilados (Chile Roasted Peanuts)

With summer drinks and BBQs a common happening, it's a great to have a simple snack on hand - and a homemade one is sure to impress your guests. Cacahuate is derived from the Nahuatl word, cacahuatl or cocoa bean. This recipe incorporates chile and lime, making it the perfect snack followed by a chilled beer. When the chile de arbol is roasted, it smells of peanuts, which compliments the natural peanut flavor well.

Cacahuates enchilados

Ingredients:

CACAHUATE /ka.ka.wa.te/

Classical Nahuatl:

Noun

1. cocoa bean.

• 5 chile de arbol, whole stem intact

• 2 cups peanuts, unsalted

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

• 1 lime

• 2 teaspoons salt

Method:

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1. On a comal over medium heat, toast the chile de arbol until a darker shade of brown. Do not burn or else the chiles will be bitter. Cut the chiles in half, not allowing the seeds to spill out.

2. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the peanuts. Turn them constantly until they start to become fragrant. Add the chiles and toast until well incorporated, about two minutes.

3. Remove from heat and add the lime juice and salt while still warm. Serve while warm.

VIDEO: Salsa de Molcajete 101

Don't get me wrong, I love my blender, but there is something very unique about the consistency of a pre-Hispanic molcajete ground salsa. The molcajete and temolote or, the "Aztec blender," are traditionally carved out of volcanic basalt rock and is essentially a three legged bowl. The texture of the salsas crushed by hand are thicker, meatier, and allow the maker to have precise control over how fine the ingredients should be smashed. With a blender, two pulses can make or break your salsa as the aggressive blades pulverize versus the temolote (hand held pestle), which crushes. At Casa Oaxaca our server prepared a salsa de molcajete tableside and used chile de arbol asking our level or spice and the presentation was absolutely fabulous.

For most tomatillo based salsas, I like to search Mexican markets for smaller tomatillos or tomates verdes. They pack much more flavor and are easier to control inside the walls of the bowl of the molcajete. If you cannot find the small ones, substitute for medium sized. The salt here is sal mexicana.

 

Molcajete:

mōlcaxitl /mo̞lkaˈxe̞t̪e̞/

Classic Nahuatl - Noun:

1. A small mortar, typically carved from vesicular basalt and used in traditional Mexican cuisine

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Ingredients:

• 2 white onion slices, 1/4 inch thick, skin on

• 2 garlic cloves, skin on

• 7-15 tomatillos (see above on size), skin removed

• 4-8 chiles de arbol, seeds and stem intact

• salt to taste

• 1 lime

Method:

1. Rinse out your molcajete and clean the tomatillos. Slice the onion into rings.

2. Over medium flame bring the comal to temperature. Place the onion, garlic, tomatillos, and chile de arbol on the comal. Allow the chiles to toast but not burn. Once they smell of peanuts, remove them from heat de-stem and allow them to reconstitute in cold water. Allow the remaining ingredients to charr. Flip them until they are cooked through - roughly 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Place garlic cloves and salt in the molcajete. Crush the cloves and remove the skin from the garlic. Crush into a fine paste and then incorporate the remaining ingredients one by one until they are ground into a thick sauce. Add salt and lime to taste. Serve room temperature.