Avocado Salsa Verde

More salsa! In our world, there is never such a thing as too much salsa! At our neighborhood taqueria (Oh the joy of being in California...) they have a salsa bar, and our favorite is a spicy, tangy salsa verde. It is hot, but mellowed out by the creaminess of avocados. For taco night, we tried to whip up a batch ourselves.

The variety of green chiles available really allows you to customize this salsa to your taste. If you like it really hot, use all really hot green chiles, like serranos or jalapenos. We used chilaca, or pasilla chiles, which are relatively mild but with a strong chile flavor. Fresh green chiles have a bright, almost citrusy flavor. We roasted them on a hot skillet to deepen the flavor and add a touch of smokiness. The result was a mild but flavorful salsa that found its way onto every bite of our tacos. Delicioso!

Avocado Salsa Verde

This is more like a hot sauce than guacamole, the texture thin and spoonable.

INGREDIENTS:

3 chilaca chiles, or other green chiles

5 cloves garlic

1/2 white onion, sliced

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1/2 avocado

juice of 2 limes

cilantro, to taste

salt, to taste

METHOD:

Heat skillet to medium-high heat. Add whole chiles, whole garlic cloves and sliced onion. Let toast on one side, until skin is blackened. Flip them over to toast other side. Add ground coriander and stir to keep from burning. Remove chiles, garlic, onion and toasted coriander powder from heat. Remove the chiles stems and seeds. In food processor, add avocado, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Puree all ingredients, adding water to form desired saucelike consistency. Chill until ready to serve.