Tailgate Recipe of the Week: Xnipec

From The Juice

Don’t know where I first learned this recipe for an awesomely hot smokey salsa, but I’ve modified it so much over the years, I don’t feel bad not giving a specific credit.  So here’s the deal: “Xnipec” is a Mayan word meaning “nose of the dog.”  This salsa earns the name by being so damn hot it will make your nose run.  So it’s wet.  You know, like a dog’s nose?  OK, forget the name, this shit tastes awesome on chips, and goes even better in ground meat tacos or chicken quesadillas.  Plus it’s green, which makes it look exotic to the yokels.  You can cut back on the number of habaneros if you want.  Then, after your nap, maybe you can have some warm milk and play dress up with the other girls.  Or, you can stop being a pussy, and put all the peppers in it.  Also, this makes a big-ass batch, because I like to keep some in the fridge and use it as a condiment for a week or so after I make it.  You can easily half or even quarter the recipe.

Ingredients:

4 pounds tomatillos, peeled and washed

10 large cloves garlic, peeled

1 large white onion, peeled and quartered (two if they’re small)

4 jalapeno peppers, washed, stems removed

4 habanero peppers, washed, stems removed

Two limes

Handful of fresh cilantro

Salt to taste

Preheat your oven to 400°F.  Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (makes it easier to clean afterward).  After everything is cleaned and peeled, add the tomatillos, garlic, onion,  and peppers to the sheet and bake, turning things frequently, until all sides are browned (you may have to remove the garlic if it browns too much before the tomatillos are done – don’t burn anything).  Let it all cool a bit, then put everything into a food processor along with the cilantro (or roughly chop and put it in a  blender if it’s all you have).  Pulse it until it’s all incorporated into a sauce, then keep adding salt and lime juice (no seeds, man, they’ll get all chipped up in the processor and you’ll never get all the bits out) and pulsing to mix until it tastes salty and acidic enough.  It should be pretty damn spicy, so you might want to taste it on a chip if you don’t have the balls to handle the heat.