Mellow heat, one step beyond bell peppers, thinner skin, and more tender bite.
Güero chile, Banana peppers, yellow hot peppers, Hungarian chiles... You can find them under all kinds of names depending on where you shop. It’s such an underutilized and easy-to-find chile. They are at my neighborhood Mexican market, Whole Foods, and even Food 4 Less. They’re a reliable little chile when I’m in need of mellow heat.
Chiles güeros, you win.
I shall turn you into a punchy salsa.
Inspired by guacachile, a creamy salsa from Oaxaca that despite the “guaca” in the name, has no avocados. It is traditionally made with fried serrano chiles, onion, garlic, lime juice, and salt. The best part about guacachile?
It’s a CREAMY SALSA.
When I say creamy I mean aioli-like creamy thanks to the oil that's used from frying the serranos and added to emulsify the salsa. I swapped the serranos for the güeros to make it into a salsa you want to dip and spoon all over a quick-cooking cut of hanger steak. If you can’t find hanger, skirt steak is an ideal substitution to keep things moving. The snap pea salad is an ode to spring that adds crunch and acidity. The snap peas are briefly cooked in boiling water and shocked in icy water to stop cooking and set their beautiful hue. A quick toss in a whole-grain mustard lemony vinaigrette rounds it up.
Javier has declared a break from his addiction to Vegenaise if we have a steady supply of guacachile in the fridge. It’s that velvetyyyy
“Tortillas always,” said Odilia Romero, when I cooked this dish and asked her if she wanted anything else with it. Odilia is the co-founder/executive director of Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO); CIELO is an Indigenous women-led, intergenerational organization that is combating racism towards Indigenous people by bringing visibility and resources to the Indigenous migrant communities. Odilia is also an independent interpreter of Zapotec, Spanish, and English for indigenous communities in Los Angeles and throughout California. Follow Odilia on Instagram and if you’re able, please consider donating to support Cielo’s work.
Obsessed with this week’s recipe mixtape featuring industrial, goth, and synth via Sangre Bruja, Prayers, and ¿La Pregunta? So so good and I made it for you and only for you.
XOXO