Smoky Chile Salsa
In my quest for good salsas, I have been experimenting with various dry red chiles when fresh ones are not available. Smoky chile salsa only looks fiery but is quite tame and delicious with the deep chile flavor of toasted chiles. If you want less a spicy salsa, remove the seeds from all the chiles before pureeing them; on the other hand if you want to kick up the heat a notch or two, leave the seeds in and/or add more chiles. This is an adaptation of a recipe from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. Another chile recipe to add to my collection :D! Chipotle chiles (dried Jalapeño chiles) are available in most markets as dry pods or canned in adobo sauce; you will definitely find them in Mexican markets. If using the canned, there is no need to cook them; just use a little or a lot according to taste. Store the unused canned chiles and sauce in a sterile jar in the refrigerator; they last a long time. I used both chipotle and fresh chiles for their different flavors to add de...