This authentic Mexican salsa is incredible

I’d heard a lot about Zvi’s famous salsa recipe. Finally we made it.

Wow.

Packed with flavor, this tasty, smokey, spicy, (sexy?!) salsa is a winner.

Before we get to the recipe, let’s discuss how Zvi’s smoky salsa came to be.

This basic tomatillo salsa needed something more

Zvi, my soon-to-be brother-in-law likes spicy food. Really, really spicy.

But there’s one problem: He lives in Minnesota.

There, ketchup is spicy.

So when Zvi learned a tomatillo salsa recipe in a local cooking class, he needed to add some flavor.

Enter chipotle peppers in adobo sauce*.

With those peppers added to the recipe, it was perfect.

• Smoky.
• Complex.
• Spicy, but not crazy spicy.

A total crowd pleaser

Now when Zvi goes to parties, his friends REQUIRE he brings this salsa. (Just like my buddies insist that I bring a fresh batch of queso.)

As good as this salsa is, Zvi didn’t make it that often. It was a lot of work to make by hand.

That was until he got a Vitamix 7500 for his wedding.

Zvi’s smoky salsa is perfect for the Vitamix

(That’s him walking us through making his salsa via FaceTime).

Since getting his Vitamix, Zvi has become a huge Vitamix enthusiast. He absolutely loves it.

No, not because he’s our brother.

Because of his Vitamix, he makes this salsa (along with several of our other Vitamix recipes) all the time.

Ans when Zvi has his smoky salsa, he’s a happy camper.

We used our Vitamix Pro 750 to make Zvi’s smokey salsa. Full blend!

(Yes, I’m seeing the motor base needs a bath. Noted.)

Looks good, right? Okay, here are some useful tips.

Recipe

Zvi’s smoky salsa

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• Yield: 1 quart
• You're needed for: 15 minutes
• Until it's done: 40 minutes
• Lenny Gale

This salsa has a smokey and spicy kick! Perfect for your next Taco Tuesday.

Ingredients:

• tomatillos - 2 lbs. peeled
• red onion - 1 whole
• garlic - 6-8 cloves fresh
• jalapeño - 2 whole
• chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - 7.5oz can
• cilantro - 1 cup stemmed
• OPTIONAL
• lime - 1 whole juiced
• salt - to taste

Instructions:

PREP

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil
2. Peel the papery skin off the tomatillos
3. Wash your tomatillos and jalapeños
4. Add them to the boiling water
5. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes
6. Drain, rinse with cold water and let cool for 10 minutes

CHOP

1. Core the tomatillos
2. Cut the stem off the jalapeños, leave the seeds for extra spicy salsa
3. Cut the onion into quarters
4. Stem the cilantro
5. Remove skin from garlic
6. Open can of chipotle peppers

BLEND

1. Add all ingredients to your blender
2. Pulse 10-15 times depending on your preferred consistency
3. Taste
4. Add lime and salt to your preference
5. Pulse 2-3 more times
6. Share the love, snap a picture and tag #lifeisnoyoke
7. Enjoy!

Useful tips for Zvi’s smoky salsa

Zvi’a salsa is similar looking to our 5-ingredient, easy, blender salsa recipe. But that’s where the similarities end.

This salsa is a small project. Worth the effort, of course.

Here’s what you need to know.

Peel the skin off the tomatillos. It's sticky!

The tomatillos have to be boiled to bring out their flavors, don't skip this step, they are not tomatoes.

Core the tomatillos like you would an apple. They are too rough for the salsa.

Remove the cilantro stems for a better consistency.

Find canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the Mexican food section of your grocery. This brand is San Marcos, Zvi uses the La Costeña brand, they are all similar.

Bites this big are good, but pack a pretty big punch. Go easy! :)