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Serious Heat: Chipotle-Bacon Salsa

Posted by Gretchen VanEsselstyn, January 31, 2009 at 5:00 PM

Editor's note: Gretchen VanEsselstyn of Chile Pepper Magazine, will be dropping by each week with a recipe for heat freaks. This week, though, in honor of the Super Bowl, she'll have a recipe a day before the big game.

Where there’s chipotle, there’s smoke. These medium-hot, flame-licked, ex-jalapeños are the greatest convenience food we know—widely available in canned form, they come with the bonus of spreadable, fiery adobo sauce. Our salsa was inspired by the affinity between smoked pork belly—otherwise known as bacon—and the campfirelike flavor of chipotles. Raise your hand if you dunk your grilled cheese in ketchup. Yup, we do too. But this salsa may change your ways.

Chipotle-Bacon Salsa

- makes 1 cup; zest factor: medium -

To make chipotle purée, use a small food processor, food mill or blender to blend canned chipotles in adobo—seed the chipotles first for a milder blend. Or you can use Gourmet Paste with Adobo from the Art of Chipotle.

Ingredients

1/4 pound slab bacon, rind removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tablespoon chipotle purée
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Freshly ground pepper

Procedure

Chop the bacon into 1/4-inch cubes. In a frying pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the bacon, lower the heat, and cook over medium-low heat for about 7 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the pan, and drain well on paper towels. Drain tomatoes, then place in a bowl, and toss with onion and chipotle purée. Stir in drained bacon pieces, lime juice and pepper, and serve.

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Tags: bacon, Chile Pepper Magazine, chipotle, pork, salsa, spicy, Super Bowl, Super Bowl dips