This was a fantastic smoky hot sauce that I made to go on a tamale pie. The smokiness comes from the Chipotle peppers. Chipotles are smoked jalapeno peppers. This would be delicious as a condiment for any Mexican or South American dish or you can even mix with a bit of mayonnaise to use as a spread on sandwiches.

6 oz. tomatillos, 4 large or 6 small

1 1/2 oz. dried chipotle chiles

1 onion, sliced

5 cloves garlic, peeled

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cumin, or more to taste

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Remove the dry outer husks from the tomatillos, wash them and then put them in a hot oven, 400 degrees, to roast until slightly shriveled. Chop into coarse pieces and put in a blender.

Put the dried chipotles, onion, garlic and salt in a pot with just enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chiles soak for about  30 minutes, or until they are soft.

Remove the stems from the chiles, tear the pods open and run under cold water removing membranes and seeds.

Add the chiles, garlic and onion to the blender. Strain the cooking liquid of any seeds and grit. Add enough liquid to the blender to puree everything into a thick sauce. Add more liquid if necessary. Add in the cumin to taste. Add in the cilantro and pulse a few times. Add more salt if desired.

You can bottle this in jars and use on anything you want to spice up. Enjoy.