Chile Pesto Recipe
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 4 dried New Mexico chiles (see Ingredient note), stemmed, seeded and broken into 2-inch pieces
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted (see Tip)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, for 20 seconds more. Add chiles; cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add water and immediately turn off the heat. When the water stops boiling, pour the chile mixture into a small bowl. Make sure all the pieces are submerged; cover and set aside to soften, 20 minutes.
- Pour the chile mixture into a food processor or large blender. Add pepitas, thyme, cumin and salt. Pulse a few times, then process until smooth, or to the desired consistency, scraping down the sides occasionally.
