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½ cup golden tequila

1 garlic clove, minced

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup crumbled añejo or feta cheese

“Drunken” salsas have been around forever. They were originally prepared with pulque, an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of the once-sacred maguey (agave) plant. Pulque, which is not easy to find outside of Mexico, is not distilled and has a much stronger flavor than tequila, which I use in its place in this recipe. The alcohol is mostly burned off in the cooking process, leaving only its musky flavor. The sweetness from the freshly squeezed orange juice gives this salsa a wonderful balance.

Cook the chiles in a dry sauté pan over high heat, turning them constantly, for 2 minutes, or until slightly toasted. Halve and seed the chiles. Tear them into small pieces and transfer the pieces to a blender.

Add the orange juice, tequila, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the blender. Puree until the salsa is nearly smooth.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over high heat. Add the salsa and cook for 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Season the salsa with salt and pepper. Let it cool completely. (The salsa can be made 1 day ahead. Cover the sauce and keep it in the fridge.)

Serve the salsa topped with the crumbled añejo cheese.

SMOKED SALMON-CHILE MULATO SAUCE

* MAKES 2½ CUPS

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 mulato chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into pieces

2 garlic cloves

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces smoked salmon, thinly sliced

2 red bell peppers, charred, stemmed, peeled, seeded, and chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil

The smoked salmon gives this sauce great texture and is also a wonderful flavor complement to the smokiness of the chile mulato. Try the sauce on pasta or with a char-grilled chicken breast.

Heat the olive oil in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the chiles and garlic cloves and swirl in the oil for 2 minutes, or until the garlic is golden brown and the chiles are fragrant. Add the cream, smoked salmon, and chopped bell peppers and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

Transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh basil. Serve hot.

GRILLED PINEAPPLE SALSA

MAKES 2½ CUPS

½ ripe but firm pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch-thick slices

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

½ serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and diced

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Pinch of sugar, or to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

My aunt Martha swears that this smoky, sweet, tropical salsa takes her back to Yucatán no matter where she is when she makes it. It works especially well with Cilantro Tandoori Chicken, but it will enhance any grilled fish or meat. If the grill’s fired up, throw the pineapple right on it; a grill pan will do just fine if you’re cooking indoors.

Prepare a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

Grill the pineapple slices for 2 minutes per side, or until tender and grill-marked. Transfer the slices to a cutting board and chop them. Put the chopped pineapple in a medium bowl and stir in the cilantro, serrano chile, and lime juice. Season the salsa to taste with sugar, salt, and pepper. Serve warm.

SESAME SEED AND ÁRBOL CHILE SALSA

MAKES 2 CUPS

1½ tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ cup minced onion

2 large garlic cloves

¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted (see Tips)

½ cup dried árbol chiles

4 large tomatillos, husked and rinsed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Nuts and seeds have been making their way into Mexican sauces and salsas for centuries. The nutty sesame seeds in this salsa, which is served at a very popular small restaurant in Tijuana called Mi Rincón Cenaduría (My Restaurant Nook), give it body and depth. Use this on steak tacos or even with grilled chicken. Peanuts can be substituted for the sesame seeds.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy sauté pan over medium-high