Hot Aji Salsa

This all-purpose sauce can be served with potatoes, French fries, corn chips, fried foods, seafood, steaks or anything else imaginable. The more you add, the hotter it gets and the BETTER it tastes.

Ingredients

 * 3 chilies or diced chilies, stems removed
 * 1 small onion, chopped
 * 2 teaspoons minced garlic
 * ¼ – ⅓ cup vegetable oil
 * ½ cup roasted peanuts
 * 8 saltine crackers, crushed
 * ¾ cup grated mozzarella cheese or muenster cheese
 * 1 cup evaporated milk
 * 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
 * 1 lemon, juice of
 * salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

 * 1) Sauté the chiles, onion and garlic in a tablespoon of the oil until soft.
 * 2) Place in a blender or food processor along with the peanuts, crackers, cheese, milk and cilantro and puree until smooth.
 * 3) Add the lemon juice and, with the machine running, add the oil a little at a time until the sauce is the desired consistency.
 * 4) Heat before serving, and store any extra in the refrigerator.
 * 5) Note: Using saltine crackers to thicken a sauce is unusual but not uncommon in Peru.