adobo paste - red chile marinade

I would urge you to try to make this paste just once and for no other reason than to really understand what true Mexican flavors are made of. With a few exceptions, the true Mexican palate is not sympathetic to 'hot' foods; mostly the heat is delivered through very potent and innocuous looking salsas and condiments. the main flavors are a little sweet, some bitter, mostly savory, and unbelievably complex. This adobo paste calls for the toasting and rehydration of some chiles, a process that, when combined with the rest of the spices and herbs, creates a gorgeous, deep, almost buttery and slightly bitter compound.



i used it this weekend with some shredded rotisserie chicken and acorn squash (roasted with a little honey) for a tamale filling. i think it has less heat than you would think, but adds so many layers of complexity that it's hard to describe accurately.

Here's how i did it, thanks, again, to rick bayless and his guidance:

Yield: 1 generous cup


8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
4 medium (~2 oz) dried ancho choles, stemmed, seeded and deveined
6 medium (~1 1/2 oz) dried guajillos, stemmed seeded and deveined

1/2 in cinammon stick (or ~1/2 tsp ground)
1 clove (or a pinch ground)
10 black peppercorns (or 1/4 tsp ground)
2 large bay leaves, broken up (I used 1/2 tsp ground bay leaves [laurel molido])
1/8 tsp cumin seeds (or generous 1/8 tsp ground)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme (i used a sprig or two of fresh)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c cider vinegar
3 Tbsp water



Toasting the chiles and garlic: Roast the garlic cloves on a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat, turning frequently, until blackened in spots and very soft, about 15 minutes - i put the cloves in the pan before turning the heat on so the garlic could soften more before blackening
Remove, cool, skin, and roughly chop



While the garlic is roasting, tear the chiles into flat pieces and toast them a few at a time: use a metal spatula to press them firmly (i mean really squish them down. make those suckers sizzle under your spatula) against the hot surface for a few seconds, until they blister, crackle and change color, ten flip them over and press them flat to toast the other side.

(Note: if you use the same heavy-bottomed pan for this as the garlic toasting, like i did, this should only take a few seconds per side. i took mine off the heat to slow the blackening down, then returned it towards the end. this whole process takes just a few minutes)

Soaking the chiles: Break the chiles into a small bowl, cover with boiling water, weight with a plate to keep submerged and soak 30 minutes. Drain, tear into smaller pieces, place in a blender jar and add the garlic.


Finishing the adobo: in a mortar or spice grinder, pulverize the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, and cumin. Add to the chiles along with the oregano, thyme, salt, vinegar and 3 tablespoons water.
ith a long series of blender pulses, reduce the mixture to a paste: run the blender for a few seconds until the mixture clogs, then scrape down the sides with a spatula and stir; repeat a dozen times or more until the mixture is smooth. Don't add water unless absolutely necessary or this marinating paste won't do its job well. strain the paste through a medium-mess sieve into a noncorrosive container with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and refrigerate.