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.

Tabasco sauce - chile de arbol hot sauce

I'm so happy to have found such a great recipe. It is a perfect challenge for a weekend afternoon; it requires some time, a moderate amount of effort, and is just a lot of fun to fool with ingredients that are less than everyday.

Though it takes a little while start to finish, i promise that 80% of the time is spend rolling and splitting chiles, which doesn't take much effort and can be pretty fun.


Coupled with that the fact that this hot sauce lasts indefinitely in the refrigerator, this might be a good experiment for personal use or, alternately, a perfect birthday present for a friend (whom we all have) who can't eat without a bottle of hot sauce nearby.

Here, on the left is traditional tapatio sauce while the one on the right is the homemade tabasco. I will say that this tastes more like tabasco than tapatio, i just didn't have red tabasco in the house to compare it with. note, though, the similar consistencies. I love when i get at least one thing right.


Though it takes about an hour just to de-seed the chiles, I do promise that this requires effort in the form of occupied indifference - that is to say that the chile rolling and extracting is best while watching an hour-long law and order or something, given that it is mostly mindless work. This is where the mimosa comes in, in case you were looking for a cue.
example:

I will caution you to not touch any eyes, nose, or any other body parts, even an hour after you handle the chiles. fair warning.
__________________________________________________________________


1 1/4 oz dried chiles de arbol (appx. 50-60 mixed-sized)
1 1/2 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 Tbsp shelled pumpkinseeds (pepitas)
1/4 tsp cumin seeds (or a generous 1/4 tsp ground)
4 large allspice berries (or 1/8 tsp ground)
2 cloves (or big pinch ground)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
2 lg cloves garlic, peeled and roughly clopped
3/4 c cider vinegar
1 mimosa, prepared


Chiles and seeds: stem the chiles, then roll then roll them between your thumb and fingers, pressing gently to loosen the seeds inside. Break in half, shake out as many seeds as possible, then place in a blender jar.
(i developed a method of rolling briefly, splitting in half, and rolling seeds out for a few seconds into a bowl for this step. just experiment with it and see what works)

(leftover, shaken-out seeds)
(arbol chiles, after de-stemming and -seeding)

Assembling the paste: Heat an ungreased skillet over medium-low. Measure in the sesame seeds and stir for several minutes as they brown and pop; scoop into the blender jar. Add the pumpkinseeds to the skillet. When the first one pops, stir constantly for several minutes, until all are golden and have popped up into a round shape.



Blending the sauce: Pulverize the cumin, allspice and cloves in a mortar or spice grinder, then add to the blender jar along with the oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar. Blend for several minutes, until the mixture is orange-red and feels quite smooth when a drop is rubbed between your fingers.



Straining and ripening the sauce: Strain through a mesh sieve or strainer, working the solids back and forth and pressing them firmly; there will be a fair amount of chile seeds, skins, sesame hulls, and other debris to discard, but be careful that there is nothing liquid trapped within them.
Stir in 3/4 cup water, then pour into a bottle, cover and let stand for 24 hours before serving.

a

tandoori chicken

I really think i was born in the wrong hemisphere.

When the weather is cold and sends you diving under the covers, i'm craving foods like grilled corn and crisp salads. i make a lot of quick soups. i grumble about the state of cucumbers and asparagus. i think the homiest things i want to make in the cold months are roast chicken and potatoes or creamed spinach.

now that spring is here and this weekend has been so warm, i'm spending this gorgeous day with my favorite lazy afternoon companions: dorie greenspan and thomas keller. i've pulled 'around my french table' and 'ad hoc at home' down from the cookbook shelves and what recipes do i run my fingers over contemplatively? why, the braised short ribs. the long-simmering pork shoulder with peach glaze. the beef stew that takes four days to make and requires two kinds of fresh stock. you know, stuff that you should be making to lift your spirits and warm your hands when it's snowing outside. when you run in from the cold and light the fireplace. not the kinds of foods you want to crave when it's so hot outside the fridge fogs up when you open it. not the kinds of foods that will make the place so stinking hot you have to sit for a while with a cold towel on your forehead if you stay in the kitchen for too long. which, by the way, happened at least a half dozen times last summer. memphis summer nights damn near killed me.

so i'm beginning to realize why andy comes home and is so exasperated when he sees the dutch oven come out on a day the air conditioning has been running nonstop. he knows what's coming; the main characters have just made their first appearance.
i'm slowly understanding how messed up my brain is. for some reason, i just always crave hot, stick-to-your-ribs, heavy dishes during the hottest days.
so this year i'm trying to compromise. trying. grilling outside with spice heat instead of heat stroke heat. see? compromise. baked beans that can cook for five hours outside in a crock pot with an extension cord. how brilliant you are, Julia! and that's just the beginning.


so to kick it off: tandoori chicken on the grill.
this is an america's test kitchen recipe that i've been excited about for a while. there haven't been any blow-your-socks-off indian restaurants in my life for a while, so i've been missing out on this charred, moist, super-flavorful chicken for a long time.



the tandoori paste was right on, and i loved how it stained my hands like henna. i think that with each new season i get so excited with new crops and ingredients to work with that i tend to slow down when the weather begins to change again, like i'm holding back my energy for the next season. i can already feel the mexican vibes flow through me this spring, so maybe i can mail-order some dried chiles and finally tackle some mole or tamales on my own.

without presumptions that i could improve upon an ATK recipe, i've made a few slight changes for cooking this on the grill instead of the oven. also, i know it's a pain to run out and buy a knob of fresh ginger instead of using powdered, but please do it. it lends a brightness that counters the deep, heavy spices and is really worth it. also, i got 3 small limes and it was more than enough for the recipe.

Tandoori Chicken

3 lbs chicken parts (1 3-lb chicken cut up), bone in and skin removed
4 T lime juice
1 c whole yogurt
2 tsp salt

Paste:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp chili powder (i used ancho chili powder for all but 1/8th tsp or so, where i added in some cayenne)
1 Tbsp garam marsala


Gash the chicken pieces on one side a few times with a sharp knife, 1/8 inch deep

Heat oil on medium. Add garlic and ginger and cook swiftly, not letting brown. Add other spices and cool for a minute to bloom.

Divide Paste into 2 bowls - one larger and one smaller. to the smaller bowl add 2 Tbsp lime juice and the yogurt.
To the larger bowl, add the remaining 2 Tbsp lime juice and 2 tsp salt. Add gashed chicken and really rub the paste all over, making sure to get into the cuts. let sit for 30 mins at room temp.

Pour yogurt mixture over chicken and mix. oil the grill to prevent sticking, though it'll still stick a bit because of the yogurt. grill should be set to 325 (med. low). place chicken scored side down.

grill for 20-25 minutes (until breast meat registers 125 degrees, thigh 130), then flip and turn grill to low and cook for another 10 minutes or so. if the chicken breast is closer to 160 before you flip, consider taking the breast meat off a little earlier than the rest of the pieces.
when done, meat should register 160 degrees at the breast and 175 for the dark meat. tent with foil for a few minutes before eating.

if you wanted to make a mint chutney with this, process mint, onion, lime juice and yogurt until smooth.

if you're doing this in the oven, the instructions are to bake @325 for 22 minutes, then turn oven broiler on and ensure rack is mid-low in the oven. flip chicken and finish cooking 8-10 minutes.

An Ode to Chickpeas

okay, this has been long overdue, but i made a great stirfry the other day with really nothing more than onions, chickpeas, and green peas sauteed with some garlic, soy sauce, and sugar.

chickpeas really are the tummy-stuffer of the edible world. in the past two weeks i've sort of gone a little garbanzo-crazy and have used them to make hummus (with no tahini paste, but still tasted good), an addition to some clear broth soup with broccoli, a thick seafood chowder, and some mashed chickpea and leek savoury pancakes.

unbelievable! boil it! saute it! mash it! i could go on for days. this completely fits with my legume kick. it's such a shame that these poor little guys get no good press, and often are served cold, right out of a can, and without any tender lovin'. i swear, the reason why i started buying cans of garbanzo beans every time i go to the store was tasting them in that stir fry. so meaty, with a good, cleanse-your-throat sort of scouring roughness. also, i've had my fair share of vegetarian stir-fry bowls, and they mostly all blow. i don't get it.

sometimes i just don't really want to fuss with fixing myself meat at every meal, but (this is probably psychosomatic) i swear i can notice if i don't have protein or some kind of heavy or dense element, especially at lunch. you need something to stick to your ribs in the middle of the day, but also something that won't make you snoozy an hour later. enter chickpeas. these little vagabonds completely fit the bill. i'll try to remake this later on in the week, but i'm convinced that you can't significantly improve upon something that you remember being amazing.

The measurements for the sauce are approximate. So long as you're going for a salty-sweet-garlic-y idea, you're on the road to perfection. i'm beginning to appreciate the quiet virtue of simple flavors at lunch. you don't want to think too hard when you're just trying to re-fuel.

I figured that it would be better to include a more ratio-driven recipe than specific measurements, because then you can make a big batch and make for a few days, or a just-for-one lunch.

Mirin is just a sweet japanese cooking wine and i had it around, so i pulled it down and used it. it's subtle and a little vinegar-y, so if you have rice wine vinegar that could work too. if you don't have either, i wouldn't worry about it. if you are going to add either one, i'd recommend putting it in a small bowl and mixing about a teaspoon of corn starch into it before adding it to the stir fry as a way to balance out the universe and keep the sauce from getting too watery.

add your sauce to some already-frying chopped onions and a big handful of chickpeas and whatever else you have lying around (small-cut broccoli, canned corn, cauliflower, carrots... this can be a big operation if you'd like), and let it hang out for a lminute on medium-high (7 to 8 out of 10). add in some frozen peas. i can't advise on how many, because i'd eat a bag if i knew that everyone could agreed to look the other way. if you have sesame oil, you should add it here. maybe a tablespoon at most, but i'm notorious for under-oiling. if you have green onions in the fridge, these would be good to add here, even though you've added regular onions. they're different tastes, especially when the white onions have been sauteeing in salt and sugar.

when it comes to vegetable:sauce ratio, i would make more sauce than less, and if you find that there's lots of sauce (enough to make you concerned), then store the veggies separate from the rice and the sauce will absorb in the fridge (if you have leftovers).