New Mexico Red Chile sauce

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This is my version of New Mexico’s famous red chile sauce. Mixed with shredded pork, it is used as a tamale filling, but it is also ladled over the tamales as well as enchiladas, huevos rancheros, breakfast burritos, stuffed sopaipillas, chiles rellenos and almost anything else you can think of. You may not need four cups of the sauce for your recipe, but you might as well make the whole batch; freeze extra portions in small resealable plastic containers.

Ingredients

•    24 dried red New Mexico chile pods
•    5 cups beef stock, chicken stock or water
•    2 tablespoons bacon grease, lard or vegetable oil
•    2 cloves garlic, minced
•    2 tablespoons flour
•    1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
•    Salt, to taste
•    1 teaspoon honey, or to taste (optional)

Instructions

In a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, toast the chiles on both sides (you’ll have to do this in batches) until they soften slightly and become aromatic. When the chiles are cool enough to handle, remove the stems and seeds.

Transfer the chiles to a deep saucepan and pour over them about 4 cups water (or enough to just barely cover. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the chiles to rest, about 15 minutes.

Working in batches, puree the chiles with their soaking liquid.

In the cast-iron skillet, over medium heat, melt the bacon grease. Add the garlic and flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture becomes golden. Add the pureed chiles and stir quickly while the sauce bubbles and spatters. Reduce the heat, add the oregano and simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt. If the sauce is a little bitter, mellow it with the honey.

Chipolte-Habanero Hot Sauce

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Jalapeno, habanero and Scotch bonnet are the most common types of fresh chiles found in Miami cuisine. Plenty of chipotles (smoked jalapenos sold both dry and canned) are used too, as well as the many other dried varieties available. Though most recipes call for some type of chile, the real source of heat in many Latin and Caribbean dishes is the hot sauce. Here, I have included two versions. The Chipotle-Habanero Sauce is a thinner, Latin-style sauce with a scorching finish, and the other is a chunky Caribbean-style version with a little sweetness to temper the heat.

Note: this recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

  • 3 dried chipotle peppers
    1 tablespoon canola oil

    1 medium onion, chopped

    Salt and pepper, to taste

    1 tablespoon mustard seeds, ground in a mortar or spice grinder (or 1 tablespoon mustard powder)

    1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped

    1 clove garlic, chopped

    1/4 cup pineapple juice

    3 habanero chiles, chopped

    1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

    1 teaspoon tomato paste

    1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses

    2 tablespoons white vinegar

    1 teaspoon red curry powder

    1/2 teaspoon chile powder

Instructions

Soak the dried chipotle peppers in warm water for 1 hour. Drain the chipotles, reserving the soaking water, and finely chop.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ground mustard seeds and chopped chipotles and cook for 2 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the remaining ingredients, bring the contents to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

If you have an immersion blender, put it directly into the saucepan and run it until you reach the desired consistency. If you want a thinner sauce, add small amounts of the reserved chipotle soaking water.

If you are using a regular blender, be sure to leave the air hole open so steam can escape. Hold a dish towel loosely over the hole while blending. Puree to the desired consistency. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Sweet n’ Spicy Caribbean Hot Sauce

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This sauce is wonderful on grilled chicken and firm fish like salmon. Use it as they would in Trinidad to spice up a fried shark sandwich. If you are using whole spices, grind them in a mortar or in a spice grinder. Allspice berries can be found in Latin and Caribbean markets, as well as specialty food stores. Note: this recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

  • 3 dried chipotle peppers

    3 dried allspice berries, ground (or 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice)

    1 tablespoon mustard seeds, ground (or 1 tablespoon mustard powder)

    1 clove, ground (or a pinch of ground clove)

    1 teaspoon turmeric

    1/2 teaspoon red curry powder

    1 teaspoon ground black pepper

    1 tablespoon canola oil

    2 cloves garlic, minced

    1 shallot, chopped

    1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped

    5 habaneros, finely chopped

    1/2 mango, chopped

    2 tablespoons white vinegar

    3 tablespoons light brown sugar

    1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses

    1/4 cup pineapple juice

    Salt to taste

Instructions

Soak the dried chipotles in warm water for 1 hour. Drain the chipotles, reserving the soaking water. Remove the seeds, finely chop the chiles and set aside. Combine the allspice, mustard seeds, clove, turmeric, curry powder and black pepper in a small bowl and set it aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot, ginger, chopped chipotles and spices. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine them. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Check the consistency. If you want a thinner sauce, add more pineapple juice or the chipotle soaking water. Remove the pan from the heat. If you have an immersion blender, put it directly into the saucepan and blend. I like a chunky texture for this sauce. If you are using a regular blender, be sure to leave the air hole open so steam can escape. Hold a dish towel loosely over the hole and blend to the desired consistency. Transfer the sauce to a jar and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.


Suban-Ick sauce

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‘This dish is wrapped in banana leaves, which give it a subtle, earthy flavor. Serve the dish with plain corn tamales, fresh corn tortillas or rice. ‘

Ingredients

•    3/4 cup water
•    30 plum tomatoes, halved
•    1 medium onion
•    1 large potato, peeled and quartered
•    1 large chayote squash, peeled and quartered
•    4 medium tomatillos, husked and chopped
•    6 red bell peppers, stemmed and seeded
•    2 cayenne chiles, seeds and stems removed
•    1 pasilla chile, seeds and stem removed
•    1 chile piquin, seeds and stem removed
•    1 guajillo chile, seeds and stem removed
•    3 chiltepin chiles (add more for extra heat)
•    3 bay leaves
•    2 sprigs fresh thyme
•    1/3 teaspoon powdered annatto seeds (achiote)
•    Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

To make the sauce, in a large pot over medium high heat, combine all of the ingredients except the annatto. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, about 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool. In a separate bowl, add just enough water to make a thick paste of the annatto powder then add that to the rest of the mix. Working in batches, blend in a food-processor and reserve.

Pork in Adobado Sauce

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Note that this delicious recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

•    2 pounds tomatoes, halved and seeded
•    10 cloves garlic
•    1 medium onion
•    2 teaspoons red chile powder
•    Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
•    1 teaspoon ground cumin, or more, to taste
•    1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
•    1/4 teaspoon oregano
•    White vinegar, to taste
•    6 pork chops or beef steaks

Instructions

Preheat the broiler.

Arrange the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onion on baking sheet and broil 5 to 10 minutes, turning frequently, until the vegetables are softened and slightly charred around the edges. In a large bowl, combine the roasted vegetables with the rest of the ingredients, except the white vinegar.

Working in batches, process the mixture in a food processor. Do not puree, but pulse until the mixture resembles a thick, chunky sauce. Add the white vinegar to tasted.

Put the pork chops or beef steaks in a large, shallow dish and pour the sauce over them. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to three days, as they do in Guatemala.

One hour prior to serving, preheat a grill to high heat. Remove the meat from the sauce, wiping away any chunks and grill to your desired level of doneness.