Blue Corn Fettucine with Chorizo and Smoked Chicken

Ingredients

• 10 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed

• 1/4 pound smoked slab bacon

• 1 12-ounce package blue corn fettuccine

• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions

• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/4 cup tequila

• 3 cups chicken stock or water

• 1 pound ripe tomatoes

• 1/2 pound Mexican-style chorizo, in links

• 1/2 pound smoked chicken meat, chopped or shredded

• 1 or 2 cups grated queso blanco or Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions

Place the anchos on a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven for about five minutes until you can smell them roasting. Take care that they do not burn.

Saute the bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until it renders some of its fat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are soft. Add the cumin and oregano and cook for three minutes, stirring. Add the tequila and the stock or water and bring to a simmer. Add the roasted ancho chiles, remove from the heat, and steep for five or ten minutes. Cut the tomatoes in half and roast them in a heavy skillet, cut side down, over medium heat, until blackened.

Puree the ancho mixture with the tomatoes in a blender or food processor until quite smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender and adding more liquid as needed. Return to the sauce pan and simmer for about 1/2 hour. The sauce should be smooth but not too thick. Add more liquid as needed.

Add the chorizo, taking care not to boil the sauce at this point, lest the sausage burst. Simmer about twelve to fifteen minutes, remove the sausage, slice it, and return it to the sauce, along with the smoked chicken, and simmer 5 to 10 minutes more.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions, drain it, and divide it between four plates. Ladle the sauce on top and garnish with the grated cheese.