Ancho Chili Puree Food

BASIC ANCHO CHILE PUREE

Steps:

• Soak the dried chiles in hot water for about 1 hour.
• Drain (but reserve a little of the soaking water), then pull the stem ends off and discard. The seeds can be discarded or blended with the chiles, depending on how spicy you want the purée to be. (I found it helpful to go ahead and chop/cut the chiles into smaller pieces prior to grinding/blending.).
• Blend the chiles in a food processor until smooth, adding a small amount of their soaking water if necessary (no more than 1/4 cup).
• Press the purée through a medium mesh strainer with a rubber spatula, leaving the leftover large pieces in the strainer. Discard large pieces.
• This will give you more chile puree than is needed for most recipes. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks or the freezer for up to 3 months. Freeze the puree in ice cube trays for easy measuring and future use.

ANCHO CHILI PUREE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a small saucepan over high heat. When it just starts to shimmer, add shallots, garlic and anchos. Lower heat and cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes or until shallots, garlic, and anchos are lightly toasted.
• Add tomatoes, cilantro and serrano. Raise heat to medium and cook 2 minutes. Add stock. Lower heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Do not reduce. Pour into a blender and puree until smooth. Mix masa harina with enough cold water to make a paste. Then, with the motor running, add to the puree in the blender. Strain through a fine sieve and stir in lime juice, honey and salt.
• Keep warm until ready to use.

ANCHO CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice tortillas into 1/2-inch strips and scatter on large baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and bake to golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and reserve.
• While the tortillas crisp, add the ancho chiles and the stock a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer until the dried peppers are tender.
• While anchos simmer, heat a medium soup pot with vegetable oil over high heat. Add corn and char at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat a little, then add the onions, peppers and garlic and season with the cumin, smoked paprika and cinnamon. Saute for 5 minutes, then add in the beer, cook for 1 minute and then stir in tomatoes. Puree the ancho chiles and stock in a processor, then add to the soup pot. Stir in the honey, then add the shredded chicken, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Thin with 1 cup of water and simmer to combine flavors.
• Zest and juice 1 of the limes and add to the soup. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit. Scoop the flesh onto a cutting board and dice. Put into a bowl and dress with the juice of the remaining lime.
• Pile the chips into a large soup bowl. Top the chips with diced avocado, then ladle in the soup. Garnish with sour cream and whole or chopped cilantro leaves before serving.

ANCHO-CHIPOTLE TURKEY CHILI

Steps:

• Place the anchos and stock in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low boil, and then simmer over low heat to reconstitute.
• Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and brown a few minutes, and then remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• Add the ground turkey and brown and crumble the meat, and season with salt and pepper. Add the onions, garlic, chipotle in adobo, paprika, cumin, coriander, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Stir and cook to soften, 10 minutes more. Add the tomato paste, and stir 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the beer.
• Puree the anchos and stock.
• Add the ancho puree to the chili along with the reserved bacon. Simmer over low heat to thicken 20 to 30 minutes. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal.
• To reheat: Reheat over a medium flame on the stovetop, stirring occasionally. Serve with the garnishes of your choice.

ANCHO SWEET-POTATO PURéE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. and line a baking sheet with foil.
• Prick sweet potatoes in several places with a fork and bake on baking sheet in middle of oven until tender, about 1 hour. Cool potatoes until they can be handled.
• Wearing rubber gloves, stem and seed chiles and tear into 1-inch pieces. In a small saucepan bring chiles and cream to a boil. In a blender purée mixture until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids).
• Scoop flesh from potatoes into a food processor, discarding skins, and purée with cream mixture, salt, and 2 tablespoons butter. Purée may be made up to this point 1 day ahead and cooled before being chilled, covered.
• Transfer purée to a large saucepan and heat over moderate heat, stirring, until hot, stirring in more salt and butter if desired.

ANCHO CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Place chile in medium bowl. Pour enough boiling water over to cover; let soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid.
• Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste; stir 2 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add wine and softened chile; simmer 2 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons reserved chile soaking liquid, ketchup, and all remaining ingredients. Simmer 3 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
• Puree sauce in blender, adding more reserved soaking liquid by tablespoonfuls if too thick. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
• * Available at many supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Latin markets.

NOPALES CACTUS TACOS

Steps:

• Special equipment: thin gloves.
• For the nopales cactus:.
• Prepare a grill for medium heat. Wearing thin gloves, use a sharp paring knife, held at a 45-degree angle to the paddles, to carefully remove the spines. Make 3 to 5 slits in the skin of the cactus and rub all over with the garlic clove, then the oil. Sprinkle with some salt.
• Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the nopales cactus until lightly charred, and the pad becomes tender, flipping once, 10 to 15 minutes total. Set aside to cool, then cut into 1/4-inch strips.
• For the ancho chile puree:.
• Place a dry, nonstick pan over medium heat and lightly toast the chile, turning occasionally,10 minutes. Turn the heat off and step back from the pan to add 3 tablespoons of water, being careful not to let the steam burn you. Cover and let the chile soak 15 minutes.
• Transfer the chile with its water to a blender with a pinch of salt and puree until smooth, adding more water if needed. Combine 3 tablespoons of the resulting paste with the olive oil and the remaining 2 to 3 pinches of salt, or more to taste. (Save the rest of the paste for another use.).
• For the roasted tomato salsa:.
• Combine the tomatoes, quartered Serranos and onions in a large bowl. Toss with the canola oil. Spread the tomatoes, onions, quartered Serranos, 1 clove garlic and bay leaf in a baking pan. Place under the broiler and char until nicely colored, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the dried ancho chiles in a container of water and allow to hydrate, 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle the broiled vegetables evenly with the paprika, then toss to coat and return to the broiler, about 1 minute. Watch carefully and do not allow the paprika to burn. Remove from the broiler. Stir in the chopped Serranos, ancho chiles (discard the water), chile flakes and olive oil. Allow to marinate in the pan at room temperature, tossing occasionally, 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
• Chop the tomatoes and stir them together with the other vegetables in a bowl, tearing off and adding small amounts of toasted bread as needed to thicken. Add the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
• Mince the remaining clove garlic. Stir into the salsa along with the cilantro, lime juice and Mexican oregano. Stir in additional salt to taste.
• For the avocado crema:.
• Combine the avocado flesh, lime juice, orange juice, lemon juice, cilantro and salt to taste in a food processor, and pulse until pureed. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer and adjust seasoning to taste.
• For the tacos:.
• Place the tortillas on a serving plate. Spread with the ancho chile puree using the back of a spoon. Arrange a thin layer of nopales cactus strips over the ancho chile puree. Add a layer of shredded lettuce and spoon some roasted tomato salsa over the top. Drizzle with some avocado crema, and sprinkle with the cheese. Serve immediately.

ANCHO BEER CHILI

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, pour boiling water over ancho peppers, just enough to cover them, and leave set for about a half hour, or until peppers are soft. Then remove stems and seeds from peppers (use latex gloves while doing this). Place the peppers and the water in a food processor and puree them.
• Brown the ground meat with the garlic. Drain.
• Fry the sausage until cooked. Drain.
• In a large pot combine ground meat, sausage, ancho puree, onion, green chilies, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beer.
• Mix together the salt, black pepper, cumin, cayenne, oregano, and chili powder.
• Add about half ofd the spice mix to the chili and mix thoroughly. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add beans and the rest of the spice mix. stir and simmer for another 15 minutes.

GARLIC ANCHO CHILE JAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut off and discard tops of garlic heads to expose cloves and rub each head with 1/2 tablespoon oil. Wrap heads together in foil and bake in middle of oven until tender, about 45 minutes. Cool to warm.
• While garlic is roasting, toast chiles in a dry heavy skillet over moderate heat, turning, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Soak chiles in hot water until softened, about 20 minutes, then drain.
• Squeeze garlic from skins into a food processor and purée with chiles, vinegar, honey, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and salt to taste. Force purée through a sieve into a bowl.
• Available at Latino markets and Kitchen/Market (888-468-4433).

Z TEJAS CHILE FUDGE PIE

Steps:

• *Forancho puree: Ancho chiles are dried poblanos, dark brown peppers found in the produce section of the supermarket.
• Remove the seeds and stem from one ancho chile pepper, place in a small saucepan with water to cover.
• Bring to a boil and simmer until ancho is tender.
• Purée in a food processor.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Melt the butter and let cool to warm.
• Toast the chopped nuts until lightly brown.
• Beat eggs well and then add sugars and flour.
• Beat until smooth.
• Add warm butter to the batter and mix well (it is important for butter to be warm so chocolate chips will melt some).
• Add chile puree.
• Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
• Pour filling into pastry shell and bake for 45 to 60 minutes until done.

BLACK BEAN ANCHO CHILI

Steps:

• Make salsa:
• Halve and peel the avocado and cut it into 1/4-inch dice. In a bowl toss the avocado with the juice, the onion, the jalapeño, and salt and pepper to taste. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
• Make chili:
• In a large bowl let the beans soak in enough water to cover them by 2 inches for 1 hour and drain them. In a large heavy kettle cook the onions and 4 of the garlic cloves, minced, in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until the onions are softened, add the cumin, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the beans and 6 cups of the water and simmer the mixture, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep the beans barely covered, for 1 hour, or until the beans are tender.
• While the beans are simmering, in a small saucepan bring the remaining 1 1/2 cups water to a boil, add the chilies, and remove the pan from the heat. Let the mixture stand for 20 minutes and in a blender puree the chilies with the liquid. Add the chili puree, to the bean mixture with the tomato puree, the broth, the bell pepper, the orégano, and salt to taste and simmer the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Stir in the coriander, the lime juice, and the remaining 2 garlic cloves, minced, and simmer the chili for 5 minutes.
• The chili may be frozen or made 4 days in advance, cooled, uncovered, and kept covered and chilled. Serve the chili with the avocado salsa and the sour cream.

BUTTERNUT-SQUASH-AND-ANCHO-CHILI PUREE

Steps:

• Place the ancho chili in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chili is soft, about 10 minutes. Remove the chili from the liquid. When cool enough to handle, stem the chili, split it open and scrape out the seeds.
• Meanwhile, place the squash in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and place the squash in a food processor. Add the chili and the cumin and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Season with the salt and cayenne, if desired. Divide among 4 plates and serve immediately.