Chopped Chile Relish Food

PICKLED-CHILE RELISH

Steps:

• Make chile relish:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Cut off and discard top of garlic head to expose cloves, then wrap head in foil and bake until very tender, about 45 minutes. Cool to warm, then peel cloves and transfer to a food processor.
• Stem chiles and add to processor along with vinegar, sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Pulse until finely chopped.
• Simmer chile mixture in a small saucepan, stirring, 2 minutes.
• Sterilize jars and lids:
• Wash jars, lids, and screw bands in hot, soapy water, then rinse well. Dry screw bands. Put empty jars on a rack in a boiling-water canner or a deep 6- to 8-quart pot and add enough hot water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, covered, then boil 10 minutes. Remove canner from heat, leaving jars in water, covered. Heat lids in water to cover by 2 inches in a small saucepan until water registers 180°F on an instant-read or candy thermometer (do not let boil). Remove from heat. Keep jars and lids submerged in hot water, covered, until ready to use.
• Carefully remove jars and lids with canning tongs, then drain jars upside down on a clean kitchen towel and quickly dry lids.
• Fill, seal, and process jars:
• Place 2 or 3 thyme sprigs in each jar and ladle sauce (while still hot) into jars, leaving 1/4 inch of space at top. Run a clean rubber spatula between sauce and sides of jars to eliminate air bubbles. Wipe off rims of filled jars with a damp clean kitchen towel, then firmly screw on lids with screw bands.
• Put sealed jars in canner (on rack) or pot and add enough hot water to cover by 2 inches. (If you have a jar that is partially full, do not process it. Cover it with a lid and screw band, then keep in refrigerator.) Bring to a full boil, covered, then boil, covered, 10 minutes. Transfer jars with canning tongs to a towel-lined surface to cool. Jars will seal and eventually have concave lids (you may hear a ping).
• After jars have cooled, 12 to 24 hours, press center of each lid to check that it's concave, then remove screw band and try to lift lid with your fingertips. If you can't, the lid has a good seal. Replace screw band. Put any jars that haven't sealed properly in the refrigerator and use them first.

LOBSTER AND GREEN CHILE CHOWDER WITH ROASTED CORN-GREEN CHILE RELISH

Steps:

• Remove the claws from the lobsters. Carefully crack the claws and try to remove the meat in 1 piece and set aside for garnish. Remove the tail meat and chop into 1-inch chunks and set aside in the refrigerator. Reserve the shells.
• Melt butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat; add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Increase heat to high, add the wine, lobster shells, and corn cobs and cook until completely reduced. Add 4 cups of the lobster stock and bring to a boil. Add 2 cups of the corn and let cook for 15 minutes. Remove the lobster shells and corn cobs.
• Transfer the soup to a food processor and process until smooth. Strain into a clean saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir in the lobster meat, remaining 1 cup of roasted corn kernels and green chiles and cook for 5 minutes.
• Place heavy cream in a medium saucepan and reduce by half. Add the reduced cream to the chowder and stir until combined, if the chowder appears too thick, add some of the remaining lobster stock to thinly slightly. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cilantro. Ladle into bowls and top with a few tablespoons of relish, a lobster claw and fresh cilantro leaves.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove corn from water, place on baking sheets and roast in the oven until tender and slightly charred, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly, remove husks and kernels and place kernels in a bowl.
• Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Let relish sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

CHILE RELISH

Steps:

• Stem the peppers. If working with larger peppers and using a blender, you may want to cut them into slightly smaller pieces as well.
• Peel the garlic.
• Process all ingredients in a food processor or blender in batches until smooth.

CHOPPED-CHILE RELISH

Steps:

• Stir together peppers, oil, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Let stand 1 hour, or refrigerate, covered, up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.

CHILI CRISP WITH OATS

Steps:

• To make the chili crisp, place the shallots, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, oats, coconut flakes, sesame seeds, chile flakes and oils in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, swirling the pan every now and then, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20-25 minutes until everything is crispy.
• Strain the oil through a sieve over a bowl and leave the oat mixture to cool in the sieve-this will allow it to crisp up further. Set the oil aside. Once the crispy oat mixture is completely cool, stir it back into the oil and season with the sea salt. Leave the cinnamon stick in the oil, as it will continue to flavor it. Store the chili crisp in a sterilized jar. It will keep well for several months.

GHOST CHILE SWEET PICKLE RELISH

Steps:

• Combine cucumbers, onion, red bell pepper, and ghost chile peppers in a large pot; add salt and toss to coat. Cover pot with a lid and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
• Mix sugar and vinegar into cucumber mixture and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until relish is tender, about 45 minutes.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. Pack relish into hot, sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a clean knife or thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars into the boiling water using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary to bring the water level to at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a rolling boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Label and date the jars and store in a cool, dark area.

SWEET CHILE DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• To a small saucepan, add water, vinegar, and sugar; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, roughly slice chiles and garlic. Place in a food processor with salt and pulse to a rough chop; add to the pot. Turn heat to low to maintain a steady simmer and cook, uncovered, until the liquid thickens slightly and becomes just slightly syrupy, 8-12 minutes. Cool to room temperature. The sauce will thicken further as it cools. Makes ¾ cup. You can store it in the refrigerator in a sealed container for months; the flavor improves as the ingredients continue to meld.