Red Chile Oil Food

OVEN ROASTED SHRIMP WITH TOASTED GARLIC AND RED CHILE OIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
• Place the shrimp in a cazuela or an ovenproof casserole and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle olive oil over shrimp, add crushed garlic, and toss to coat. Roast in the oven until pink and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drizzle generously with Red Chile Oil and sprinkle with thyme and Toasted Garlic Chips. Serve with crusty bread.
• 1 cup olive oil
• 6 dried chiles de arbol, lightly toasted and crushed
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Pinch salt
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
• Blend all ingredients including the thyme leaves in a blender until smooth.. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.
• 1 cup olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Salt
• Heat the oil in a small skillet until it begins to shimmer. Add the garlic and cook until the slices begin to brown and curl. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels and season with salt.

CHILI OIL

Steps:

• Combine the oil and crushed red pepper flakes in a heavy small saucepan. Cook over low heat until a thermometer inserted into the oil registers 180 degrees F, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Transfer the oil and pepper flakes to a 4-ounce bottle. Seal the lid. Refrigerate up to 1 month.

HOW TO MAKE CHILI OIL

Steps:

• Gather all the aromatics you plan to use. Place oil and selected aromatics into a pot with at least two inches of clearance between the oil and the rim of the pot. If using minimum aromatics, 1 ½ cups of oil should do it. If using all the aromatics, you can add up to 3 cups of oil.
• Set it over medium heat to start, then progressively lower it to medium low or low heat as the oil comes to temperature. The oil should be at about 225-250° F / 110-120° C and causing small bubbles to slowly rise from the aromatics. If you notice the spices sizzling more vigorously than that or turning dark too quickly, reduce the heat to cool it down. If you are not achieving small bubbles, slowly increase the heat. Hovering around 200-225° F is the safest way to prevent burning. Infuse the aromatics this way for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour for best results.
• While the oil is infusing, prepare your Sichuan chili flakes by placing them in a heatproof bowl. If you used 1½ cups of oil, ¾ cup of chili flakes is best. For 3 cups of oil, use 1¼ cups of chili flakes. You can experiment within this range (if you like more oil and fewer flakes, for instance).
• Generally, the oil should be between 225-250° F (110-120° C) when pouring over the chili flakes. If you like a darker color, opt for 250-275° F/135° C. If your chili flakes are already super roasted, you may want to be closer to 225° F/110° C. When in doubt, test the oil on a small bowl of chili flakes before you do the rest. Carefully pour the hot oil through a strainer onto the chili flakes. Stir to evenly distribute the heat of the oil. You'll know you've gotten it right when you smell a "popcorn"-like smell that is not at all burnt-smelling.
• Stir in the salt, and allow the chili oil to cool. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Always use a clean utensil when handling to prevent spoilage. It can last for up to 6 months if handled in this way.

GREEN HERB PANCAKES WITH RICOTTA AND RED CHILE OIL

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil and chile in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until the chiles start to sizzle and smell fragrant, about 1 minute (do not let them brown). Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with two kitchen towels stacked on top of each other and place in the oven. This will keep your cooked pancakes warm.
• Whisk the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the milk, melted butter and eggs together in another bowl. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until ingredients are just incorporated and batter is thick (it's okay if there are some lumps). Gently stir in 1/2 teaspoon pepper and all but 2 tablespoons of the herbs. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper together in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Ladle a heaping 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet, spreading it into a 4 1/2-inch round; repeat to make a second pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden on the bottom and bubbly on top, about 1 minute. Flip the pancakes and cook until the second side is golden and batter is cooked through, about 45 seconds more. Transfer the pancakes to the baking sheet in the oven, tucking them between the kitchen towels. Repeat with the remaining batter to make more pancakes.
• Place 3 pancakes on each plate and top with a large dollop of ricotta. Sprinkle with the reserved herbs and drizzle with the chile oil just before serving.

RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Remove stems and seeds from dried chile pods. Rinse and place in 4-quart pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let pods steep for 30 minutes.
• Drain pods in a colander and reserve juice. Place softened pods into a blender or food processor, adding just enough reserved juice to barely cover. Blend to a fine consistency. Pour the resulting pulp into a fine sieve or colander and allow the extra juice to drain out, stirring occasionally.
• Return this pulp to the 4-quart pot and add the salt, oregano, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste to adjust seasonings. If the sauce tastes bitter, add the tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
• Use red chile sauce over enchiladas, chile rellenos, or as a side or sauce for any other Mexican entree.

RED-CHILE OIL

Steps:

• Heat oil with red-pepper flakes in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, swirling pan occasionally, until red-pepper flakes begin to sizzle, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pour into a heatproof bowl and cool to room temperature. Stir before using.

RED CHILI

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic, ground beef and cubed sirloin in oil for 10 minutes, or until the meat is well browned and the onions are tender.
• Mix in the diced tomatoes with juice, dark beer, coffee, tomato paste and beef broth. Season with brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, coriander and salt.
• Stir in 2 cans of the beans and hot chile peppers. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.
• Stir in the 2 remaining cans of beans, and simmer for another 30 minutes.