Chipotle en adobo

Name: Chipotle en adobo
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: Makes 500 millilitres
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 100g dried chipotle chillies*; 1 large brown onion, roughly chopped; 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 3 tbsp oregano leaves; 4 tbsp thyme leaves; 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground; 400ml water; 4 tbsp olive oil; 300ml cider vinegar; 90g brown sugar; 6 tbsp tomato paste; 2 tbsp salt; *Sold at specialist food stores, including Herbie's Spices, Rozelle; The Essential Ingredient, Rozelle; and online at and .

Frank Camorra

March 4, 2013

Chipotle adobo can be mixed with mayonnaise to give a spicy boost to chargrilled corn.Edwina Pickles

Time:< 30 minsMakes:Makes 500 millilitres

Chipotle chilli is smoked and dried jalapeno chilli. It is a key Mexican ingredient, often eaten in the form of a relish called chipotle adobo. Its smoky, sweet flavour is incredibly versatile, great for flavouring meat braises or spooning over fried fish. I like it on nachos, and mixed with mayonnaise for a spicy boost to chargrilled corn.

Ingredients

100g dried chipotle chillies*
1 large brown onion, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 tbsp oregano leaves
4 tbsp thyme leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
400ml water
4 tbsp olive oil
300ml cider vinegar
90g brown sugar
6 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp salt
*Sold at specialist food stores, including Herbie's Spices, Rozelle; The Essential Ingredient, Rozelle; and online at montereyfoods.com.au and fireworksfoods.com.au.

Method

Toast chillies in a dry pan, then cover with water and simmer for 30 minutes until soft. Cool in cold water, then snip the stalk off the chilli with scissors, rinse out excess seeds, then roughly chop half the chillies.
Put the onion, garlic, herbs, cumin and 300 millilitres of water in a blender with the unchopped chillies and puree until smooth.
Heat oil in a heavy pan until smoking hot, add chilli paste and cook for 3 minutes, stirring continuously to stop it burning. Add vinegar, sugar, tomato paste, salt and remaining water, then cook for 5 minutes before adding chopped chillies.
Cook for a further 15 minutes, checking whether it needs more salt. Pour into sterilised jars and seal while hot. The sauce will keep refrigerated for two months.