A Little Tip!

 

For those of you who use dried chiles in your Mexican cuisine, such as, Chile Ancho, Chile Guajillo, Chile Pasilla, Chile New Mexico, etc.;

 

Try to purchase the dried chiles that have been packaged in sealed clear bags. Many companies are offering the dried chiles packaged this way.

 

The dried chiles most often, if packaged this way, retain some of there moisture and are soft and pliable (easy to work with). Most bulk chiles, such as the ones in the bins, are very dry and often brittle and hard to work with.

 

One of the basic tenants of Mexican Cuisine is roasting ingredients and dried chiles are no exception.

 

After removing the stems and seeds from the dried chiles, the chiles need a brief roasting on a comal, grill, or dry cast iron pan. Were talking just a few seconds on each side, not long enough to burn, but long enough to attain a parched coffee color on both sides.

 

After roasting, the chiles need to be soaked in hot water to rehydrate.

 

An easy way to do this is to: place the roasted chiles in a pot and cover with water. Add a couple of pinches of dried oregano, majoram, etc and a tablespoon of vinegar to the water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for a few minutes. Cover the pot and turn off heat and allow the chiles to soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

 

the chiles will be very workable and easy to process or blend.

 

The vinegar mellows out the chiles and reduces some of the pungency but doesn't change the flavor of the finished dish.

 

After this process you can assimilate the chiles as your recipes direct.

 

This works for enchilada sauce, mole, etc.

 

In the case of the Chile Guajillo, you should stain the blended sauce, as the chile Guajillos have a very tough skin that would not be prefered in finished sauces.

 

Some cooks place the dried chiles (after roasting on the comal) in with other ingredients and simmer them together and place everything in a blender and strain the entire sauce and finish as desired. This is definately a short cut.

 

All the Best!

 

Bill Gibson

"aficionado de la cocina mexicana"